Organizing Schools for Productive Learning

This book offers an alternative approach to secondary school organization. In line with the definition formulated by John Dewey's philosophy of education, the book shows how to respond more successfully to the requirements of today's information age.

LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES Introduction Students are bored in school Why the boredom? The road to productive learning in school Chapter 1 Two Models of School Structure Structural change: necessary but not sufficient Organizational regularities in school 1. The one-by-one formula The ''one-by-one'' formula and the hierarchical nature of bureaucracy A hard-nosed view of the one-by-one concept 2. The greater than one formula A policy of instructional coherence The discipline oriented organization of schools Human organization is contrived What structure cannot do for teachers School organization and teaching practices: a summary of our goals Chapter 2 The School as a Community; the School in the Community Part 1: The school as a community School organization and community Communities and other enterprises The goals of the school as a community Community and academic disciplines Qualities of leadership Part 2: The school in the community The community as a site for learning Chapter 3 Student Engagement in Learning A cognitive-affective concept Engagement and the learning environment Engagement and students'' conceptions of learning Meaning and student autonomy Chapter 4 Class Size and School Size What is a large class? Teaching methods omitted from studies of class size Does class size inhibit innovation? School size Chapter 5 The Integrated Curriculum The fusion of academic disciplines The problem of relevance The problem of integration Chapter 6 Duration of Class Sessions and the Problem of Teaching Method The anticipated demise of the 50-minute hour Alternative teachingmethods and the 50-minute hour More alternative schedules Extensive and intensive study projects How schedule reform affects teaching: some research Teachers'' evaluations Results regarding students Some conclusions Chapter 7 Student Assessment Assessment as testing Alternative assessment Summative and formative assessment More alternative approaches to assessment Chapter 8 A Systems Approach to Organization and Instruction in Schools Systems integrate, bureaucracies separate A system is not a collection Classrooms as social systems Can schools adopt new principles of organization? References