Unschooling To University


Book Description

School is one option for education; homeschooling is the second, and unschooling is the third. Many parents are frustrated by the school system, perhaps because of bullying, crowded classrooms, and outdated, dull, online courses. Disengaged learners that have no say in their coerced curriculum tend to act out, tune out, or drop out. Education must change and unschooling is the fastest-growing alternative method of learning. Two decades ago, students registered with their local school based on their house address. Now, with the internet, students are borderless. Learning can occur anywhere, anytime, anyway and from anyone-including self-taught. Self-directing their education, unschoolers learn through: - Play - Projects - Reading - Volunteering - Video games - Sports - Mentorship - Travel - Life This book explores the path of 30 unschooled children who self-directed all or part of their education and were accepted by universities, colleges, and other postsecondary schools. Most have already graduated. What children need most are close relationships-parents, teachers, siblings, relatives, coaches, and mentors within a wider community, not just within an institutional school. Educational content is everywhere. Caring relationships are not. Families that embrace unschooling, do not have to choose between a quality education and a relaxed, connected family lifestyle. They can have both.




Youth 2.0: Social Media and Adolescence


Book Description

This book grasps the duality between opportunities and risks which arise from children’s and adolescents’ social media use. It investigates the following main themes, from a multidisciplinary perspective: identity, privacy, risks and empowerment. Social media have become an integral part of young people’s lives. While social media offer adolescents opportunities for identity and relational development, adolescents might also be confronted with some threats. The first part of this book deals with how young people use social media to express their developing identity. The second part revolves around the disclosure of personal information on social network sites, and concentrates on the tension between online self-disclosure and privacy. The final part deepens specific online risks young people are confronted with and suggests solutions by describing how children and adolescents can be empowered to cope with online risks. By emphasizing these different, but intertwined topics, this book provides a unique overview of research resulting from different academic disciplines such as Communication Studies, Education, Psychology and Law. The outstanding researchers that contribute to the different chapters apply relevant theories, report on topical research, discuss practical solutions and reveal important emerging issues that could lead future research agendas.




The Promise of Adolescence


Book Description

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.




Social Studies for Young Children


Book Description

This book anchors the social studies as the central unifying force for young children. Teachers use the inquiry process to foster child development of social skills and citizenship ideals in their first classroom experiences. Curriculum is built starting with children’s natural curiosity to foster literacy in all its form—speaking, listening, reading, writing. Along the way, young children acquire knowledge and academic skills in civics, economics, geography and history. Shown throughout are ways to promote social learning, self-concept development, social skills and citizenship behaviors. Featured here are individually appropriate and culturally relevant developmental practices. Considered are the importance of family collaboration and funds of knowledge children bring to early care and education. Contributors to this edition bring expertise from bilingual, early education, literacy, special education and the social studies. Beginning with citizenship and community building the authors consider all aspects of teaching young children leading to a progression of capacity to engage civically in school and community.




Early Adolescence


Book Description




Understanding and Interpreting Educational Research


Book Description

This user-friendly text takes a learn-by-doing approach to exploring research design issues in education and psychology, offering evenhanded coverage of quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and single-case designs. Readers learn the basics of different methods and steps for critically examining any study's design, data, and conclusions, using sample peer-reviewed journal articles as practice opportunities. The text is unique in featuring full chapters on survey methods, evaluation, reliability and validity, action research, and research syntheses. Pedagogical Features Include: *An exemplar journal article at the end of each methods chapter, together with questions and activities for critiquing it (including, where applicable, checklist forms to identify threats to internal and external validity), plus lists of additional research examples. *Research example boxes showing how studies are designed to address particular research questions. *In every chapter: numbered chapter objectives, bulleted summaries, subheadings written as questions, a running glossary, and end-of-chapter discussion questions. * Electronic Instructor's Resource Manual with Test Bank, provided separately--includes chapter outlines; answers to exercises, discussion questions, and illustrative example questions; and PowerPoints.




Secrets of the National Board Certification Social Studies - History: Adolescence and Young Adulthood Exam Study Guide: National Board Certification T


Book Description

***Includes Practice Test Questions*** Secrets of the National Board Certification Social Studies - History: Adolescence and Young Adulthood Exam helps you ace your NBPTS National Board Certification Exam, without weeks and months of endless studying. Our comprehensive Secrets of the National Board Certification Social Studies - History: Adolescence and Young Adulthood Exam study guide is written by our exam experts, who painstakingly researched every topic and concept that you need to know to ace your test. Our original research reveals specific weaknesses that you can exploit to increase your exam score more than you've ever imagined. Secrets of the National Board Certification Social Studies - History: Adolescence and Young Adulthood Exam includes: The 5 Secret Keys to National Board Certification Success: Time is Your Greatest Enemy, Guessing is Not Guesswork, Practice Smarter, Not Harder, Prepare, Don't Procrastinate, Test Yourself; A comprehensive General Strategy review including: Make Predictions, Answer the Question, Benchmark, Valid Information, Avoid Fact Traps, Milk the Question, The Trap of Familiarity, Eliminate Answers, Tough Questions, Brainstorm, Read Carefully, Face Value, Prefixes, Hedge Phrases, Switchback Words, New Information, Time Management, Contextual Clues, Don't Panic, Pace Yourself, Answer Selection, Check Your Work, Beware of Directly Quoted Answers, Slang, Extreme Statements, Answer Choice Families; Along with a complete, in-depth study guide for your specific National Board Certification exam, and much more...




Successful Schools for Young Adolescents


Book Description

At a time when the public, researchers, and policymakers are losing confidence in public schooling, this presentation of case studies of four schools offers solutions and concrete models of diverse ways in which excellence can be attained in middle-grade schools. Asking what "effectiveness" means for the young adolescent age group (a hitherto unexplored area in research literature), how effective schools come about, and how they achieve acceptance in their communities, Lipsitz identifies and examines successful middle-grade schools, noting that the major problem in schooling is meeting the massive individual differences in the development of early adolescents.




Key Concepts in Youth Studies


Book Description

What is youth? How do we understand youth in its social and cultural context? Mark Cieslik and Donald Simpson here provide a concise and readily accessible introduction to the interdisciplinary field of youth studies. Drawing upon the latest research and developments in the field, as well as discussing the fundamental ideas underlying the discipline as a whole, it offers a comprehensive yet unpacked understanding of youth as a social phenomenon. Illuminating the many abstract and contested concepts within youth studies, the book offers explanations to questions such as: How might we define youth? How can we understand young people in relation to their social identities and practices? What is the relationship between youth and social class? How do youth cultures develop? How can we understand youth in a globalized perspective? Key Concepts in Youth Studies stands out as a natural companion for students on youth studies, sociology, criminology and social science programmes. It will also be useful for youth practitioners such as social workers and teachers.




Social Networks in Youth and Adolescence


Book Description

This thoroughly revised new edition looks at the nature of social networks, their changing configurations, and the forces of influence they unleash in shaping the life experiences of young people between the ages of 12 and 25 years. The author draws on both social and psychological research to apply network thinking to the social relations of youth across the domains of school, work and society. Network thinking examines the pattern and nature of social ties, and analyses how networks channel information, influence and support with effects on a wide range of life experiences. The book comprises eleven chapters, which contain discussion on key topics, such as youth transitions, network analysis, friendship, romantic ties, peer victimization, antisocial behaviour, youth risk-taking, school motivation, career influence, youth citizenship, and community organizations for young people. Chapters contain discussions of practical ways in which schools can provide support, and suggestions for youth organizations on how to assist young people to become effective citizens.