Beyond the Classroom Walls: Imagining the Future of Education, from Community Schools to Communiversities

The book encourages readers to adopt a critical and comprehensive view of education (pre-K to lifelong learning) that exists both within classroom walls and in the surrounding world, including communities and workplaces. It presents an integrated view of online learning, community schools, universities, and learning through work, but our educational systems are organized in ways that make this integration difficult. We need an educational system that brings together learning within the walls and beyond the walls to support learning that allows us to draw from both realms of knowledge.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2022
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

The book urges readers to adopt a critical and comprehensive perspective on education, spanning from pre-K to lifelong learning, recognizing its existence both within the confines of classroom walls and in the broader world, encompassing communities and workplaces. It presents an integrated view of online learning, community schools, universities, and learning through work.

However, the current organization of our educational systems poses challenges to this integration. We have established elaborate systems of formal instruction, including academies, schools, universities, and training institutes, all designed to facilitate learning within the boundaries of these institutions. Simultaneously, we have abundant opportunities for learning in the natural world. Regrettably, these systems often diverge, resulting in limited support for learning that enables us to draw from both realms of knowledge.

Nevertheless, it is possible to bridge the gap between learning within the walls and learning beyond them. Moreover, it is crucial to establish these connections in the contemporary world. To bring the classroom and daily life together, we require an educational system that effectively accomplishes this.

The book offers a coherent account of how schooling can and should relate to learning beyond the classroom walls. It explores the potential for education to foster holistic development, equipping individuals with the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to thrive in an ever-changing world. By recognizing the interconnectedness of education and the broader environment, the book provides valuable insights into the future of learning and the role it plays in shaping individuals and societies.

Weight: 336g
Dimension: 219 x 154 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781475867121