Independent Thinking

Ian Gilbert

• Publisher: Independent Thinking Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781781350553
• eBook ISBN:
  9781781350799
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Think for yourself before someone does it for you. The first in a new series by and for people who know how important it is to think for yourself. Written by Independent Thinking founder Ian Gilbert, this book is an invaluable collection of reflections, ideas and insights on the nature of learning, thinking, creativity and, drawing on Ian s experience in three continents, the role education has in changing not only people s lives but also entire societies. Combining articles published in the UK, Middle East and South America plus examples of his controversial online postings and Tweets with new observations and insights and at least 100 Twittered Thunks or Twunks this book is the informed ramblings of a passionate educationalist who has made a significant difference to classrooms for over 20 years and has earned the right to speak his mind.

Contents

1. Title Page
2. Dedication
3. These Are My Thoughts Get Your Own
4. 42 Uses for This Book
5. Thunks
6. Real-Time History
7. Observations
8. The Pigness of a Cow
9. Observations
10. A Ten-Step Parent Guide to Supporting a Child’s Learning in the Early Years
11. What’s the Point of Education?
12. Thunks
13. Advice I
14. Observations
15. On Feedback
16. An Alternative Good School Checklist
17. Observations
18. Indignez-vous – Et Eux
19. Observations
20. How to Write a Book
21. Does It Know?
22. Observations
23. You Don’t Want Quits
24. Observations
25. It Will Only Take One Word to End Cake Sales for Good
26. Trust Your Gut
27. Don’t Let Them Tell You
28. Thunks
29. Independent Thinking as a Refusal
30. Observations
31. Observations
32. On Starting a Revolution
33. Thunks
34. Learning Makes Your Brain Fat
35. Drawing Class
36. Observations
37. Of Ducks and Lighthouses
38. Observations
39. Do You Have a Philosophy of Education?
40. Observations
41. Slow Children
42. Observations...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• These Are My Thoughts Get Your Own
• 42 Uses for This Book
• Thunks
• Real-Time History
• Observations
• The Pigness of a Cow
• Observations
• A Ten-Step Parent Guide to Supporting a Child’s Learning in the Early Years
• What’s the Point of Education?
• Thunks
• Advice I
• Observations
• On Feedback
• An Alternative Good School Checklist
• Observations
• Indignez-vous – Et Eux
• Observations
• How to Write a Book
• Does It Know?
• Observations
• You Don’t Want Quits
• Observations
• It Will Only Take One Word to End Cake Sales for Good
• Trust Your Gut
• Don’t Let Them Tell You
• Thunks
• Independent Thinking as a Refusal
• Observations
• Observations
• On Starting a Revolution
• Thunks
• Learning Makes Your Brain Fat
• Drawing Class
• Observations
• Of Ducks and Lighthouses
• Observations
• Do You Have a Philosophy of Education?
• Observations
• Slow Children
• Observations
• If You’re Ever Thinking About Moving Abroad
• On Leadership I
• Seek and Ye Shall Find (and Look Cleverer Than You Really Are)
• Thunks
• How to Make a Difference
• Observations
• Should We Be Teaching Children To Be Principled But Unreasonable?
• On Control
• Observations
• And What Do You Do?
• Observations
• Learning is Overrated
• On Grief
• The Serendipitous Benefits of Bad Taxi Drivers
• How to Know Whether You’re a Humanist or a Scientist
• Observations
• It’s Not Succeeding That’s Hard, It’s Keeping Going
• Circumspice
• Thunks
• On Finding Things
• How to Get a Job
• Short Story
• Whose Problem is the Future and the 100-Year Plan?
• The Thing About Shelves
• One Little Girl’s Story
• Observations
• The Difference Between Creativity and Art
• The Cure
• Careers Advice for Young People
• Observations
• Her Conversation with the Social Workers
• On the Purpose of Reading
• Observations
• The Difference is the Size of the ‘P’
• A Real-World Six-Point Noise Scale
• Observations
• The Eight Stages of Manhood
• On Value
• 21 Ways of Knowing You Have Spent Too Long on Twitter
• Thunks
• The Conversation Between an Angry Teenager and an Adult
• Teachers – What Do You Teach?
• Observations
• When Bad Science Leads to Good Practice
• Standing Still
• Your One-Minute Three-Step MBA in Crisis Management
• The Four Stages of Modern Life
• The Merits of Not Having a Clue
• The Intelligence of Six
• Observations
• The Game of Solitaire
• Will Smith and the Flower Paradox
• Trying To Be a Good Man
• Observations
• Train Your Dog Like a Child
• Train Your Child Like a Dog
• Observations
• There’s No Such Thing as an Educational Expert
• 30 Things That Exams Don’t Measure
• The Space Between the Stars
• Trust
• Why Am I Here?
• The Money-Back Guarantee
• Thunks
• Three Questions to Ask Before Every Training Day
• Three Responses That Are Worse Than Saying No
• Observations
• The Mirror
• Things to Watch Out For When You See the Word ‘Independent’
• Thunks
• Larks Ascending
• Captain Pouch College
• Observations
• My Chilean Education
• On Leadership II
• Crowd to Brian: ‘Yes, We’re All Individuals’
• Advice II
• Observations
• Copyright
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