hosammansour

In the interests of facilitating a sophisticated debate on educational reform I decided to do some research on the most influential living educational thinkers. Though there were many lists of important educators of the past I found that no such list existed for contemporary living ones. So I decided to compile one of my own. I don’t claim that this list is complete and I welcome readers to suggest other living educators that I am not familiar with.

Whenever possible I have tried to include the home pages, social media or Twitter accounts of educators if they existed.  Here is my list in no particular order. Enjoy and don’t forget to comment!

Alfie Kohn

One of the leading progressive voices on education, Alfie Kohn is a prolific writer and speaker who challenges much of the prevailing American thought and policy on education and parenting. He rejects the culture of test-driven accountability and the inflexible emphasis on classroom discipline, especially in poor urban schools.

He frequently criticizes the use of behaviorism as the dominant approach used for motivating children, teachers and workers in general. More controversially he has written against homework and even grades.

Interestingly, Kohn and another educator on this list, John Taylor Gatto, had a minor war of words over their educational philosophies.  I cannot find Gatto’s original accusations but if anyone else can find it, please send me a link.

Alfie Kohn on the web:

You can visit Alfie Kohn’s website for more information about him and to check out some of his articles. Kohn is also a prolific speaker so you can catch several of his talks on YouTube. Fortunately, you can also follow Kohn on Twitter where he updates regularly.

Sir Ken Robinson

If one is even remotely interested in education it is difficult not to have heard of the charismatic Ken Robinson, especially after his immensely popular Ted video Why Schools Kill Creativity.

Robison, whose background is in drama education, principally tackles the themes of creativity and innovation, lamenting the marginalization of the arts in schools. His report for a UK commission on education titled, All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education (PDF) was extremely well received.  Robinson’s popularity keeps him in high demand as a speaker and advisor to both business and government.

Sir Ken Robinson on the web:

You can visit Ken Robinson’s website which is updated regularly and web 2.0 savvy.  You can also see videos of Robinson on Youtube as well as follow him on Twitter.

Jonathan Kozol

Jonathan Kozol is not only an educator but a tireless activist and prolific writer.  He began his involvement in the civil rights movement after being fired for teaching a Langston Hughes poem.

Common themes he deals with in his books and activism are the economic inequalities and de facto segregation that exist in public schools. He also criticizes the patronizing and rigid approach towards teaching inner city students when compared to students in privileged communities. He stresses the importance of empathetic, student-centered environments dedicated to encouraging self- expression and discovery.

In reaction to the testing-based No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) he founded the Education Action! group.

Jonathan Kozol on the web:

Unfortunately Kozol does not have a strong web presence but you can find several talks by him on YouTube. There are also many articles by him scattered on the internet.  Two highlights are a piece he did on Salon titled Teachers be Subversive and one on the Huffington post titled Why I am Fasting.  Also you can see the video of a talk on his latest book Letters to a Young Teacher.

John Taylor Gatto

A 30 year veteran of the New York City public schools, John Taylor Gatto is an outspoken critic of American education. While many may dismiss his indictment of public schooling as extreme, his list of accomplishments is hard to ignore. Winner of the New York City and New York State teacher of the year awards, he used the occasions to give speeches railing against the state of education to standing ovations.

Though he strongly advocates homeschooling, there is still much that a conventional teacher can take away from his approach. Gatto’s teaching method is a combination of strong libertarian philosophy and what educational professionals would call constructivism and situated cognition. His techniques for motivating students include engaging them deeply with the world outside the classroom as well as encouraging and supporting student initiatives. In dealing with intransigent school bureaucracy he suggests an approach he calls, “guerilla teaching.”

John Taylor Gatto on the web:

Gatto’s website doesn’t look like it’s been updated in a while but it still has some goodies like the full text from his book The Underground History of American Education.

If you want to see Gatto in action he is also a prolific speaker and there are plenty of videos of him on YouTube.

Deborah Meier

A progressive teacher in the tradition of John Dewey, Deborah Meier, is the founder of the small schools movement.  Based in New York City, she personally founded several small public schools to improve inner-city education on the principles of providing choice and, most importantly, the democratic goal of self-governance.  Based on this approach, teachers, parents and students would meet and make important decisions regarding the school.

Her successes have inspired two documentary films about her schools. She also remains a prolific writer and commentator on national education which she follows closely.  Her latest article is “When is Achievement Really Achievement” where she provocatively says, “only secretly rebellious teachers who have ever done right by our least advantaged kids.”

Deborah Meier on the web:

Though the website looks is outdated, Meier’s main site seems to be updated regularly. You can also visit her blog and check out some of her talks on YouTube. You can also follow Meier on Twitter where she frequently updates her status.

Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger

Lave and Wenger formulated two important and closely related theories on education: situated cognition and communities of practice. Situated cognition, simply put, is that people learn best while doing. Their test case for this was an interesting experiment demonstrating that house wives capable of doing comparative math for price shopping were unable to do the same math as successfully in classrooms.

Their second theory, communities of practice, describes the learning dynamic present in groups with similar educational or professional interests and how it is successful in promoting the learning and professional development of members.

Both these theories make a strong case for the expanded use of internships in education.

Lave and Wenger on the web:

Unfortunately, neither Jean Lave nor Etienne Wenger have a strong presence on the web.  Wenger occasionally contributes to the Digital Habitats blog.  You can also find Wenger on Twitter though he doesn’t seem to update often.

James P. Comer

Comer, a medical doctor by training, sensitive to the alienation and despair of impoverished communities, turned to the study of child psychiatry and public health with a mind to find a solution to some of the poor social conditions in schools.

In the early 70’s Comer developed a series of strategies to reverse underdevelopment in two of the worst performing elementary schools in New Haven, CT. The programs’ goals included developing relationships between teachers and students as well as increasing trust and collaboration with educators and parents thus closing the gap between school and home. An elected governance team was established, led by the principal, that included teachers, parents and a mental health worker to make important decisions.

Furthermore, several diverse extra-curricular activities were organized to foster cooperation and trust between teachers, students and parents that gradually created positive relationships and better social adjustment.

This became know as the Comer Method and 10 years later fourth grade students were performing at or above grade with exemplary attendance rates and a drastic decrease of behavioral problems. Since then the Comer Method has been adopted by the entire New Haven Public Schools and several other districts around the country.

Comer’s greatest legacy is demonstrating that discussions on improving education must be broader than a myopic focus on academics and include strategies focusing on psychological and socio-economic realities of students.

James P. Comer on the web:

Unfortunately James Comer does not much of a strong web presence at all. The homepage for the Comer School Development Program can be found on a Yale school of Medicine website.  On the website is a link to their never-updated Facebook page and a YouTube channel with all of six uploaded videos.

Ira Shor, Peter McLaren and Henry Giroux

Ira Shor, Peter McLaren and Henry Giroux are the most prolific exponents and contributors to Paulo Friere’s critical pedagogy. Though undoubtedly highly political and radical, critical pedagogy emphasizes student empowerment, a critical approach to authority and encourages consciously connecting the reality of education with student life and the wider society. While controversial, elements of this approach can be used practically to engage students with their own educational environment and give it more legitimacy.

Ira Shor lives critical pedagogy in his classroom by requiring students to participate in generating the curriculum, establishing classroom rules and determining the means of assessment. McLaren and Giroux are prolific writers who have won many awards for their work.  These three continue to represent and expand upon the revolutionary work of Friere.

Shor, McLaren and Giroux on the web:

You can find contact information for Shor and McLaren on their university hosted home pages. Giroux has a personal website where you can check out a list of his online articles.

Pat Farenga

Pat Farenga is the heir of homeschooling (or “unschooling”) evangelist John Holt. He is currently the publisher of the influential homeschooling magazine Growing Without Schooling and president of the parent company, Holt Associates.  Despite his emphasis on homeschooling, many practices that he advocates can easily be transferred to a classroom.  For example, asking children real questions instead of quizzing them.

Pat Farenga on the web:

You can visit Pat Farenga’s website which is also home to his blog as well as follow him on Twitter.

Will Richardson

A former teacher who was recognized as a “trendsetter” in education for integrating blogs in his classroom, Richardson now works towards educational reform that more effectively implements technology in the classroom .

Will Richardson on the web:

Richardson is a prolific and influential blogger. You can check out his site at weblogg-ed.com. He also updates regularly on twitter.

Again, if I missed anyone let me know via the comments or my twitter account and I’ll be sure to take a look and consider adding them to the list.