Teaching for learning in a fast-changing world

The genesis of this open-source book is the need for a text about teaching for pre-service and in-service teachers that foregrounds learning, by drawing on multiple perspectives in the literature of the science of learning. The book will be useful to those who are interested in preparing teachers for the rapidly changing world in which they have to teach. The authors see a clear link between a focus on learning and the preparation of teachers for a future that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, often referred to by the acronym VUCA. The first two chapters of the book focus on what we can learn from the science of learning about teaching. The book also explores using dialogue and inquiry for lesson design. Play and playfulness are addressed to create and environment conducive to learning, and guided play as a pedagogy is discussed. Another contribution in this book is the focus on supporting teachers to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in learners across all disciplines. Also, a chapter is devoted to project-based teaching and learning, which  is deemed as a particularly useful inquiry-based pedagogy that connects knowledge gained within the classroom (curriculum knowledge) and real-world problems. The last chapter of the book brings together some threads from other chapters and presents an exemplar of project-based learning in South Africa.

Readers should find stimulating and relevant ideas on teaching for learning in a fast-changing world. Teachers could implement these ideas reflectively in their own classrooms, or in the case of pre-service teachers, in planning lessons and when teaching during school practicum.

It is an open-source textbook that can be downloaded for free.

Click on the image to download the textbook.