Product reviews for There is Another Way

At one point in There is Another Way, Nina Jackson -discussing mental health issues - writes, -˜Reassure the person that with help and support they can get through the emotional trauma they are experiencing.' That line could be the strapline for this book, a book which reassures those of us who have, even for a second, begun to think that what we have been doing in our teaching careers for years was wrong. I, for one, have felt huge emotional trauma when things I thought were important in a learning community - relationships, humanity and love - have been trumped by political diktat, distrust and textbooks.

There is a host of great educators writing here. The Real David Cameron stands up for experience over research. Bethan Stracy-Burbridge articulates beautifully the benefits of art therapy and how every interaction we have with a child matters. Professor Paul Clarke poses a question which gets to the nub of why we are here and how can we remain part of planet earth. Rachel Jones reminds us that there is no -˜what works' rulebook. And if you were thinking of doing away with books in this digital age, you'd better read Sarah Pavey's essay on why libraries are more important than ever! This is no backward-looking tome, however: Mark Anderson and Simon Pridham give us sparkling insights into how new technologies can shape learning in the future.
In his signature essay Ian Gilbert, the driving force behind There is Another Way, urges us all, especially our students, to ask the eternal question of anything and anyone - why? It is the question which we should be asking of education policymakers of all political hues. If this book does just one thing it will help those in education whose beliefs have been eroded by over-confident politicians over the last decade to reassert an educational values-system which puts humanity back into the centre of the ring. With There is Another Way none of us need to be emotionally traumatised any longer.