Product reviews for Independent Thinking

In the modern world of education, it has become commonplace for individuals, groups and companies to offer solutions for our every need. Education, through its obsession with data, -˜outstanding' lessons, and results has led to the need for silver bullets and quick-fix solutions. This is what makes Ian Gilbert's Independent Thinking such a refreshing book to read. Through an eclectic mix of stories, reflections and Thunks, the book fosters the very process which gives it its title. Reading this book will not provide any solutions but will act as fertile jump-off points to new questions and thinking as you engage with the many ideas explored here. There is a wide selection of topics, insights and perspectives but running through them is a strong Freirean philosophy and a belief in the goodness and potential of humanity.
This is a book which can be used in a number of different ways, from a starting point for personal reflection to a focus for collaborative discussion. One element which I find particularly positive is the lack of a simple, linear narrative; the reader can engage with as little or as much of the content as they wish, and can engage with the ideas in an order that suits them. Deleuze, the French philosopher, argues that we should think with the world rather than about it; this book, for me, embodies this ideal.