And, Not, Or, With: The ’Good’ in Education

A significant proportion of the lives of young people is spent at school. Schools partner with parents, and together they have the very important task of teaching young people how to learn. In this book, experienced educator and principal Paul Burgis considers what learning is and how it occurs, in particular what it means to ’think critically’. He argues that the word ’not’ has been rightly central to the education of young people in the West. It helps students to learn to question assumptions. He also argues that the words ’and’, ’or’ and ’with’ are essential to learning how to think. He encourages parents and teachers to be generous in how we listen to each other.

We live in a time when young people are encouraged to see life simply as a set of real or virtual experiences passing their senses. Burgis encourages educators and parents to think about education more broadly, and to see it as a way of forming and properly equipping the young people in our care.