Way beyond the Three Rs: India’s Education Challenge in the 21st Century
Author: Y. S. Rajan
Y.S. Rajan examines the gamut of issues involved in India’s efforts to educate its young people and the work required to fix schools, vocational training centers, colleges and universities. He argues that Indian education system needs reforms on a scale similar to those which freed the economy of the shackles of the license-permit raj almost twenty years ago
Education for Rural Development
Author: D.P. Nayar
The primary focus of this book is to identify the various dimensions of the role
that education should play, as an instrument of socio-economic transformation
and reconstruction of the rural communities, their contribution (
social,economic, political and cultural ) to the development of the country. The
book highlights the
role that education plays in the development process. The questions that the
author discusses in this context are: what should be the type of education which
will meet the engaging challenges
how can it be introduced and operated in the present situation? What
has been our experience in the past? What orientation is required for the
future?
Universities at the Crossroads
Author: Andre Beteille
This book deals with the predicament of the universities today, the objectives
with which they were set up, and the extent to which they have remained true to
those objectives. While the focus is on contemporary India, the discussion is
presented in a historical and comparative perspective. Universities throughout
the world face similar challenges although they do not all respond to them in
the same way.
Reservation in India : Recent Perspective in Higher Education
Author: Harpreet Kaur & R.K. Suri
If India has
to emerge as a prominent economic power in the 21st century, the SCs, the STs,
the OBCs and other minorities have to be equally equipped as all other members
of the society. A holistic approach recognizing diversity in the
multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multilingual society like ours
can ensure equal access to opportunities. Reservations can be a means to end
the oppressive discrimination. A level playing field has to be created not only
to facilitate empowerment for downtrodden but also social harmony for all . This
book has been divided into twelve chapters and delves deep into the problem of
social inequality and protective discrimination as a remedy to the profound evil
existing in our society. The authors of Indian Constitution thought that with
the dedicated band of freedom fighters and rare efforts of government the
vulnerable sections of society would be brought to mainstream within a short
span of ten years. Those who were ignorant, illiterate and extremely poor were
unable to reap the benefit of reservation.
Iron Shoes
Author: J. Kathleen Cheney
A widowed woman of the early 1900s tries to restore the family ranch to its
former glory. Her husband had made some poor choice which his mother and wife
are now paying for. Now, they either have to start selling horses or pin their
hopes on Blue Streak, the horse who stands the best chance of winning the ranch
some money. Enter a horse she just bought, sight unseen. Paddy, the ranch's best
trainer, tells Imogen it's sick and he doesn't know what to do. Imogen knows
immediately that the horse
is a fairy trapped in a horse’s body.
Steal Across the Sky
Author: Nancy Kress
An
audio book review by Steven Brandt thousand years ago, the Atoners visited our
planet. Rather than just observe our fledgling ten species, the atoners meddled
in a grand experiment of their own making.The Atoners
altered the DNA of homo sapiens, while abducting a number of unaltered humans
and depositing them on seven different planets. Were they just curious, or
deliberately mean? Maybe they interfered with humanity the way humans sometimes
interfere with ant colonies,
or bee hives. No one knows for sure, but what they did irrevocably altered the
lives of human beings
forever. Now the Atoners are back, and according to their advertisement on the
internet, they wish to atone for what they did.
Being Indian - The truth about why the 21st century will be India's
Author: Pavan K. Varma
A highly instructive and enjoyable book, exploring the endless contradictions of
India's stereotypical spiritualism and flagrant materialism. The author takes
modern day India apart, offering fairly objective explanations as to why and how
Indian democracy survives in its modified corruption-ridden form, clarifying in
this context the Indian concepts of power, hierarchy and status. The economy ,
India's economic potential as well as the Indian attitude to life, morals,
wealth and politics have been analyzed. The book is spiked with current and
interesting facts and figures, citing numerous news stories and anecdotes which
illustrate the weird concoction of the modern and the traditional in India. An
excellent read, highly recommended.
The New Taxanomy of Educational Objectives
Author: Dr. Robert J. Marzana, John S. Kendall
About the Authors: Dr. Robert J. Marzana is a senior scholar at Mid Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) in Aurora, Colorado. He is the author of 25 books, 150 articles and chapters in books and 100 sets of curriculum materials for teachers and students in Grades K.G-12. The central theme in his work has been translating research and theory into practical programs and tools for teachers and administrators training learners from Kindergarten to senior secondary
John S. Kendall is a senior Director in research in Mc REL. There he directs a technical assistance unit that develops and provides standard services for schools, districts, states and other organizations. Mr. Kendall has authored or co authored six books and more than 30 monographs, technical studies, and articles published by American School Board Journal.
About the Book: THE NEW TAXANOMY OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES is the most current and comprehensive guide in 50 years to define the new standards for education. It is a pioneering approach to critical and high order thinking skills with implications for designing educational objectives, framing curriculum, design and implementing national standards of assessment. This fields tested and proven reference contains the most current research on the nature of knowledge and cognition and reflection of the movement to standard based education.
Chapter 1 of the book highlights the problems inherent in BLOOM Taxanomy’s structure, while recognizing the strength of its contribution to educational practices. A model was presented that formed on the basis of New Taxanomy. The model postulates three systems of thoughts that have hierarchical relationship in terms of flow of processing: The self system, the met cognitive system and cognitive system.
Chapter 2 describes three domains of knowledge, namely, Information, Mental and Psychomotor procedures. Whereas information is stored as propositional networks, mental and psychomotor procedures are stored as production networks.
Chapter 3 describes the six levels of the New Taxanomy within the contact of the three systems of Thought-cognitive, Met cognitive and Self system.
Chapter 4 explains the six levels of the New Taxanomy in terms of the relationships to the three knowledge domains- information, mental procedures and psychometric procedures. Objectives are stated for each knowledge type at each level, along with tasks ,that would elicit a behavior with which each objective could be evaluated.
Chapter5 addresses three related applications of theNewTaxanomy.Chapter6 addresses the applications of New Taxonomy to curriculum design. Each level of the NewTaxanomy and each process within each level represent legitimate and viable instructions.
Conclusion: Educational leaders, wishing to infuse greater complexity, rigour and substance into the curriculum, must read this book. It’s a wonderful resource for all directions of curriculum and instructions, directions of staff development, Principals and Teachers.