The Abandoned Generation, Giroux

A Generation of Radical Educational Change: Stories from the Field is an exploration of the revolutionary impact of the greater and continuing involvement of central government in education policy-making which began in 1976 and was accelerated by the 1988 Education Act and subsequent legislation.

In the book, a dozen distinguished contributors from a wide range of sectors explain and reflect on how they worked to do their best for their schools, teachers and pupils in these years of great change. They understand the reasons, explained by Lord Baker in his early chapter, for a National Curriculum in 1988, and also the reasons for a more effective national inspection system. Yet their stories accumulate to become a powerful critique of the top-down policies of the last two decades. These policies have been too numerous, short-term, incoherent and partisan; governments have been indifferent to professional opinion and serious research, and have relied excessively on measurable outcomes and simplistic Ofsted judgments. Our current system is narrower and less democratic than it was, but evidence is hard to find that English pupils are doing any better in international comparisons.

The combined reflections in this volume are timely in these years of lively educational debate as are the suggestions for future policy. A Generation of Radical Educational Change is an invaluable read for current and aspiring headteachers, policy makers and those with an interest in education policy and how it evolves.

Authentic Learning for the Digital Generation is a vital examination of young people's use of personal devices, online creative communities and digital gaming. It calls into question the idea of the 'digital native' and shows clearly that the majority of young users need help and support in order to benefit from the rich learning potential of personal, mobile and online technology use.　

Written by a leading authority on the role of digital technologies in education, it looks in detail at the practice and implications of learning using personal devices, collaborative online spaces, learning platforms, user generated content and digital games. In particular, approaches to solving problems, building knowledge, manipulating data and creating texts are examined. It offers clear strategies, a vision for what effects on learning we might reasonably expect when children are given access to different types of technology, and explores the challenges of managing these practices in the classroom.　

Authentic Learning for the Digital Generation offers careful analysis at a time when there is much discussion about young people emerging from school unprepared for the world of work and often struggling to manage their personal relationships as they are exposed to strong content and harsh criticism online. It considers what we know of childhood experience in a digital world and offers ways in which schools and teachers can embrace the opportunity presented by ubiquitous ownership of connected, digital devices to enrich and deepen learning.