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Simon & Schuster Ltd The History of Bees
***THE NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER*** ‘Fans of Cloud Atlas and Never Let Me Go will love The History of Bees’ Good Housekeeping‘Dystopian and electric, this book is set to blow minds everywhere' Stylist'Haunting and poignant ... an important and wonderful book' Dave Goulson, bestselling author of Bee Quest In the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this dazzling and ambitious literary debut follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship to the bees – and to their children and one another – against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis.England, 1851. William is a biologist and seed merchant, who sets out to build a new type of beehive—one that will give both him and his children honour and fame.United States, 2007. George is a beekeeper and fights an uphill battle against modern farming, but hopes that his son can be their salvation.China, 2098. Tao hand paints pollen onto the fruit trees now that the bees have long since disappeared. When Tao’s young son is taken away by the authorities after a tragic accident—and is kept in the dark about his whereabouts and condition—she sets out on a grueling journey to find out what happened to him.Haunting, illuminating, and deftly written, The History of Bees joins these three very different narratives into one gripping and thought provoking story that is just as much about the powerful relationships between children and parents as it is about our very relationship to nature and humanity. Praise for The History of Bees: ‘Spectacular and deeply moving. Lunde has elegantly woven together a tale of science and science fiction, dystopia and hope, and the trials of the individual and the strengths of family’ Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author ‘Such is the genius of debut novelist Maja Lunde that her tale of three eras—the long past, the tenuous present and the biologically damned future—is strung on the fragile hope of the survival of bees’ Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author ‘As a lover of honeybees and a fan of speculative fiction, I was doubly smitten by The History of Bees. Maja Lunde’s novel is an urgent reminder of how much our survival depends on those remarkable insects. It is also a gripping account of how—despite the cruelest losses—humanity may abide and individual families can heal’ Jean Hegland, author of Into the Forest ‘By turns devastating and hopeful, The History of Beesresonates powerfully with our most pressing environmental concerns. Following three separate but interconnected timelines, Lunde shows us the past, the present, and a terrifying future in a riveting story as complex as a honeycomb’ Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author‘Here is a story that is sweeping in scope but intimate in detail’ Laura McBride, author of We Are Called to Rise'A brilliant and beautiful novel' Jan Askelund, Stavanger Aftenblad 'She does everything right […] She paints on a broad canvas, the topic is highly important and the language is both comprehensive and precise' Geir Vestad, Hamar Arbeiderblad'One can easily understand the buzz …' Maria Årolilja Rø, Adresseavisa'The settings portrayed in the novel are impressively visual and each character is perfectly naturally rooted in his or her own era and environment' Janneken Øverland, Klassekampen'Maja Lunde will reach a big audience with The History of Bees. (…) She has written a novel many will read in one go, and then sit down and think, about life, the world and the future. That is unique and it is very well done' Annette Orre, littkritikk.no'The History of Bees is a fascinating and brilliantly written novel that elegantly moves between the various stories and timelines' Oddmund Hagen, Dag og Tid
£9.99
Palgrave Macmillan The International Handbook of Shipping Finance: Theory and Practice
The International Handbook of Shipping Finance is a one-stop resource, offering comprehensive reference to theory and practice in the area of shipping finance. In the multibillion dollar international shipping industry, it is important to understand the various issues involved in the finance of the sector. This involves the identification and evaluation of the alternative sources of capital available for financing the ships, including the appraisal and budgeting of shipping investment projects; legal and insurance aspects of ship finance; the financial analysis and modelling of investment projects; mergers and acquisitions; and the commercial and market risk management issues involved. Edited by two leading academics in this area, and with contributions from 25 prominent market practitioners and academics over 16 chapters, this Handbook covers shipping finance and banking, maritime financial management and investments. As such, it includes: shipping markets; asset backed finance; shipbuilding finance; debt finance; public and private equity and debt markets; structured finance; legal aspects and key clauses of ship mortgages; marine insurance; mechanisms for handling defaulted loans; investment appraisal and capital budgeting; financial analysis and investment modelling; business risk management and freight derivatives; and mergers and acquisitions. Thus, the Handbook offers a rigorous understanding of the different aspects of modern shipping finance and maritime financial management and investments, the various characteristics of the available products, the capital needs and requirements, and a clear view on the different financial management strategies through a series of practical examples and applications. Technical where appropriate, but grounded in market reality, this is a “must-have” reference for anyone involved in shipping finance, from bank practitioners and commodity trading houses, to shipbrokers, lawyers and insurance houses as well as to university students studying shipping finance. Table of ContentsPreface by EditorsManolis Kavussanos, Professor, Director, MSc in International Shipping, Finance and Management, Athens University of Economics and Business, GreeceIlias Visvikis, Professor, Director Executive Education and Professional Development, World Maritime University, SwedenChapter 1: Shipping Markets and their Economic Drivers Jan-Henrik Huebner, Head of Shipping Advisory, DNV GL, GermanyChapter 2: Asset Risk Assessment, Analysis and Forecasting in Asset Backed FinanceHenriette Brent Petersen, Head of Shipping & Offshore Research, DVB Bank SE, The NetherlandsChapter 3: Overview of Ship Finance Fotis Giannakoulis, Research Vice President, Morgan Stanley, USA Chapter 4: Shipbuilding Finance Charles Cushing, C.R. Cushing & Co. Inc., USAChapter 5: Debt Financing in Shipping George Paleokrassas, Partner, Watson, Farley & Williams, GreeceChapter 6: Public Debt Markets for Shipping Basil Karatzas, Founder & CEO, Karatzas Marine Advisors & Co., USAChapter 7: Public and Private Equity Markets Jeffrey Pribor, Global Head, Maritime Investment Banking, Jefferies LLC, USACecilie Lind, Associate Investment Banking, Jefferies LLC, USAChapter 8: Structured Finance in Shipping Contributor: Ioannis Alexopoulos, Director, Shipping Financier, Eurofin Group, GreeceNikos Stratis, Managing Director of Augustea Group, UKChapter 9: Key Clauses of a Shipping Loan Agreement Kyriakos Spoullos, Solicitor, Norton Rose Fulbright, Greece Chapter 10: Legal Aspects of Ship Mortgages Simon Norton, Lecturer, Cardiff Business School, UKClaudio Chistè, Investec Bank Plc., UKChapter 11: Reasons and Mechanics of Handling Defaulted Shipping Loans and Methods of Recovery Dimitris Anagnostopoulos, Board Member & Director, Aegean Baltic Bank, GreecePhilippos Tsamanis, VP - Head of Shipping, Aegean Baltic Bank, GreeceChapter 12: Marine Insurance Marc Huybrechts, Professor, University of Antwerp, Belgium Theodora Nikaki, Associate Professor, Swansea University, UKChapter 13: Maritime Investment Appraisal and Budgeting Wolfgang Drobetz, Professor, University of Hamburg, GermanyStefan Albertijn, CEO, HAMANT Beratungs-und Investitions GmbH, GermanyMax Johns, Managing Director, German Shipowners’ Association, Germany Chapter 14: Financial Analysis and Modelling of Ship Investments Lars Patterson, Shipping Investment Analyst, Pacomarine Limited, UK Chapter 15: Maritime Business Risk Management Manolis Kavussanos, Professor, Director, MSc in International Shipping, Finance and Management, Athens University of Economics and Business, GreeceIlias Visvikis, Professor, Director Executive Education and Professional Development, World Maritime University, SwedenChapter 16: Mergers and Acquisitions in Shipping George Alexandridis, Associate Professor, ICMA Centre, University of Reading, UK Manish Singh, Manish Singh, Group Director - Strategy and M&A, V. Group Limited, UK
£139.99
Walker Books Ltd Spellstone
Discover a world of magical storytelling from a twice Costa-shortlisted author“One of our finest children’s writers.” Phil Earle“A master storyteller.” Aisling Fowler“Another absolute triumph from one of my favourite children’s authors.” Catherine DoyleThe greatest magic is hidden in plain sight...Evie is used to not being noticed. But when she meets the mysterious Wainwright, she discovers that going unnoticed might just be what makes her unique. Recruited into a secret magical organization, Evie finds herself at the heart of an ancient and magical battle. Evil is returning to the land, and Evie is the only person who can stop it. But how can she defeat the most dangerous magician in the world, when she doesn’t even know her own powers? Don't miss Ross's other fantasy novels for young readers: The Midnight GuardiansThe Chime SeekersPRAISE FOR SPELLSTONE"Vividly atmospheric with delightful characters... [A] spellbinding story.” Daily Mail “The very definition of a page-turner: riveting, punchy, with surprises around every bend. Ross is a flawless storyteller.” Carlie Sorosiak“Another absolute triumph from one of my favourite children’s authors. Spellstone is both heartfelt and humorous, while fizzing with magic and fun.” Catherine Doyle“A cinematic roller-coaster ride of a book, magical through to its shining core.” Katharine Orton“Infused with magic, adventure and imagination. This is Ross Montgomery on top form, and the result is spectacular.” Katya Balen“A magical book that is both clever and gripping. A joy!” Lisa Thompson“Montgomery's playful imagination floods every page, creating a magical adventure full of high stakes, charming characters and unexpected twists.” Joseph Elliott“A spellbinding adventure, brimming with original magic and the most charming cast of characters.”Jenny Pearson “Sparkling with magic, danger and that wonderful Montgomery wit, Spellstone is one to jump into, full throttle. A fabulous, crackling adventure.” Amy Wilson“Ross Montgomery just gets better and better! Crackling with magic and swirling with mystery, Spellstone had me enchanted from the first page.” Jennifer Bell“Magical storytelling – bold and brilliant.” Sophie Anderson“A brilliantly inventive tale of good versus evil that weaves magic and mystery with a cast of loveable characters. I loved every page of it.” Struan Murray"From the extraordinarily vivid opening scene to the heart-stopping climax, every page proves you're in the hands of a master storyteller. I couldn't put it down!" Aisling Fowler“Ross is one of our finest children’s writers, and this is a magnificent piece of fantasy storytelling. Gripping, quirky and with characters you won’t forget.” Phil EarlePRAISE FOR THE CHIME SEEKERS“Cracking adventure from the wildly imaginative Montgomery.” Daily Mail"Funny, terrifying, full of folkloric strangeness hiding in everyday corner, this sparkling homage to David Bowie's Labyrinth is just as satisfying as last year's The Midnight Guardians." Guardian"[A] whirlwind adventure." Daily Telegraph"Richly imaginative." The Week Junior“A quest like no other: Ross Montgomery is on spectacular form in this brilliant, edge-of-your seat story.” Emma Carroll"Fast-paced and hilarious." Ross Welford"Deliciously creepy, wonderfully imaginative." Sophie Anderson“Very page-turny, with enough funny bits to stop it being too scary.” Philip Reeve“All the hallmarks of an instant classic.” Carlie Sorosiak“A fantastic adventure with shades of Jan Mark, Susanna Clarke and Neil Gaiman ... A brilliant example of the best children's fiction.” Christopher Edge"Ross Montgomery is a true master of storytelling." Jenny Pearson“FLAWLESS. Witty, emotional, beautifully written, pacey, punchy, and a story that just keeps delivering.” Nicola Skinner"A modern classic." Phil Earle“Rich in detail, humour and feeling. Ross Montgomery is a singular talent in writing brave and magical adventures." Katya Balen“Fantastic! A brilliant cast of characters ... a whirlwind adventure and a fae world brimming with darkness, wonder and faerie tricks.” Aisling Fowler“[An] enchanting masterpiece ... Charming, hilarious and brimming with magic." Catherine Doyle“A tricksy, whirlwind of an adventure from start to finish with twists and turns I didn’t expect!” Aisha BusbyPRAISE FOR THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIANSShortlisted for the 2021 Costa Children's Book AwardWaterstones Children's Book of the Month for Christmas 2020Hive Children's Book of the Month for November 2020A Toppsta Children's Book of the Month for November 2020"An enthralling, Narnia-flavoured novel with the folkloric feels of a Christmas classic." Children's Books of the Year, Guardian"Beautifully drawn fantasy characters ... a story of hope and love underpinned by witty humour.” Daily Mail"A magical slice of historical fantasy fiction.” i Newspaper"This lovely adventure story has the feel of a classic children's book." Book of the Week, The Week Junior“Beautiful writing and epic storytelling.” WRD Magazine"A real triumph of the imagination." Editor's Choice, The Bookseller
£7.99
Three Rooms Press Maintenant 16: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art
“A compilation of leading Dada-influenced artists from around the world." ―TRIBE LA Magazine The 2022 edition of the world’s premiere journal of contemporary dada writing and art continues a revolutionary approach to creation, inspired by the Dada movement. These days you hear a lot about NET ZERO, in reference to steps being taken to combat climate change. NET ZERO refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. At this time, NET ZERO is an ambition lacking absolute definition as corporate energy titans pledge distant adherence without clear or immediate commitments to act. In fact, these so-called “innovative” scions of wealth seem to not even be able to remove the layer of hot air greenhouse gases spewing from the mouths of the pundits and politicos pushing the affirmation of their endlessly pernicious promises. Enter NYET ZERO. With NYET ZERO, MAINTENANT 16 makes an artistic power grab using DADA—in the form of original art, poetry, and writing aimed at exposing the hypocrisy of the engine-idle rich on recycled paper. We can change the now with art and thought. Otherwise, the future has NOTENTIAL. When the corporate powers that be control all of the energy resources, Art Becomes A Necessity!!! Or as Tristen Tzara put it in his Dada Manifesto, “Dada Dada Dada, a roaring of tense colors, and interlacing of opposites and of all contradictions, grotesques, inconsistencies: LIFE!” For the first time since debuting in 2008, MAINTENANT 16 includes work from all seven continents on the planet, with more than 250 creators from 35 countries. The MAINTENANT series gathers the work of internationally-renowned contemporary Dada artists and writers. MAINTENANT 16 offers compelling proof that concepts of Dada continue to serve as a catalyst to creators more than a century later. Contributors to Maintenant 16 include: Derek Adams • Susan Shoshannah Adler • Jamika Ajalon • Ina Al-soqi • Youssef Alaoui • Linda J. Albertano • Austin Alexis • Joel Allegretti • Santiago Amaya • Avelino de Araujo • Wayne Atherton • Liz Axelrod • Mahnaz Badihian • Amy Barone • Vittore Baroni • Amy Bassin • Brent Bechtel • Peter Beda • Regina Lafay Bellamy • C. Mehrl Bennett • Carla Bertola • Volodymyr Bilyk • József Bíró • Lucy Jane Bledsoe • Mark Blickley • Karen Boissonneault-Gauthier • Clemente Botelho • Bob Branaman • Kathy Bruce • Michael Lane Bruner • Imanol Buisan • Fork Burke • Billy Cancel • Angela Caporaso • Peter Carlaftes • Mutes César • Peter Ciccariello • Hal Citron • Lynette Clennell • Andrei Codrescu • Terese Coe • Roger Conover • Anthony Cox • Lars Crosby • Malik Ameer Crumpler • Tchello d’Barros • Wer Da • Steve Dalachinsky • Allison A. Davis • Heather Dawish • Holly Day • Quỳnh Iris de Prelle • Laylah DeLautréamont • Lily Despic • Sam Dodson • Bruce Louis Dodson • Gabriel Don • Carol Dorf • Robert Duncan • Malcolm Easton • Salvatore Esposito • Jeff Farr • Becky Fawcett • Federico Federici • Rich Ferguson • Cheryl J. Fish • Kathleen Florence • Giovanni Fontana • Robert C. Ford • Kofi Fosu Forson • Patrick Forsythe • Abigail Frankfurt • Dorothy Friedman • Thomas Fucaloro • Ignacio Galilea • Sandra Gea • Kat Georges • Christian Georgescu • Robert Anthony Gibbons • Mark Glista • Gemma Goette • Gustavo Gómez-Mejía • S.A. Griffin • Fausto Grossi • Meghan Grupposo • Egon Guenther • Genco Gulan • Elancharan Gunasekaran • Ana-Maria Guta • Janet Hamill • Bibbe Hansen • Jesper Hasseltoft • Heide Hatry • Erica ESH Henry • Aimee Herman • Jan Herman • Karen Hildebrand • Mark Hoefer • Lawrence Holzworth • Richard Humann • Matthew Hupert • Frie J. Jacobs • Ayushi Jain • Annaliese Jakimides • Mathias Jansson • Jerry T. Johnson • Boni Joi • Milana Juventa • Marina Kazakova • Anthony D. Kelly • Rose Knapp • Doug Knott • Ron Kolm • Mark Kostabi • Eleni Kourti • Hope Kroll • Paweł Kuczyński • Zygimantas Kudirka • Bénédicte Kusendila • David Lawton • Serge Lecomte • Jane LeCroy • Sarah Legow • Patricia Leonard • Linda Lerner • Martin H. Levinson • Alexander Limarev • Richard Loranger • Ruggero Maggi • Sara Maino • Gerard Malanga • Jaan Malin • Sophie Malleret • Mary Rose Manspeaker • Philippe Marcade • Fred Marchant • Eliette Markhbein • Bronwyn Mauldin • Jesse McCloskey • Philip Meersman • Lois Kagan Mingus • Charles Mingus III • Julian Mithra • Richard Modiano • Mike M. Mollett • Thurston Moore • Luiz Morgadinho • Alexander Nderitu • Dustin Nelson • J. D. Nelson • Karen Neuberg • Gerald Nicosia • Lance Nizami • Harry E. Northup • Anna Gabrielle O’Meara • Ruth Oisteanu • Valery Oisteanu • Suzi Kaplan Olmsted • Marc Olmsted • John Olson • Jane Ormerod • Yuko Otomo • Bibiana Padilla Maltos • Csaba Pal • Lisa Panepinto • Pamela Papino-Wood • Gay Pasley • John S. Paul • Oladipo Kehinde Paul • Giorgia Pavlidou • Puma Perl • Raymond Pettibon • Charles Plymell • Renaat Ramon • Nicca Ray • Mado Reznik • Travis Richardson • Wes Rickert • Benjamin Robinson • Radoslav Rochallyi • L. Rose • Alison Ross • Martina Salisbury • William Seaton • Jack Seiei • Silvio Severino • Susan Shup • Bertholdus Sibum • Paul Siegell • Denise Silk-Martelli • Zoltan Simon • Lily Simonson • Neal Skooter Taylor (LA Dada) • Angela Sloan • Valerie Sofranko • Paul Sohar • Pere Sousa • Orchid Spangiafora • Dd. Spungin • Marilyn Stablein • Laurie Steelink • J. J. Steinfeld • Christine Sloan Stoddard • Thomas Stolmar • Rich Stone • W. K. Stratton • Belinda Subraman • Kelly Talbot • Zev Torres • John J. Trause • Ann Firestone Ungar • Yrik-Max Valentonis • Anoek van Praag • Lynnea Villanova • Barbara Vos • Matina Vossou • Silvia Wagensberg • George Wallace • Scott Wannberg • Mike Watt • Poul R. Weile • Syporca Whandal • Brenda Whiteway • Maw Shein Win • A. D. Winans • Tracy Witt • Francine Witte • Jeffrey Cyphers Wright • Yaryan • Gerald Yelle • Karen Romano Young • Andrena Zawinski • Larry Zdeb • Nina Živančević • Joanie HF Zosike
£17.99
McGraw-Hill Education - Europe Conversational Capacity: The Secret to Building Successful Teams That Perform When the Pressure Is On
OPEN, BALANCED DIALOGUE--THE KEY TO PEAK TEAM PERFORMANCEIn a world of rapid-fire change, it's more important than ever to build teams that work well when the pressure is on—and quality communication can mean the difference between success and failure.Conversational Capacity provides the communication tools you need to ensure that your team remains on track even when dealing with its most troublesome issues, that it responds to tough challenges with agility and skill, and performs brilliantly in circumstances that would incapacitate less disciplined teams.Praise for Conversational Capacity:"This book blows the lid off everything you have learned about team building and will have you asking, 'Why didn't someone show me this before?'" -- Rick Woodcock, Chief Technology Officer of the US Naval Institute, Annapolis"Easy to implement, Craig Weber's techniques will transform your organization. We put these principles into practice and saw immediate results." -- Scott Goodey, CEO, Greenpoint Technologies"A must-read for leaders and those who aspire to lead. It's one of the most influential books on the value of teaming." -- Benjamin Ola Akande, PhD, Professor of Economics and Dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology, Webster University"Conversational Capacity is one of those rare books that will forever change how you see yourself and the people with whom you work. Read it. Recommend it to your boss, your team, and your friends." -- Jan Wilmott, Director of Leadership Development at the Royal Bank of Canada"This book provides a practical roadmap to learning the single most important skill that any leader can and should master. Conversational Capacity will change the way you lead and transform your relationships--at work and at home." -- Andy Restivo, President and CEO of Creative Channel Services, an Omnicom Group Company"Conversational Capacity shows leadership teams how to think actively and adapt quickly. Better yet, the simplicity of the book enables the reader to apply the concepts and ideas in any leadership position." -- Mark Milliner, CEO of Personal Insurance at Suncorp "Craig Weber has a gift for connecting what it means to build healthy relationships with the nuts and bolts of running an organization. In Conversational Capacity he brings a refreshing combination of practical tools, personal examples, and wisdom from having worked with hundreds of leaders over the years. If you are a leader or someone interested in getting better at what you do, Conversational Capacity is a must read." -- Rob McKenna, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Leadership Research and Development and author of Dying to Lead "Craig Weber challenges us to think differently about the way we talk to each other. Not since the seminal work of Chris Argyris have I read a book that so well documents the promise and the peril of dialogue. Readers will learn to develop conversational competence with team members and with leaders at all levels. You will learn to become more mindful in difficult situations, appreciate the power of curiosity, and develop ways to experiment, compare, reframe, and reengage with renewed commitment. We need this book, now more than ever. Once you read it, you will want to share it as soon as possible!" -- Frank J. Barrett, PhD, Professor of Management and Organizational Behavior, Global Public Policy, at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy, Naval Postgraduate School and author of Yes to the Mess "This book has transformed the way I lead, teach, and facilitate. Weber captures the essence of team effectiveness and provides a well-researched and tested model that supports the other building blocks of leadership." -- Dr. Tony Herrera, Direct of Partner Development at Schreiber Foods"Required reading! Improving the conversational capacity of your team and organization is invaluable. These same skills are needed to address the broader issues we face as a society. Get this book! Share it with your colleagues, friends, and family." -- Chris Soderquist, President of Pontifex Consulting and author of The Strategic Forum"Craig Weber's Conversational Capacity works. It works to build an internal culture that allows our organization to focus on the work at hand--without the drama, emotions, and egos that often get in the way of creating a high-functioning organization. It also works when building relationships with funders, stakeholders, and other clients, allowing our team to listen for commonalities and to find areas of true agreement." -- Michele Lueck, President and CEO of the Colorado Health Institute"Those who aspire to use a conversational process to facilitate and deliver high-impact team results have come to the right place. Having worked with Craig Weber to design training programs for colleagues, I can personally attest to his brilliance in using narratives to capture our attention and emotional intelligence with evidence-based methods to build our conversational skills. With clarity, practicality, and case examples, this book will help you find the sweet spot in any conversation while ensuring a productive outcome." -- Dr. Kathleen Keil, Senior Manager of Learning and Development at Pfizer Animal Health"Craig Weber's Conversational Capacity reduces organizational fear through a simple, effective technique that increases trust and maximizes creativity. It will help any organization realize new levels of confidence, creativity, and success. The tools within these pages may very well be the most important keys to both change and growth in the twenty-first century." -- Scott Eck, President of Leadership Masters"We often see the need for collaboration but do not have the tools and skills required to make it happen. Using Craig Weber's techniques to build conversational capacity is exactly what we need in both our professional and personal lives." -- Karen Minyard, PhD, Director of the Georgia Health Policy Center at the Andrew Young School of Public Policy, Georgia State University"The ideas in these pages are profound, life changing, and applicable to every area of life. My nonprofit team acquired a new set of skills that increased our capacity to tackle governance, interpersonal relationships, and the future in a dynamic and changing economy. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a master the tools required to elevate awareness, skill, and discipline to achieve desired--and amazing--results." -- Jane Soderquist, Board Chair of the Upper Valley Waldorf School
£15.29
Springer Nature Switzerland AG Sources for a Better Education: Lessons from Research and Best Practices
This textbook evolves from the intersection between ‘Research’, ‘Educational Information Technologies’ and recent ‘Best Practices’. It offers diplomacy and erudite rhetoric in order to harvest from innovation projects and see how new professional needs for teachers are emerging day by day. The volume launches the compact background for the 21st century education that every teacher faces after being in charge for 3 or 6 years after pre-service training. ‘Sources for a better education’ refers to the deep understanding and to the incentives for encouraging teachers to leave the comfort zone and experiment the next steps into a further sophisticated professionalism, without the threat of feeling in a ‘Dilemma’.The first candidate for extending one’s teaching effectiveness is to tailor one’s teaching to the test to be expected. ‘Teaching to the Test’ is an understandable tactic, however it endangers the students’ full understanding of underlying concepts and analogies. The second candidate for professionalism is the deeper layer of knowledge on how curricular domains are related. In simpler terms: better teachers know how to ‘bridge’ topics and subjects so that students develop a deeper understanding on the patterns and structure in knowledge. The 21st century education prioritizes higher degrees of flexible-, divergent and abstract thinking, so that creative problem solving comes into reach. ICT tools for making prior knowledge explicit is a major example on how learners harvest upon prior knowledge, thinking and intuition. The third source for a better education is the courage to envisage one’s meta knowledge in order to see patterns in learning and understanding. The more conscious prior knowledge gets decompiled into genetic metaphors; the better future learning can be anticipated. The fourth asset for meta-cognitive skills is the wide spectrum of tools that the web offers for building knowledge infra-structures so that knowledge becomes transformed into problem solving skills; the availability of knowledge is no longer sufficient for finding creative and authentic solutions in future situations. This is the case for both students and teachers. By tradition, the bottom-up strategy from reproductive factual learning up to the levels of problem solving and creative thinking has been favoured. The ‘one-click away’ access to information on the web asks a more strategic attitude from learners and practitioners to cope with the periphery between known and unknown, so that a more effective meta-cognition develops. The fifth stimulus for more effective learning is the expanding impact of social media. Social media tend to intimidate learners with incomplete understanding to jump on biases as delivered through political and conspiracy agendas. This books aims at the challenge to build upon learners’ existential needs and developing interest for a longer-term learning perspective.“Renaissance man and philosopher Piet Kommers presents us with an interesting question: What makes education exciting? His book covers a range of lessons learnt through research and practice, covering philosophies and paradoxes, ranging from learning to learn to machine learning for learning. In 35 chapters he takes us on an exciting, comprehensive journey of just about every conceivable aspect of technology and education. This is a must-have for every 21st Century bookshelf!” By: Johannes Cronjé, professor of Digital Teaching and Learning in the Department of Information Technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa.“Piet Kommers has in 400 pages provided an overview of teaching based on practical experience. It is not a summary of pedagogic models, but a guide to important factors in how to motivate students and thus improve their learning. New technologies changes teaching, and we need to understand how application of such technologies can improve the learning. This book provides such knowledge and I wish I had it when I started teaching at university many years ago.” By: Jan Frick, Professor Business School, University of Stavanger, Norway."Piet Kommers delivers a very thorough book with a holistic perspective on Learning Technologies. This book is a result of many years of experience that the author has in Higher Education. It comprises lessons learned from the author´s professional career, including inputs from European Union research projects, as well as diversified interactions with a wide range of Peoples and Cultures. The result is a unique perspective that is a must-read for anyone interested in Learning Technologies, past, present, and future!" By: Pedro Isaias, associate professor at the Information Systems & Technology Management School of The University of New South Wales (UNSW – Sydney), Australia. “Distinguished Professor and Thinker Dr. Piet Kommers presents the academic community with a new horizon on education that reflects the current and future technology trends in the e-Learning and Fast Internet ubiquity. The Book discusses the current and most recent advances in research and application of most effective learning methods in conjunction with the future directions in machine learning in support of learning. The Book's 35 chapters present cutting-edge technologies and state-of-the-art learning methods in support of best educational practices and the student's best learning experience. The Book is most valuable asset to educator's community pursuing the mission of excellence in the Third Millennium!” By: Eduard Babulak, Professor, Computational Sciences, Liberty University, Lynchburg, USA."Well-known scientist, (e-)learning expert and philosopher Piet Kommers presents us with an interesting question: What makes education exciting? His book covers a range of lessons learnt through research and practice, covering philosophies and paradoxes, ranging from ‘learning to learn’ to ‘machine learning for learning’. In 35 chapters he takes us on an exciting, comprehensive journey of just about every conceivable aspect of technology and education. This is an interesting and useful publication for all educators as well as learners and must-have for every 21st Century bookshelf!" By: Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska, Dr. hab., associate professor, Institute of Pedagogy, Faculty of Art and Sciences of Education, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland.“The book presents a mosaic of assets reflecting the vast international experience in research and realization of learning technologies of the author, honourable professor of the UNESCO Chair in New information technologies in education for all, Piet Kommers. Describing various aspects of learning strategies, approaches, techniques and technologies in a concise way, he engages the readers into the mental construction of a "big picture" and makes them reconsider routine processes of teaching and learning. Exciting and thought-provoking reading for educators, researchers, and devoted learners.” By: professor Volodymyr Gritsenko, Director of the International Research and Training Centre for Information Technologies and Systems, National Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Head of the UNESCO Chair.
£59.99