Title: Seeing What Is: The Education Challenges for Teachers and Their Students
Author: Jacqueline Cox Taylor
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1796009712
Genre: Non-Fiction / Education
Pages: 126
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Pacific Book Review
Seeing What Is: The Education Challenges for Teachers and Their Students from author Jacqueline Fox Taylor is an insightful book that shows the importance of education reform.
Seeing What Is is an analysis of how the education system impacts children with special needs. She especially examines the thoughts of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Even though Steiner was a 20th century philosopher, he had a 21st century philosophy to educating children with special needs. He believed that a holistic approach to education was crucial to help children reach their fullest potential. Steiner had an approach to learning that was revolutionary at the time of strict, one-size-fits-all learning: “Our Highest Endeavour must be to develop free human beings, who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives.”
Jacqueline Cox Taylor looks at how that philosophy helps children at an Australian school with the same Steiner philosophy. She also examines how holistic teaching methods can help children that have learning challenges as well. Seeing What Is has thought-provoking investigations of the many different ways that children learn. Cox Taylor’s text presents complex educational pedagogy in an easy to understand way for readers. She supplements her assessments with detailed examples of the children that are being observed. Jacqueline Cox Taylor’s writing deftly explains that if a teacher isn’t engaged with material they’re supposed to teach, students won’t be engaged, either. She writes so deftly about the anthroposophy belief that combines spiritual exploration with education.
The book mixes the academic examinations with exercises that the children studied in the text actually did. The nursery rhymes stories and physical exercises that are interspersed throughout the book add an extra depth to the Seeing What Is. The book also expertly shares the thesis that children with special needs have gifts, not deficits. The text stresses the need for individualized learning plans that recognized the diverse needs of students.
Seeing What Is would be best for readers who want to learn more about different ways to teach children with special needs. The book could also be perfect for teachers of special needs children or teachers who want to learn more about holistic education. The text would be a good resource for parents of special needs children who want to learn more about how to find the best individual education plan for their children. Additionally, Seeing What Is will be a great resource for teachers who want to help students reach their highest potential.
