ABSTRACT

This book provides an answer to one of the key questions of our time: namely, what constitutes a good education. Presenting a ‘four-dimensional’ model, it directly considers the essential elements a good education should include. Through forging this framework and outlaying its origins, implications and practice, the book explains how a good contemporary education can be defined and implemented. From the premise that such educational essentials are neither the preserve of the elite nor a minimum standard, White's exploration keeps the child at the heart of the discussion, focusing on every pupil's worth, identity, interactions and development.

The author offers a detailed and rigorous perspective reflecting on extensive professional experience, starting with a consideration of the current educational climate and progressing through the book's three parts:

  • looking for a good education
  • creating a model of good education
  • applications, implications and implementation of the model.

A Good Education recognises the transformative power of education and reflects on the importance of human factors: teachers' provision for their pupils and students' ability to flourish. This book is addressed to those actively engaged in or concerned about educational provision: graduates entering teaching, school leaders, policy-makers and parents. It also speaks more broadly to all those who know that a good education really matters.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

part 1|28 pages

Looking for good education

chapter 1|12 pages

What is a good education?

chapter 2|14 pages

In search of educational ethos

part 2|64 pages

Creating a model of good education

chapter 3|15 pages

Foundational values

The essential heart

chapter 4|16 pages

Character traits

Living it out

chapter 5|20 pages

Educational principles

Distinguishing practices

chapter 6|11 pages

Practical outcomes

End results

part 3|142 pages

Applications, implications and implementation of the four-dimensional model

chapter 7|23 pages

The four-dimensional school

Values and principles in practice

chapter 8|21 pages

The four-dimensional curriculum

Breadth of attainment at the academic core

chapter 9|20 pages

The four-dimensional curriculum

Breadth of attainment in the wider sphere

chapter 10|27 pages

The four-dimensional subject

Achieving heights of excellence

chapter 11|27 pages

The four-dimensional lesson

Encouraging depth of engagement

chapter 12|22 pages

A four-dimensional vision

Fostering length of endeavour

chapter |12 pages

Afterword