LEARNING PRODUCTIVITY
Wingspread Journal, Summer 1997

DATABASE

What have our Wingspread conference participants shared with us recently? Here are books and resources on learning they have found challenging and useful. You'll find links to all the references listed throughout this issue.

Learning and Brain Research

What happens when learning theory and brain research meet the real world of the classroom? Wingspread conference participant Geoffrey Caine and his wife Renate share practical insights in Education on the Edge of Possibility, available from ASCD, 1250 North Pitt Street, Alexandria, Va., 22314-1453, tel.: 800-933-2723, fax: 703-299-8631.

Intelligence is not fixed; it can be taught. That is the conclusion of Wingspread conference participant David Perkins in his book, Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence, published in 1995 by The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Both Newsweek and Time magazines have published special issues devoted to brain development in young children. See "Your Child: From Birth to Three," the Spring/Summer 1997 issue of Newsweek and "How a Child's Brain Develops," the February 3, 1997 issue of Time.

For information on brain development and parenting, see the Web site www.iamyourchild.org. The site has information on a child's stages of development during the first three years of life, an extensive resource list, and advice from parenting and child experts T. Berry Brazelton, C. Everett Koop, and Barbara Bowman.

The Families and Work Institute has published Rethinking the Brain: New Insights Into Early Development that explores in lay terms the key findings of recent brain research and what those findings might mean. Contact the Institute at 330 Seventh Avenue,14th Floor, New York, NY 10001, tel.: 212-465-2044, fax: 465-8637, or order online at www.familiesandwork.org.

The 21st Century Learning Initiative is a multi-national program to synthesize the best of research and development into the nature of human learning and to examine its implications for education, work, and the development of communities worldwide. See the Web site at www.21learn.org for a draft of the synthesis as well as articles on new research and innovative learning models. For a recent report, "Upside Down and Inside Out: How We Can Achieve Social and Economic Renewal for the 21st Century by Involving Communities in a New Approach to Learning," contact the Initiative c/o Rothschild Natural Resources, Inc. 1101 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036, tel.: 202-862-1698, fax: 862-1699.

Learning and Community

Parker J. Palmer writes on issues in education, community, and social change. His publications include: The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, published this fall by Jossey-Bass and Simon & Schuster, Inc.; "Good Talk about Good Teaching: Improving Teaching Through Conversation and Community," Change magazine, November/December, 1993; and The Promise of Paradox, Servant Leadership Press, Washington, DC.

Beyond Enrichment: Building Effective Arts Partnerships with Schools and Your Community, by Jane Remer explores the important links between the arts, learning, and the community. Available from the American Council for the Arts, One East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.

Is There a Public For Public Schools? asks David Mathews. In this book he reports on the results of a decade of research on the relationship between the public and public education and challenges Americans to reclaim responsibility for our nation's education. Available from the Kettering Foundation Press, Dayton, Ohio.

Out of the Box is the newsletter of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University. For subscription information, contact Jeannie Ullrich, Schroeder Complex 146, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, Wis. 53201-1881, tel.: 414-288-7084, fax: 288-6199.

Learning and Technology

A familiar name at Wingspread and a conference co-sponsor, Educom is an organization dedicated to enhancing learning productivity in higher education through information technology. Two recent publications include The Virtual University and Academic Productivity: The Case for Instructional Software, both $5 and available by contacting Educom's publications coordinator at kbullers@educom.edu, tel.: 202-872-4200.

Workforce Development

The League for Innovation in the Community College offers several publications that explore innovative ways in which community colleges are helping to meet adult training and educational needs. Preparing a Twenty-First Century Work Force: Innovations in Programs and Practices ($10) and The American Community College: Nexus for Workforce Development ($15) are available by contacting the League at: 26522 La Alameda, Suite 370, Mission Viejo, Calif. 92691, tel.: 714-367-2884, fax: 367-2885. See the Web site at www.league.org.

Spanning the Chasm: Corporate and Academic Cooperation to Improve Work Force Preparation offers suggestions for ways business and higher education can help students better prepare for success in the work place. Available from the Business-Higher Education Forum, One Dupont Circle, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036-1193, tel.: 202-939-9345, fax: 833-4723.

The Education Commission of the States is dedicated to helping legislators develop policies to improve the quality of education. The Commission offers a wide variety of publications and newsletters on subjects ranging from charter schools and choice to technology and urban education. The newsletter, "Leader," recently featured articles on implications of brain research for education and connecting learning and work. Also of interest: "Bridging the Gap Between Neuroscience and Education," a workshop report. For a catalog, contact ECS at 707-17th Street, Suite 2700, Denver, Colo., 80202-3427, tel.: 303-299-3692. See the ECS Web site at www.ecs.org.