My new book “The Secret to Growing Brilliant Children: Volume 1: Steiner Education for the 21st Century” was published in March 2020 by Bear Books.
Now available to purchase from Bear Books (if you are in Australia) OR Amazon.UK
About the Book:
The Secret to Growing Brilliant Children tells you everything you need to know about Steiner’s revolutionary educational approach, and how remarkably aligned it is to the latest research in education and developmental psychology. Discover how to adapt it for the 21st Century to help create healthier futures for our children. This book is the first in a series of three that will explore how to contemporise the core values of Steiner Education for our times. In its seven research-based chapters you will form a deep understanding of Rudolf Steiner’s vision, how Steiner Education works, and its potential role in preparing our children for futures of great change, complexity, and uncertainty.
This peer-reviewed material, previously published in a range of journals and scholarly books, is brought together for the first time as a single reference work. It is designed for all readers: parents, teachers, education researchers, and government policy makers.
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Contemporary View of Rudolf Steiner’s Educational Philosophy
Chapter 1: Who was Rudolf Steiner?
Chapter 2: Steiner Education, Imagination and Empowerment
Chapter 3: Steiner-Educated Students’ Visions of Rehumanised Futures
Chapter 4: Evolution of Consciousness: The Educational Visions of Steiner and Wilber
Chapter 5: Educating for Evolving Consciousness through Love, Life, Wisdom and Voice
Chapter 6: Wise Education for Complex Futures
Chapter 7: Australian Steiner Education Research Over Thirty Years
Concluding Reflections: Tomorrow’s Education (or) How to Avoid Extinction
About the Author
Jennifer M. Gidley is an author, educator, psychologist, and futures researcher. Her PhD thesis ‘Evolving Education’ won the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for Academic Excellence. She is an Adjunct Professor at both The Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS) Sydney, and Southern Cross University, NSW, and is Research Director of the Oceanic Research Institute, Australia.
Jennifer is also a mother and teacher who designed and built from scratch Australia’s most innovative Steiner campus, pioneering new architecture and a renewable energy playground. She created a revolutionary student curriculum and teacher education program, and later played a crucial role in bringing Steiner Education into the Australian National Curriculum.
She was the longest serving elected President of the World Futures Studies Federation (2009-2017), a global NGO and a UNESCO and UN-ECOSOC partner. Her recent books include “Postformal Education” (2016, Springer) and “The Future: A Very Short Introduction” (2017, Oxford University Press).
