TURNING LEARNING INSIDE OUT: A GUIDE FOR USING ANY SUBJECT TO ENRICH LIFE AND CREATIVITY (1994)

by Herbert L. Leff and Ann Nevin

(Published by Zephyr Press, Tucson, Arizona)

Why did we write this book? Essentially, we wrote this book to invite and entice teachers to join us in exploring ways to bring learning to life. Our aim is not only to make learning a lively experience, but to help all learners bring academic knowledge into everyday life in ways that could significantly enrich their real-life experience and thinking.

Why are we a good partnership to write this book? Herb brings twenty-something years of research and teaching in metacognition, creativity enhancement, and utopian psychology (studying mental, behavioral, and social processes for optimizing the quality of life). Ann brings comparable experience in the areas of collaborative education and effective pedagogy (what works for teachers and students). We've worked both individually and as a team with many K-12 teachers to explore how our ideas would play out in practice across grades and subject areas.

"Turning learning inside out" means treating any curriculum as an endless fountain of new ideas with potential for refreshing the lives of everyone they touch.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 
Turning Learning Loose on Life
Chapter 2 
Learning for Creative Problem Solving
Chapter 3 
Learning for Playfulness

Chapter 4 Learning for Interest and Appreciation

 
 
  • "Learn It to Use It!"
  • "Think Before You Think!"
  • The Central Processes in Inside-Out Education
  • The Role of Purpose (or the Purpose of Roles)

    • Suggested Readings on Meta-Thinking
  • Creativity
  • Content and Creativity
  • Thinking up New Purposes
  • Using Academic Subjects to Enhance Creativity
  • Sample Lesson Plan
  • Suggested Readings on Creativity and Its Enhancement
  • Principles of Playfulness
  • Using Academic Subjects Playfully
  • Basic Principles

    • Sample Lesson Plan
  • Interest and Its Academic Enhancement
  • Aesthetic Appreciation and Its Academic Enhancement
  • Underlying Principles

    • Illustrative Lesson Plan
    Chapter 5 
    Learning for Open-Mindedness
    Chapter 6 
    Learning for Basic Enlightenment
    Chapter 7
    Learning for Synergistic Thinking
    Chapter 8 
    Turning Teaching Inside Out
    • Open-Mindedness
    • Using Academic Subjects to Help Open One's MInd
    • Constructing Mind-Opening Lesson Plans
    • Sample Lesson Plan An Example
    • Basic Enlightenment
    • Using Academic Subjects to Optimize Experience
    • Sample Lesson Plan
    • Interconnection
    • Synergistic Thinking
    • Using Academic Subjects to Think More Synergistically
    • Sample Integrative Lesson Plans
    • Suggested Readings on Basic Enlightenment and Synergy
    • The Inside-Out Teacher
    • Teachers as Learners
    • Learners as Teachers
    • Multisensory Processes
    • The Net Result: "Evocative Learning"
    EPILOGUE: WHERE MIGHT ALL THIS LEAD?
    Appendix
    Index
    Forces For and Against Inside-Out Education
     Main Awareness Plans
    Bibliography
    Invitation
     

    How have YOU turned learning inside out?

    We are interested in how you and your students are using the ideas in this book. Send us your ideas and examples of your students' work. We'll be posting examples from this page!

    Send your Ideas to Dr. Ann Nevin, WebMaster for TLIO!
    Are you interested in how Turning Learning Inside Out has broadened the horizons of others?
    Dr. Elayne Achilles, Music Educator, has written a thought-provoking account!
    A Music Educator's View of Turning Learning Inside Out
    How Can A Science Teacher Turned Learning Anatomy & Physiology  Inside Out?  Meet Judy Brook from St. Albans, VT and find out!
    		 Do you want to order your own copy of Turning Learning Inside Out?  Zephyr Press On-Line makes it really fun, eeeeee-zzzzeee and creative!