It is a consistent goal for the Barker Institute to provide platforms for the meaningful dissemination of ideas. Publishing book reviews is a new opportunity for collective learning and sharing wisdom beyond traditional barriers.
This publication, a subset of the annual Barker Institute journal Learning in Practice, is an initiative that started in the Learning Team. Additional reviews from other members of staff came together with those from the Learning Team to form the current volume With submissions no longer than two pages, readers can quickly access core ideas presented in books related to education, consider if they want to read more for themselves, and get an insight into what educational leaders at Barker are reading.
We look forward to publishing more book reviews in the 2025 Barker Institute Journal later this year. All staff are welcome to submit, and will be supported as review authors.
Dr Matthew Hill Director Barker Institute
Contents
J i m Cu mmi ns (20 24 ) Rethi nk i ng th e E du cati on of Mu l til i ngu al Learners : A Cri ti cal
Anal ys i s of Th eoreti cal Concepts
Reviewer: Dr Timothy Scott
A Angel a Du ck w orth (20 17) G ri t: W h y Pas si on and Res il i ence are th e Secrets to Su cces s
Reviewer: Therri Ellison
L Leon Fu rz e (20 2) Practi cal AI Strategi es : E ngagi ng w i th G enerati ve AI i n E du cati on Reviewer: Tim Milkins
A Ad am G rant (20 23 ) Hid den Potenti al : Th e Sci ence of Achi evi ng G reater Th i ngs
Reviewer: Susanna Matters
M Mary G ord on (20 0 5) Roots of Empath y: Ch angi ng th e W orld Ch i ld b y Chi ld
Reviewer: Belinda Piper
J onath an Hai d t (20 23 ) The Anxi ou s G enerati on: How th e G reat Rewi ri ng of Chi ld h ood i s Cau si ng an E pi d emi c of Mental Il l ness
Reviewer: Phil Mundy
J oh n Hatti e (20 23 ) Vi s ib l e Learni ng: Th e Sequ el A s ynth esi s of over 2, 10 0 metaanal ys es rel ati ng to ach ievement
Reviewer: Dr Matthew Hill
M Mel Rob i ns (20 24 ) Th e Let Th em Th eory
Reviewer: Mel Brady
Jim Cummins, 2024
Rethinking the Education of Multilingual Learners: A Critical Analysis of Theoretical Concepts
Dr Timothy Scott Research Principal Barker Institute
N u mb er of pages: 464
Su gges ted au di ence: This book is for anyone who teaches in or leads educational settings with students of language backgrounds other than English, or students whose fluency in English is accompanied by access to varied additional languages
3 0 -w ord su mmary: This book presents where multilingual educational researcher Jim Cummins’ ideas came from, how they developed, how they were received by others, and their impact on teaching practice.
Revi ew :
For those working with multilingual students, this is an important text. Jim Cummins’ career in the field of bilingual / multilingual education research and practice has spanned over 40 years, a period throughout which he has put forward a number of highly influential and theoretical concepts. The distinction between conversational fluency and academic language proficiency is but one example. In Rethinking the Education of Multilingual Learners, Cummins provides a personal account of how these ideas developed and the credibility of the critiques they generated. It is the combination of his personal critical reflection on the ideas and concepts that have shaped the way educators approach bilingual and multilingual learners and how they have been received by the academic community that makes this volume so valuable.
Cummins states that the book’s purpose is “to follow up the synthesis of theory, research, policy, and instructional practice related to the education of bilingual and multilingual students that he outlined in two previous books some twenty years ago” (p.xxxiii). Cummins acknowledges that over that time, the field has undergone significant change, with progress in research, theory, policy, and teaching practices globally. Researchers largely agree on the legitimacy of bilingual education for majority and minority students; opposition often reflects ideological bias or lack of evidence. He explains that theoretical shifts include adopting dynamic models of bi/multilingualism and recognising translanguaging as a key, though debated, concept. Instructional practices increasingly acknowledge the value of drawing on students’ full linguistic repertoires, even in diverse classrooms. These developments are explored in 11 chapters, organised into three parts.
The first part is entitled Evolution of a Theoretical Framework: A Personal Account and provides some background and insight into the origins of the theoretical constructs Cummins has proposed over the past 45 years. Specifically, Cummins describes how he came to develop and posit constructs such as the threshold hypothesis, the linguistic interdependence hypothesis, and the difference between basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP). The critical reflection he offers in this section of the book help show how these frameworks came into being, the empirical data upon which they were based, how they changed over time, and the implications for educational policy and practice. It is the personal reflection so clearly articulated in this section, engaging with academic scholarship, which this reviewer found a valuable aspect of this book.
Part 2, titled Critical Analysis of Competing Theoretical Claims, moves from narrating the development of theoretical constructs and frameworks to a more analytical exploration of the fundamental issues and the validity of how phenomena related to the education of minoritised students are framed. This section is not independent of Part 1; the content of Part 1 informs Cummins’ critique of his own critics in Part 2. Across the four chapters in this part, Cummins argues that the theoretical constructs of academic language, linguistic interdependence, and additive bilingualism are all consistent with empirical data. He takes the time to examine the key arguments that his ideas have raised within the academy and address their claims methodically, applying three criteria to his evaluation: (a) empirical adequacy (b) logical coherence, and (c) consequential validity. The visible consistency in approach, throughout what is the most complicated part of this book, leaves the reader assured of the legitimacy of Cummins’ critiques. The way in which Cummins’ compares the two major interpretations of translanguaging (pp.271-288) is an example of this.
Instructional Practice in Dialogue with Theoretical Concepts is the title of the last part of this book. It comprises of one lengthy chapter, addressing how the theoretical concepts discussed throughout Rethinking the Education of Multilingual Learners affect instructional practice as well as how practice has informed theory. Teachers are prioritised in this volume as knowledge creators when it comes to pedagogical translanguaging. Noteworthy, then, is the discussion in this chapter of different approaches to translanguaging that have been used in the classroom with impact. Indeed, most of the chapter consists of examples of translanguaging drawn from classroom practitioners, making the chapter a pertinent one to those educators seeking to understand how effective pedagogical translanguaging might look in their classrooms. At Barker, this contributed to the development of a learning environment supportive of multilingual learners across the school. Specifically, there has been direct application in professional learning and practices at Marri Mittigar, Barker’s special assistance school for students of refugee experience to support their social and emotional wellbeing as well as their understanding of subject specific concepts and content.
Some concluding comments. 464 pages is a hefty read, but there is a great deal that can be taken from this volume in both theory and practice. The appendices and notes at the end of each chapter consist of veins as rich to mine as the chapters themselves, reflecting the thoroughness and rigour evident throughout the book. For this reviewer, ultimately the value and importance of this volume for educational researcher, practitioner and policy maker is that it is Cummins reflecting on Cummins; he presents where his ideas came from, how they developed and were received by others, and the impact that they have had on teaching practice.
Angela Duckworth, 2017
Grit: Why Passion and Resilience are the Secrets to Success
Therri Ellison Coordinator Teaching-Staff Covers and Society & Culture Teacher
N u mb er of pages: 440
Su gges ted aud i ence: While this thoroughly interesting book is useful for educators which can be applied for use in any subject area. It is also very useful for parents, particularly Chapter 10. Educators can see how talent and grit differ and how regardless of the level of talent an individual has, grit can be grown. For parents, the idea of wise parenting is explored being both supportive and demanding at the same time.
3 0 -w ord su mmary: Duckworth explores the power of passion and perseverance in achieving long-term goals. Duckworth argues that talent alone isn't enough; sustained effort and resilience (or “grit”) are key to success.
Revi ew :
Duckworth writes from a personal perspective about the research that she has done. She compares the results of her research with other similar studies and the thing that makes this book especially interesting, engaging, and persuasive are the stories and examples that sit alongside the research to generate meaning from the results.
Obviously, the premise of this book is passion and resilience bringing success and this is reinforced in Chapter 2 where Duckworth is concerned with educators and parents alike being distracted by talent. Specifically, it challenges the notion that talent alone leads to success, arguing that sustained effort is the driver of positive, long-term, success. By shining a spotlight on talent, we risk leaving everything else in the shadow. We inadvertently send the message that these other factors (like grit) don't matter as much as they really do (p.39). This theme continued into Chapter 3 where Duckworth examined the fact that effort it counts twice. Put simply:
Talent x Effort = Skill, and Skill x Effort = Achievement, so Talent x (Effort)2 = Achievement (p.51).
As an educator, the chapters that resonate most strongly for me are those on practice and hope.
Chapter 7 Practice: It is uncontroversial that the more one practises the better they get (another whole chapter focuses on this). However, the crucial idea is that it isn't about the frequency or volume of the practice it is about how experts practice differently to achieve peak performance. This chapter is on deliberate practice. Deliberate practice involves focusing on improving any specific weakness by intentionally seeking out challenges they cannot yet meet (p.246). In this chapter Duckworth illustrates this with student spelling bee participants and draws on a very interesting historical example of Benjamin Franklin and how he used deliberate practice to become a better writer.
Chapter 9 Hope: This chapter hit home for me in a surprising way. The thesis is that grittier people are those that can get up after falling and continue to persevere. The optimistic teacher continues to try and find ways to help her students improve while the pessimistic teacher assumes there is nothing that can be done to help her students (p.217). These are the extreme sides that Duckworth presents. Duckworth extends this to look at fixed versus growth mindsets. A fixed mindset about one’s ability leads to pessimistic explanations of adversity which then leads to giving up on challenges or avoiding them. A growth mindset leads to optimistic ways of explaining adversity that leads to perseverance and seeking out new challenges. This chapter provides lessons in hope for both individuals trying to succeed, and those supporting young people to achieve their goals.
It may be easy to see that grit is an essential characteristic, and encouragingly Duckworth proposes various ways that grit can be developed. Examples include:
- Children who participate in extracurricular activities tend to develop more grit. This is generally to do with the fact that they learn to work with others and to build perseverance while they are having fun. Duckworth quotes studies showing “that kids who are more involved in extracurriculars fare better on just about every conceivable metric. They earn better grades and have higher self-esteem and are less likely to get in trouble and so forth” (p.269).
- To develop more grit. you need to surround yourself with grittier people. The bottom line on culture and grit is if you want to be grittier find a gritty culture and join it. If a leader wants people in their organisation to be grittier, they must create a gritty culture (p.296).
- There are two pathways for grit development. Either from the inside out, where one cultivates their own interests, develops a habit of daily challenge-exceeding-skill practice, and connecting work purpose beyond themself. Or from the outside in, where one’s parents, coaches, teachers, bosses, mentors, friends play active and passive roles in the grittiness of the individual (p 326).
Importantly for me it is the way that we as teachers can learn to develop grit in our students by what we do and how we do it.
Leon Furze, 2024
Practical AI Strategies: Engaging with Generative AI in Education
Tim Milkins Director of Accreditation and Technics Innovation
N u mb er of pages: 223
Su gges ted aud i ence: This book offers a practical and ethically grounded overview of how Generative AI is impacting education, with strategies for classroom use, policy development, and assessment design. It draws on current research and educational frameworks to help educators and schools respond thoughtfully to the challenges and opportunities presented by AI technologies. The book is ideal for teachers, school leaders, curriculum planners, and policy makers who are seeking to understand, implement, or guide the use of AI in education in ways that enhance teaching, enrich learning, safeguard student wellbeing, and maintain professional integrity.
3 0 -w ord s u mmary: Leon Furze’s Practical AI Strategies is a timely, accessible read that prompts readers (educators) to engage ethically, creatively, and practically with Generative AI, supporting innovation, pedagogy, and assessment reform.
Revi ew :
As leaders in education, we are called to engage meaningfully with the forces shaping the future of teaching and learning. Few topics are as urgent and transformative right now as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). In Practical AI Strategies, Leon Furze offers an intelligent, highly readable, and deeply practical guide that helps educators and school leaders respond to GenAI not with fear or resistance, but with professional insight, pedagogical purpose, consideration of practical applicability, and ethical clarity.
Furze begins with a grounded explanation of what GenAI actually is, explains large language models (LLM’s), prompts, and AI-generated content in a way that is both respectful and informative. For educators who haven’t had the opportunity to explore the technical side of AI, this first section is an ideal primer. Short, sharp and to the point, it frames GenAI not as a threat to teaching, but as a tool that, when understood and guided carefully, can support creativity, differentiation, and workload reduction.
What makes this book particularly valuable is its sustained focus on ethics. In Part 2, Generative AI ethics, Furze explores algorithmic bias, misinformation, environmental costs, copyright, and student data privacy. As someone deeply interested in quality educational practices and outcomes, I appreciate that Furze insists these conversations are not just for tech companies or policy makers, they are essential for us as educators and must inform any decision we make about AI integration and assimilation in schools.
Part 3, entitled “Assessment and School Guidelines”, is a particularly interesting section to read. While it is true that I am heavily invested in assessment strategies and design, I value this section because it allows the reader to explore thoughts about what positive changes AI technologies can offer (a) learning, (b) the demonstration of outcomes, and (c) redefining cheating. I found that this section encouraged me to rethink assessment design in ways that restore trust, creativity, and authenticity to the learning process and outcomes wishing to be assessed. His practical frameworks such as the AI Assessment Scale (p.47-51) can directly support conversations in teaching teams and subject areas, and has been used previously to inform aspects of the development of Barker’s assessment policies. Beyond assessment there is content to stimulate thought on school-wide AI guidelines, how to prepare students for ethical AI use both in and beyond the classroom, and finally, how to enable educators to leverage generative AI technologies to improve efficiencies and enhance their pedagogical toolkit.
For those of us passionate about pedagogical innovation, Parts 4 and 5 are a treasure trove loaded with potential application methods. This is a very practical section of the book. Furze shares a range of GenAI strategies that can enhance planning, differentiate instruction, support collaboration, and elevate student engagement. He also explores the use of AI in visual design and image generation, encouraging us to embrace emerging tools in a way that still upholds the professional judgement and expertise of the teacher.
The final section, on the future of GenAI, offers a forward-thinking view of multimodal AI tools that can generate text, audio, video, 3D assets, and even code. For educators working in digital technology, design, STEM, and the arts, this is a particularly exciting (and practical) look ahead. Furze’s concluding message is one I strongly support: we do not need to become AI experts, but we do need to lead with vision, integrity, and pedagogy at the centre.
As a digitally enabled nerd of teaching, I believe it is essential for educators to engage intellectually with texts like this, not only to inform our own understanding, but to lead meaningful, future-focused professional conversations across our school and with our students.
Adam Grant, 2023
Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things
Susanna Matters
Gifted and Talented Coordinator
N u mb er of pages: 304
Su gges ted au di ence: Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things is an enjoyable, easy and fulfilling read, offering fascinating case-studies and practical strategies for improving one’s performance. I particularly recommend this book to Senior School students and their parents who are supporting the development of habits of excellence within study routines. While gifted education specializes in the top ten per cent of cohorts, Grant posits that we all have great distance to travel in our learning if we reflect on character skills and the cultures in which learning design takes place.
3 0 -w ord s u mmary: Drawing from various studies about and stories of success, Grant provides pearls of wisdom to help all budding learners. He advocates for developing character skills through scaffolding and positive learning cultures.
Revi ew :
My choice of summer reading material certainly highlighted the notion of making deliberate choices to achieve one’s personal best. Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant (2023) contains many pearls of wisdom to help all budding learners. His book examines the character skills, scaffolding and cultures needed for students to thrive and manifest their potential.
As underachievement is an issue in Gifted Education, I picked up Grant’s work ready to glean the key take-aways especially relevant to my role at the College as the K-12 Gifted and Talented Coordinator. Let me be clear; this is not because I’m suggesting for a moment that only gifted learners have potential. At Barker, we have a mission to inspire every learner, every day. In a culture of academic care, we have high expectations of all our students. However, I am also a firm believer that a rising tide lifts all boats. In this spirit, while Grant’s book is relevant and helpful to all learners (and if anyone at all finds this review resonating with them, I highly encourage them to read the book and apply it for themselves) there are strong associations with gifted education and it is full of strategies I endorse for the students with who I spend most of my time working.
Across Australia, Gifted Education is informed by Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (2020). Its premise is that raw, innate potential is transformed into achievement (talent) through intrapersonal, environmental, and chance factors (Gagné, 2020). In Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, Grant focuses
significantly on the intrapersonal and environmental components of transforming potential into performance (these are the two areas labelled as “Catalysts” in Gange’s model
To begin with, Grant looks at the character skills (Gagné’s intrapersonal catalyst) which impact one’s temperament and motivation to learn effectively. He reflects on the importance of tenacity, agility of thinking, and a collective purpose stating that ‘the people who grow the most aren’t the smartest people in the room. They’re the ones who strive to make themselves and others smarter’ (p.235). He recommends that such learners should try new methods, sit with the discomfort of the unfamiliar, and embrace mistakes and imperfection as a given of any process. Grant also reflects on the importance of absorbing an abundance of new knowledge and skills, while filtering out unhelpful feedback and information based on the principles of credibility, familiarity and care.
Later in his work, Grant discusses techniques used to overcome obstacles in acquiring expertise (Gagné’s environmental catalyst). These include transforming regular practice into play, adapting routines, being proactive about rest and recovery. Interestingly, Grant (2023) also explores the importance of seeking multiple mentors. He observes that momentum in learning can be increased when different perspectives are harnessed. Grant also reflects on the power of teaching as a learning tool. He recommends the process of explaining as a route to deeper understanding, as well as building one’s confidence by coaching others.
Finally, Grant points to individualising learning as a needed condition of productive school systems which zone in on the potential in students. He holds up Finland’s education system as including best practices. These practices include personalised learning which plays to student interests, and the ‘looping’ of teachers (‘looping’ refers to a teacher following a student through multiple years of schooling). At Barker, our Individualised Learning Staff, Heads of House, and Classroom Teachers work closely together to enable both these principles. For our gifted learners, we are committed to a K-12 pathway; offering ‘value add’ each year by tracking progress and participation, compacting curriculum, and enabling a smooth transition from Junior School into Senior School.
Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (2020) may focus on gifted learners but the idea of talent development as a process of transforming potential to performance through intrapersonal and environmental catalysts can be extrapolated to apply to all learners. In this way, enabling and celebrating gifted learners doesn’t leave children behind. Lessons from gifted education can inform and benefit the academic care of all learners. In 2025, following the advice in Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things (Grant, 2023), Barker staff are ready to collaborate and teach with the goal of unleashing the potential of our students.
References :
Gagné, F. (2020). Françoys Gagné - Professional website. Dmgt-Mddt. https://gagnefrancoys.wixsite.com/dmgt-mddt Grant, A. (2023). Hidden Potential. Penguin.
Mary Gordon 2005 (1st Edition)
Roots of Empathy: Changing the World Child by Child
Belinda Piper Senior Admin – Learning Team
N u mb er of pages: 264
Su gges ted aud i ence: In his foreword, Michael Fullen (Professor Emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto) suggests, “If you are an educator, a parent, a politician, please read this book.” (p. xiv) I agree with him, but would also add that really any human who yearns for a more peaceful, kind world should read this book.
3 0 -w ord su mmary: The book Roots of Empathy describes an evidence-based classroom program on empathy which began in Canada in 1996 and has since expanded internationally. The quote “Love grows brains” (p. 18) succinctly sums up both the book and the program.
R evi ew :
Roots of Empathy highlights, advocates for, and rigorously defends (see the extensive Notes and Reference sections) the fact that educating children in empathy deserves at least equal prominence in school education as the teaching of literacy and numeracy. While ideally this education should occur from as young an age as possible, the themes and examples the author provides throughout the book confirm that working on developing and expressing empathy is worthwhile at any age.
The Roots of Empathy program itself is rather unique: it centres around a young baby and its parent paying regular visits to a school class over a period of one year. The activities and learning taking place in the classroom before, during and after the baby’s visits are closely linked to the academic curriculum while also being interwoven with opportunities to explore emotions. The aim is to plant the seeds of empathy from an early age, and to help students discover, accept and express that emotion is associated with all facets of learning and life.
In the program, the presence of the baby serves as is a tangible and visceral illustration for the students. The author and program instructors gently emphasize that babies don’t have an “agenda” when it comes to their reactions and responses to other people and their surroundings – they simply respond genuinely to the world around them and the people in it. The author encourages participants in the program and the reader to consider what babies might say to bullies, teachers, and parents, and what their views on infant safety might be.
The program also highlights the importance of authentic communication (“speaking from the heart” (p. 129)) and inclusion. It identifies today’s abundance of instantly and constantly
accessible technology as a threat to authentic communication, which to be meaningful requires “…time and focus and active awareness.” (p.133). A school’s policy around student use of mobile phones on campus is not to be only about helping students focus on their schoolwork, but about nurturing and developing connection and communication amongst the students.
This book cites many studies and other publications, stating that there is “…a strong body of evidence that links the development of empathic skills with academic success.” (p.26) and drawing on multiple publications to highlight the direct link between empathy training in the classroom and improved academic outcomes in all areas. It provides, and encourages, further reading. This resonated strongly with me as I have a firm belief in the power of the caring classroom, and further exploring the links between empathy and holistic school outcomes (academic and otherwise).
The author reminds the reader that “A child’s confidence … is dependent on … the quality of nurturing she receives from a loving adult” (p.17) and all teachers and school role models should be seeing themselves as these adults who may provide quality nurturing.
The author identifies several themes which recur at the core of the program:
- The importance of family (in all senses of the word “family”)
- The privilege of working with children
- The universal need for love and belonging
- The value of education [for children]
- The power of the arts
These fundamental themes align well with Barker’s own values and strong sense of community, both within our campuses and beyond. The Roots of Empathy program, its themes and lessons complement Barker’s Raising Respect framework, our recently released Parents and Guardians Charter (Charter in the Spirit of Partnerships), our Strategic Plan, and our commitment to know our students as learners and recognise their needs as young people.
The author postulates that “We tend to undervalue the role of emotion in our lives and see being emotional as a fault.” (p.39) She urges us to take great care in making sure the classroom is a safe place of trust (p.37), encouraging adults to teach children the vocabulary they need to be able to describe their feelings. She also stresses the importance of children and young people (and adults!) being able to recognise emotions in both themselves and others, placing focus on “Nurturing an ease in reading and expressing emotion...” (p.37). “We cannot afford to underestimate the critical role of empathy in moral development…” (p.27), and while I am not necessarily proposing that babies are introduced to our classrooms on a regular basis, understanding the principles of the program and implementing them in an authentic way may be invaluable. Roots of Empathy suggests ways to incorporate the teaching of empathy into the classroom along with evidence-based reasons why we should be doing so. Helping our students to feel understood, and to understand, are skills which will stand them in good stead to become compassionate, empathic, empowered adults – and what more could we ask for?
Jonathan Haidt, 2023
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Philip Mundy Director Curriculum Strategy
N u mb er of pages: 464
Su gges ted aud i ence: This book gives an overview of recent research on the effects of social media on teenagers. It cites a wealth of recent studies to argue that there is now sufficient evidence to connect causally the rise of social media with the rise in teenage mental illness. The book is useful for parents as well as teachers and school decision makers who are monitoring children’s use of social media and are trying to develop an appropriate response.
3 0 -w ord s u mmary: Haidt argues that the nearly continuous access smartphones give children to the internet and social media has directly led to a significant increase in mental illness.
Revi ew :
A social psychologist by training, Jonathan Haidt currently teaches at the NYU Stern School of Business. He has written several books, many threads of which he picks up and expands on in The Anxious Generation. Haidt asserts the digital revolution has led to “the most rapid rewiring of human relationships and consciousness in human history” (p 17). He says we have seen a shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood Critically, Haidt asserts that not only does this shift deprive kids of the benefits of active play but also that phones and social media also have had their own a negative effect on kids. This double whammy, he asserts, has caused the significant rise in mental health issues over the past decade. Questions about the extent of the mental health crisis have challenged researchers over this period of time and clear evidence on the effects of social media has been elusive. Haidt marshals significant evidence for both in his book.
Haidt argues that the decline in a play-based childhood was already in motion before the rise of the smartphone but that it accelerated with the large-scale rollout of mobile devices. He asserts the major problem with this shift is children need to experience frequent challenges to become strong adults. Like trees in the enclosed Biosphere 2 that broke under their own weight because they were never exposed to the stresses of wind, Haidt argues that “kids are antifragile” (p.72) and need challenges to develop strength. He argues that the “psychological immune system”, like the immune system itself, needs exposure to inevitable bumps and challenges of human interaction to develop properly. Overprotected
children do not develop resilience, and he sees “few indications that the phone-based childhood develops antifragility.” (p.81)
Haidt has written about the dangers of overprotection before in the Coddling of the American Mind (Lukianoff & Haidt, 2018), but in the Anxious Generation, he argues that social media and mobile devices have introduced the “Four Foundational Harms” (p.113) and have made the problem of shifting childhood patterns much worse. He defines these harms as social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction (p 113) In particular, he argues that “experimental studies show that social media use is a cause, not just a correlate, of anxiety and depression” (p 170) He cites some clever studies, such as one in Spain that tracked the roll out of high-speed fibre-optic internet over time in different provinces against hospital discharges in those areas. It found a clear connection between the roll out and the rising rates of poor mental health. Similar studies have followed the roll out of different social media platforms and even specific influencers across college campuses and different nations Haidt argues girls have been more significantly affected than boys, with heavy internet users being three times more likely to be depressed than non-users. But boys have also seen a decline in their mental health
Haidt proposes several solutions. To expose children to challenges that help build social skills and resilience, he suggests increasing their mobility by encouraging them to go out on their own, initially on public transport and then driving. He suggests chores at home don’t just get things done but build maturity by introducing children to the work of adulthood. A part time job can help build maturity, even if it is a challenging experience, he argues, as does finding leadership opportunities that build connection and empathy.
To address the specific problems of mobile devices and social media, he suggests several measures, but a few stand out. In person activities have long been known to provide a protective effect against mental illness (Twenge, 2017) But they have become especially important offsets to the isolating effect of social media, and both schools and parents should encourage in person activities He also says schools should ban phones and is clear this means phones are secured somewhere away from students for the entire day, not just in their pockets or bags He also states strongly that parents should limit their children’s use of any type of media on a sliding scale and suggests delaying access to social media until kids are 16.
The Anxious Generation provides a provocative analysis of the effects of social media on children as well as the longer-term effect of a decline of play-based childhoods. Each chapter provides a helpful summary at the end, and the final section, Part 4, provides some helpful tips for schools, parents, governments, and society in general. Until only very recently, good evidence on the rise of social media has been in short supply. Haidt provides a succinct summary of the wide range of evidence about the significant mental health crisis we are facing and the clear role of phones and social media in the process.
References :
Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2018). The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. Unabridged. New York, NY: Penguin Audio.
Twenge, J. M. (2017). iGen: Why today's super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy and completely unprepared for adulthood and what that means for the rest of us. Atria Books.
John Hattie, 2023
Visible Learning: The Sequel. A synthesis of over 2,100 metaanalyses relating to achievement
Dr Matthew Hill Director Barker Institute
N u mb er of pages: 512
Su gges ted au di ence: This book is particularly helpful for educational decision makers as a reference manual. It can be pulled off the shelf to be able to clearly see the relevant meta-analyses for various possible impacts on learning in schools from streaming/grouping, to class sizes, to reading programs. Chapters 1, 2 and 16 give the context and author’s reflections helpful for academic leaders in schools as they consider school policies around teaching and learning.
3 0 -w ord s u mmary: Hattie analyses the meta-analyses (1300 more than book one) clearly presenting what positively impacts learning. Doesn’t tell schools what to do, but insists they evaluate the impact of programs.
Revi ew :
In 2008, Hattie published his groundbreaking book Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. The 2023 sequel extends Visible Learning 1 (VL1) in two important ways.
1. Visible Learning: The Sequel is more powerful as a reference for various effect sizes relating to achievement with over 2100 meta-analyses, rather than the over 800 meta-analyses in VL1.
The profound aspect of Hattie’s work is the high-level statistical approach. When seeking to decide if an intervention, program or strategy is effective, it is important not to use one single study of the method in action. The purpose of single studies is to contribute to a broad research knowledge base. Many of these studies can be drawn together in a review article often underpinned by the methodology of a meta-analysis. Decision makers should seek out these review articles or meta-analyses. What Hattie does is one step further abstracted. He draws together over 2100 meta-analyses and makes them accessible in in one single manual. While you will not learn the specifics of what makes, for example, scaffolding or service learning effective, but to give a score (a Cohen’s d effect size) for in terms of how the strength of the relationship to determine how beneficial it might be.
Important is the interpretation of these effect sizes. Over 93% of factors have a positive influence and therefore a positive effect size, but that does not mean they are all worth investing in. He describes the value of 0.4 as a “hinge-point”, which is approximately the average of all the effect sizes. Factors with effect sizes less than 0.4 are not necessarily bad for students (the fact that the effect size is positive means that the factor has a positive influence on achievement), but it does mean that it provides a less than average return and therefore it may be better to spend time and energy investing in factors higher on the list.
The top factors are deliberately not listed here, for reasons that will become clear in the rest of this book review, though a quick online search will produce a list of all factors, and they are fascinating!
2. Visible Learning: The Sequel includes valuable reflections from Hattie from his high-profile academic, consulting, and speaking work with Visible Learning over the last 15 years. (Chapters 1-2, and Chapter 16: Conclusions)
According to Hattie, VL2 gives “more attention to the big underlying story” (p.3) which includes more in terms of the role of schools in contextualising what comes from the metaanalyses he includes He bemoans people simply focusing on an initiative because it has a high effect size, or ignoring a factor with a low one, as every school and every classroom has their own needs. What is his alternative? To emphasise evaluation. “The mantra from VL1 remains: Visible Learning involves teachers seeing learning through the eyes of the students and students learning to become their own teachers. It is more than how we teach and much more about the impact of our teaching” (p.8) and “The dominant VL claim is to know thy impact, which feeds the motivation of why most of us become educators and goes to the core of schooling” (p.436).
Consistent with this call for knowing thy impact, Hattie claims “among the most significant improvements over the last ten years is that research evidence is now a regular topic for discussion in schools” (p.4). While specifically he is referring to engaging with external literature, at Barker (for example through the Barker Institute) we deliberately integrate both external and internal research evidence to best evaluate and plan for meaningful learning to take place.
Chapter 16 provides Hattie’s conclusions in 15 pages. I found countless pearls of wisdom including an outstanding table on “Changing the core questions about teaching and learning” (Table 16.2) calling on schools to ask less “about teaching” and more about “the impact of teaching”, less about “surface or deep” learning, and more about “right proportions of surface and deep” learning, less about “how students engage in doing the work” and more about “how student think, know and solve problems” (p.438)
Reading Chapters 1-2, and Chapter 16 are a must as it provides Hattie’s reflections, and a guide for how to use the book. The rest of the book forms a great reference manual for academic leaders to investigate when the particular topics arise. Another particularly helpful section is the 16-page Appendix A (pp 441-455) which provides a list to key meta-analysis in many of the topic areas – a great reference for those considering how to implement such programs with maximum benefit.
Mel Robbins, 2024
The Let Them Theory
Melissa Brady Head of Strategy
N u mb e r of pag e s: 257
Su g g es ted aud i ence: Anyone who is becoming increasingly annoyed/frustrated by what is going on around them and are looking for strategies on how to let it go. I am not convinced that much of the advice provided here is applicable or appropriate in a school setting.
3 0 -w ord su mmary: This is your classic piece from the self-help genre and can be summed up in the adage ‘you can’t control what others say, do or think, you can only control your reactions’.
Revi ew :
A subtitle of this book could be ‘Let me repeat myself over and over again’, or ‘Let me accept the poor behaviour of others and do nothing to change things for the better’. Robbins’ Let Them, is the latest ‘it’ book in the self-help genre and espouses the view that all human interaction is essentially about control: who has it, who wants it and at what point do you ‘let them’ have it and focus on the things you can control.
It starts with a promising premise learning to let go of control and allow others to be who they are. It’s about not sweating the small stuff and recognising that you can only control you and getting upset only upsets you, not the person doing the thing (or not doing it) that’s bothering you. Despite the overall worthwhile thought, I am left wanting at how this is developed (or not developed) through the book.
Firstly, while we should let the little things go, the book offers no concrete strategies about what to do about the big things that do require intervention and change – grief, danger, disappointment, unprofessional behaviour. It also leans towards letting some behaviours and attitudes go unchallenged because you can’t do anything about it. I reject that as an idea. I think we do have the power to change things for the better and how can we do that unless we challenge things?
Secondly, I have difficulties with how the message is delivered. The biggest hurdle in Let Them is repetition. The central idea is revisited so frequently, and in such similar ways, that it starts to lose its impact. Many chapters feel like slightly tweaked versions of the same lesson, which could’ve been delivered more powerfully in a shorter, more concise format.
There are references to ‘studies’ and ‘experts’, but typically ‘experiences’ are used as evidence in the book. could provide a level of relatability for some,and are clearly meant to be heartfelt. However, they become so frequent and detailed that they sometimes feel more like stream of consciousness thoughts. At points the references to her children become irritating and potentially embarrassing for her children. Her epiphany to ‘let them’ do their thing came when her son was going ‘to prom’ and had left the organisation to the last minute. Cue mum trying to save the day, her son being embarrassed by her behaviour, husband was irritated and daughter frustrated. Poor kid. The one that really had me raising my eyebrows, was the claim that people all over the world are getting ‘let them’ tattoos as they are so taken with the idea. Whilst I’m very happy to let them do that, I am confused by it as nothing in this book is revolutionary or particularly insightful and tattoos last forever. Winona forever 1, anyone?
Ultimately, at some point of course we do need to decide what we will let go and what we will challenge, knowing full well that we can’t fight all the battles. This is a genuine issue that needs to be wrestled with in a variety of contexts Robbins suggests adjusting our own behaviour, controlling what we can do it, rather than what others are doing. Robbins doesn’t really get into when ‘let them’ should have limits, although there are some references to letting people at work do their thing, not bailing them out and then watching it implode. I’m not convinced that this is sound advice. Similarly, rather than being annoyed by other road users’ bad driving, just concentrate on your own because they don’t know you think they’re a bad driver and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t care. This part I can get on board with (until they hit another car of course)
There are a lot of pages and a lot of words to say what Elsa said: ‘Let it go’. Sadly, it’s a ‘ no ’ from me.
1 Gen X reference to Johnny Depp. Ask someone old.
