Journal - Perspectives on Language Learning Materials Development

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Reviews _1222 110..116

BJET’s Reviews Editor is [email protected]. Please email some details about yourself if youwould like to be considered for BJET’s panel of reviewers.

Cohen, Louis et al (2011) Research methods in edu-cation Routledge (New York & London) ISBN 978-0-415-58336-7 758 pp £28.99http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415583367/

This 758 page volume is not so much a book as

a library. It is also a familiar and essential volumein many ways, as Cohen and colleagues are nowinto the seventh edition of an old favourite andlong-running best-seller. That history tells its ownstory, and renders it almost unnecessary to provide areview at this time. For this comprehensive and wellwritten book will undoubtedly continue to feature asa key text on library bookshelves and as a personalresource for educational researchers at all levels.

The new edition has been rewritten, expanded andthoroughly updated. Within its pages are to be found

coverage of the whole range of methods employed ineducational research. The approach helpfully com-bines theory and practical examples; and the accom-panying web-site offer PowerPoint sequences whichwill be welcome by lecturers—and even by readerswho will be glad of their terse summaries of keypoints.

The chapters and topics which are new to thisedition are too numerous to mention in a brief review. Especially noteworthy are virtual worlds,internet research, and using and analysing visual

media and data in educational research. Manyreaders will welcome the very detailed advice onchoosing and planning a research project, with par-ticular coverage of organising and analysing quali-tative data, including coding, computer analyses,and grounded theory. Additionally, those of us whostruggle with statistical analyses will be grateful forthe thorough advice on understanding and choos-ing statistical tests, and on factor analysis. Review-ers of previous editions had pinpointed a few topicswhich might have had rather more attention. Mostof these have been dealt with in the new sections of

this new edition.

Some people say that the end result can make heavyreading. That is undoubtedly a fair judgement. Butwith respect to those who make that point, it is fair to

comment that this is not a book for reading, but abook for using. Its great merit is its universal use-fulness to educationists who produce, use or readresearch. I advise all in these categories who do nothave ready access to the new volume to buy one forthemselves.

John Cowan (received July 2011)Emeritus Professor of Learning Development, The UK Open University in Scotland

[email protected]

Das, Marcel et al ed (2011) Social and behavioralresearch and the internet Routledge (London & NewYork) ISBN 978-1-84872-817-2 435 pp £29.95http://www.routledge.com/books/details/1848728174

If you were asked to rate a book on a scale of 1–5

(where 1 = poor and 5 = good) would your ratingdiffer if the scale was 5 = good and 1 = poor? Andhow about the effects, if any, when the left-hand endof the scale is labelled “poor” compared with when itis labelled “good”. People create and use such ratingscales all the time but few researchers have assessedsystematically the effects of the positioning of thevalues and the labels on rating scales, whether theyare presented in print or on screen.

(Lucy Betts and I believe that the answer to myopening question is that you would get higher

ratings on such questionnaires if the positive endand the highest value were placed on the left.However, this is not common practice. We report ourfindings in Hartley & Betts (submitted) “The effectsof the position of scale labels and scale values onquestionnaire responses”.)

Social and behavioural research and the internetaddresses questions such as these, and other moreimportant ones. The text summarises the literatureon the variety of problems that you find when youare trying to collect data on screen as well as pre-

senting new data. It is a most valuable resource.

Following an introductory overview chapter thebook is structured around three major sections.Section 1 focuses on the current state of internet

British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 42 No 5 2011 E110–E116

© 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Technology © 2011 BERA. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford

OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.



and postal survey methodology, and their relativestrengths and weaknesses. Section 2 discusses moreadvanced methods and applications, and Section 3reviews major issues related to the quality of thedata obtained.

Each of these three sections contains, first, a valu-able and up-to-date opening review chapter, andthen three or four more specialist chapters on itstheme. The three opening review chapters are:

• Internet survey methods: A review of strengths,weaknesses, and innovations

• How visual design affects the interpretability of survey questions

• Challenges in reaching hard-to-reach groups ininternet panel research

The additional specialised chapters in each of thethree parts deal with particular features and issuesthat fall under these general headings, and mostthem report new data. There are, for example, excel-lent chapters on designing internet surveys, collect-ing bio-data, and the ethics of doing internet surveyresearch.

Social and behavioural research and the internet is avaluable book for anyone who wants to survey andask questions of anyone on the internet. Academics,researcher workers, and students all need to have a

copy or easy access to this book.

James Hartley (received June 2011)Research Professor, School of Psychology, Keele Univer-sity, UK

[email protected]

Erickson, Lynnette B & Wentworth, Nancyed (2010) Tensions in teacher preparation Emerald(Bingley, UK) ISBN 978-1-85724-099-6 329 pp£67.95

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/index.htm

The shift in emphasis in initial teacher educationfrom ensuring the quality of the programme to dem-onstrating clearly and unambiguously that thosegraduating from the programme are actually com-petent has been a difficult one. It mirrors of coursethe change in the teaching profession itself from cer-tifying the quality of the input (teaching) to guaran-teeing the standard of the output (strong learners,good scientists or mathematicians, or whateverother measure is used). The extent to which these

transitions have played out varies across the worldand, as Erickson and Wentworth emphasise in theirbook, this analysis mirrors long-running debatesabout teaching as an art or as a science. Alongsidethese developments—or possibly as the driver tothem—has been the growth around the world of the

need to meet certain standards or requirements toretain accreditation as a provider of ITE. In the UK,this has been seen in the Training and DevelopmentAgency’s focus on requirements and standards; inthe USA, the demands of the TEAC or NCATE have

also led to culture shifts—and it is on these shiftsthat this book focuses.

Tensions in teacher preparation: Accountability, assess-ment, and accreditation (to give the full title) is a heavy329 pages and not a book aimed at the generaleducationalist. It contains seventeen chapters byauthors spanning a range of American providersof initial teacher education and describes itself as a“collection of stories” describing the “tensions thatemerged in the process of programme accredita-tion”. Opening with a discussion on accountability,

the editors in their first chapter display some con-tempt for the practising teachers whose role ineducating new teachers “complicate the assess-ment and accreditation process”. Because teachers’input is essential, they say “teacher educators feelcompelled to listen and respond to their requests.”Unfortunately, schools are indeed a “master foraccountability”; this is because they have to engagethe services of the products of teacher education.This might be an uncomfortable fact for Ericksonand Wentworth, for they persist in differentiatingbetween “teacher educators” and “school teachers”

without considering that in modern systems manypeople may sit in both camps. It is unfortunate in anera of greater partnership between schools and edu-cation faculties for these old divisions to be throwninto such sharp relief at such an early stage in thisbook.

The subsequent narratives pick out a range of otherthemes. Hausfather and Williams—who seem morepositive about the benefits of partnership working— discuss the impact of the accreditation process ontheir assessment of beginning teachers. They argue

that the process focuses over-much on quantitativedata that does not necessarily demonstrate how wellthese teachers fare in the classroom; they argue for acase study approach to drill down into the actualexperience of teachers in school. To produce these,they argue, teacher educators need strong partner-ships. Other narratives focus sharply on the cost of accrediting initial teacher education, in terms of money, staff time and a loss of academic autonomy.It is at these moments that the non-US reader maystruggle as accreditation is not an option but a givenfor many outside the USA. Some chapters allow the

reader to engage with ideas that could be regardedas heresy in some parts of the world. Jones andFallona discuss the nature of teacher professional-ism in a context where not all teacher educationinstitutions have to be accredited. They see a dangerin requiring all teacher educators and therefore all

Reviews E111

© 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Technology © 2011 BERA.



teachers to fall into the mould of technician, merelydelivering content to pupils via approaches thathave been sanctioned by a political leadership. Avisit to the parts of the world where this danger hasbeen realised could provide a useful insight here.

The final chapter very helpfully pulls together theseand other key themes from the book including col-laboration, costs, benefits and the question of evi-dencing quality in teacher education. If the non-USreader has struggled to empathise with the concernsexpressed in some of the earlier chapters, then thisfinal chapter is a good place to start. The final sectionof this chapter returns to the theme of accountabi-lity and the difficulty of making teacher educatorsaccountable for pupil outcomes in the classroomthrough the teachers whom ITE has prepared for

their classrooms. The editors clearly feel it is toomuch to expect pupils’ learning (or lack of learning)to be credited to or blamed on teacher educators.Here again, therefore, we glimpse a rather defensivepose being adopted in the face of legislators’ legiti-mate insistence that public money is well spent.

Whilst this book has much to commend it (especiallyif one is looking for an insight to teacher educationin the US), it is too narrowly focused to appeal tonon-specialists and to those from elsewhere. Theemphasis is too strongly on American accreditation

processes and the difficulties faced by teacher train-ing institutions in meeting the requirements forit to have a wider appeal. Its major concern is theAmerican processes leading to the accreditationof ITT programmes and the wider question of accountability—without putting forward any par-ticularly convincing arguments about the third“A” in the sub-title: assessment. It also misses toomany of the other possible tensions in this area, forexample the challenges brought about by new tech-nologies which could radically change the way inwhich teacher educators are prepared, assessed and

held accountable in future.

Keith Saunders (received July 2011)Programme Director, iTeach [an online initial teacher education programme], Canterbury Christ ChurchUniversity, UK [email protected]

Guth, Sarah & Helm, Francesca ed (2010)Telecollaboration 2.0 Peter Lang (Bern & New York)ISBN 978-3-03911-523-5 475 pp £56.90http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=58519

This book is the first volume in a new series called“Telecollaboration in education”. In its Preface, the

series editors state that their aim is to promote awider understanding of telecollaboration in differ-ent educational settings, with emphasis on the peda-gogical processes and outcomes of using onlinecommunication tools and Web 2.0 technologies to

engage geographically dispersed learners in virtualcontact with one another

The sub-title—Language, literacies and intercul-tural learning in the 21st century—specifies thetarget discipline of his first volume. The Introduc-tion provides the rationale. The editors begin withthe big picture of how, outside of education, theinternet, and particularly Web 2.0, has changed theway knowledge is created and shared. They thenargue for an end to the predominant but obsoleteparadigm of one-way transmission in education, infavour of new educational practices aimed at provid-ing students with the resources and skills necessaryfor effective participation in the constantly changingpost-industrial and networked society of the 21st

century. These resources and skills are identified as“multiple literacies”, which are both demanded andfostered by the practice of telecollaboration, andwhich include the development of language skills,intercultural communicative competence, and newonline literacies. The editors also pose the key ques-tion as to whether Web 2.0 is a philosophy or a tech-nology. They concluding that it is both, and suggestthat this may mark the move from a view of the web

as an “information revolution” to a “relational revo-lution” that brings a new mindset to the creationand sharing of knowledge. They stress that theirapproach is not technology-driven. Their intentionis to conceptualise Web 2.0 from the language edu-cator’s standpoint, from where it can be seen asmarking the beginning of a gradual shift towardsnew pedagogies, approaches and contexts in thisfield.

To ensure that the wide range of issues covered inthis volume is accessible to the reader, the book is

structured in four sections, each dealing with a dif-ferent aspect of telecollaboration. The first gives anoverview of new trends and environments, andlooks closely at Web 2.0 tools and the theoreticaland practical implications of their use in languagelearning and intercultural exchange. The focus of the second section is learning 2.0 and the new skillsand competences required by learner 2.0 in generaland language learner 2.0 in particular. The thirdsection considers the pedagogical implications of thepractice of telecollaboration within a blended learn-ing environment, including the issue of assessment.

Finally, the case studies presented in Section 4 dem-onstrate how theoretical concepts related to newforms of telecollaboration are being implemented inreal language learning situations, and describe boththe positive aspects and the problematic areas,believing that much can be learned from both.

E112 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 42 No 5 2011




In their Introduction, the editors claim that theintention behind their volume was to offer a “ratio-nale and some practical ideas for implementingTelecollaboration 2.0 in the foreign language class-room”. They have certainly achieved this aim. As a

former language teacher, I appreciate the expansionof the goal of foreign language education from thatof producing near-native speakers to one of devel-oping intercultural speakers, and I am equallyappreciative of the role telecollaboration can play inthis process by promoting intercultural communica-tive competence and new online literacies. As theeditors point out, the skills fostered by telecollabora-tion in language learning 2.0 are a key componentof education for democratic citizenship as wellas being fundamental for success in the globaleconomy of the 21st century.

Finally, it is worth noting that thecontributors to thisvolume never lose sight of the big picture—the needfor a paradigm shift in 21st century education fromthe industrial age transmission model to educationalpractices that maximise thenew features of theinter-net and the new Web 2.0 environment for creatingand sharing knowledge. The opening chapter of thefirst section by Guth and Thomas (p 39) could serveas a Web 2.0 primer, while our understanding of theprocesses and outcomes is enhanced bythe introduc-tion in other sections of the notions of learning 2.0,

learner 2.0 and particularly teacher 2.0. The clearmessage is that telecollaboration 2.0 is defined not bytools but by the Web 2.0 mindset. This resonates farbeyond the field of foreign language education. Theseries editors are, therefore, justified in their claimthat the book makes an important contribution toeducators globally who are interested in telecollabo-rativelearning situations. Theymay well alsobe rightin stating that it offers a “groundbreaking entry” intothis realm.

Marie Martin EdD (received June 2011)

Education Consultant, Omagh, Northern Ireland [email protected]

Khine, Mayint Swe ed (2011) Learning to playPeter Lang (New York & Bern) ISBN 978-1-4331-1235-5 221 pp $32.95http://secure.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=58389

The use of video games in education has been

receiving increasing attention in the last decades,because they have been recognised to influencelearning positively from both the cognitive and moti-vational points of view. Despite the high number of publications devoted to this topic in recent years,more investigation is necessary to understand better

the relation of game characteristics and mode of usewith their learning potential, as well as to explorehow games could help to improve education in thenear future. Contributing to such understanding isthe aim of this edited book, which critically analyses

the roles of video games in education from a varietyof perspectives.

The book’s ten chapters are organised in threegroups; they concern

1) learning by designing games;2) enhancing teaching and learning by means of

games; and3) approaches to research in game-based learning.

Within these three streams, several topics related toboth theoretical frameworks and best practices are

addressed: learning outcomes of game design; inte-grating games in learning; cognitive, motivationaland affective processes put into play by games; char-acteristics and potential of different kinds of games(narrative games, immersive games, multi-playergames, and so on); relationship between game ele-ments and expected game effects; the psychology of gaming; applying principles of video games to trans-form teaching; analysis of game elements from thepoint of view of learning; game techniques for con-veying content information without breaking thedramatic flow (or the “playful interaction”).

From all these contributions, a rich characterisationof digital games arises, which stresses their impor-tance in education. Digital games are holisticenvironments in which technology, pedagogy andcontent are strictly intertwined. They promotehigher levels of attention and concentration amongplayers, offer a range of approaches to model andtest hypotheses about complex phenomena, encour-age strategic thinking, planning, communication,negotiation skills, multi-tasking and group decision-making, hence validly contributing to prepare

players to face the challenges of real life. Not alldigital games, however, afford the same benefitsbecause they can differ widelyas concerns genre andcontent. They should be challenging but attainable,and should be fun for the players, because there is aclear relationship between learning and fun.

The book aims at teachers, educators, game design-ers and researchers who wish to deepen their graspof the theoretical aspects of game-based learning. Ithas something positive to offer to both novice andalready competent readers in that it provides an

accurate theoretical basis with many relevant refer-ences to bibliography and names of games whichmay be interesting for one reason or the other. It has,however, also aspects that may disappoint both thenovice and the expert. Basic theoretical points arenicely presented in almost all chapters, which is cer-

Reviews E113




tainly good to give soundness to each single paperbut in the economy of the book as a whole gave methe impression of endless repetitions more than isthe case, unavoidably, with edited books. Moreover,little space is given to concrete examples, which will

likely leave the novice slightly disoriented.

Giuliana Dettori (received July 2011)Researcher at the Institute for Educational Technology of CNR, Genoa, [email protected]

Mishan, Freda & Chambers, Angela ed (2010)Perspectives on language learning materials developmentPeter Lang (New York & Bern) ISBN 978-3-03911-863-2 286 pp £36

http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=52765&concordeid=11863

Every language teacher is necessarily a materialsdeveloper: this is the starting point of this edited bookaddressed to teachers, developers and researchersworking with second language acquisition at anylevel. Materials development has emerged onlyrecentlyasaresearchfieldinitsownright,despitethecentral role that learning materials play in languageteaching andlearning. It is concerned with strength-ening the theoretical/pedagogical bases and efficacyof educational materials of any kind, ranging fromadapting or supplementing the educational offer of commercial course books to the creation of newmaterials, course books and curricula. The need forinvestigation in this respect is determined by the factthat text books are usually thought to be for a wideand generic audience and therefore (at least par-tially) unfit to meet thedemands of different teachingcontexts or of students with specific backgroundsand learning needs.

This book aims to contribute to the body of research

in this new field and to highlight the importance of intersecting research, theory and practice. Threemajor aspects are considered, which correspond tothe book’s three sections: materials development inrelation to naturally occurring discourse; the influ-ence of technology on materials development; andwhy and how to tailor materials for particularlearner groups. The authors of the ten chapters,who are active in a variety of cultural and profes-sional contexts, discuss from different points of viewseveral major current issues in materials develop-ment. These include:

• the relation between course book and materials;• the failure of many course books to provide

models of authentic, spoken language;• the choice of pedagogical approaches to be

embodied in materials design;

• the exploitation of available tools and resources,and in particular of technological ones, such asonline corpora; and

• the humanisation of materials so as to supportthe creation of modern, multi-level, multi-skills,

interesting, attractive and motivating languagecourses in which learners can make informedchoices and construct a personal identity asspeakers of the new language.

I appreciate the variety of experiences and points of view offered by this book, as well as its attention toboth theoretical perspectives and practical applica-tions (even if I find theory rather more abundantthan concrete examples). Most of the chapters havea rather specialist approach, which likely makes thebook not easy reading for people newly approachingthis field. However, it will make a useful and stimu-

lating read for people already working with lan-guage learning, be they teachers, researchers ormaterials developers.

Giuliana Dettori (received July 2011)Researcher at the Institute for Educational Technology of CNR, Genoa, [email protected]

Thomas, Michael & Reinders, Hayo ed (2010)Task-based language learning and teaching with tech-nology Continuum (London) ISBN 978-1-4411-

0153-2 242 pp £75http://www.continuumbooks.com/books/detail.aspx?BookId=136573&SubjectId=989&Subject2Id=984

Task-based language teaching and learning (tblt)emerged in the early 1980s and is currently con-sidered one of the most effective approaches to lan-guage teaching and learning. Tasks are compoundcollaborative learning activities which give rise toreal language use while engaging learners in avariety of cognitive processes, stimulating the prac-

tice of oral and written skills as well as of languageproduction and reception, and giving opportunitiesto negotiate meaning but also to focus on form.The plurality of linguistic and cognitive aspectsinvolved in tasks aims to favour the acquisition of complexity in language use, which is increasinglyseen as more important than accuracy or fluency.For this reason, task selection is crucial in the imple-mentation of this approach and should be madewith the whole curriculum in mind rather thanbeing targeted to one particular skill. Analogouslyto computer assisted language learning (call), tblt

deconstructs the traditional roles of teachers andlearners and relies on project-based, content-based,(social)-constructivist activities.

The relationship between call and tblt has so farscarcely been explored, even though the similarities





suggest a potential synergy between the twoapproaches. The issue of integrating tblt incomputer-mediated environments is not trivial,because we cannot assume that types of tasks thatresult productive in face-to-face situations can be

adapted in simple way to work as effectively in digitallearning environments. This edited book aims tofill such gaps and by this means to help advancethe research and practice in tblt. Building on theclassic work of Chapelle, it examines the interfacebetween tblt and call so as to help understandhow technology-mediated tasks may fruitfully bedesigned and to analyse how learners react to peda-gogical tasks in diverse digital environments.

The eleven chapters of the book address theoreticaland applicative aspects, focusing on the design, devel-

opment and application of task-basedapproaches in avariety of technology-mediated educational contexts.Future directions for technology-mediated tasks arealso considered. Theresearch facets examined includethe distinction between task and exercise, task condi-tions that foster linguistic complexity, task-design forvirtual learning environments, the motivational andinteractivepotential of tblt, the use of tblt in languageteachers development, the interrelationship betweenmultimodal literacy and online communication.Several kinds of IT-mediated environments are lookedin detail: computer-mediated communication, net-

worked call, Intelligent call (in particular natural lan-guage processing), multimodal text chat, e-portfolios.Thepicturethat rises from these analyses confirmstheimportance of task-based language learning and of technology-mediated tasks. It also highlights the pos-sibility and the need to work out a closer integration of tblt and call, to the advantage of both research fields.

Thebook is interesting andstimulating,thanks to thevariety of aspects analysed and contexts considered,as well as for the accuracy and richness of its discus-sion. I enjoyed and appreciated reading it and recom-

mend it both to language teachers wishing to applytblt and to researchers working in this field, since ithas much useful insight to offer to both groups.

Giuliana Dettori (received June 2011)Researcher at the Institute for Educational Technology of CNR, Genoa, [email protected]

Wankel, Charles ed (2011) Educating educatorswith social media Emerald (Bingley UK) ISBN 978-0-85724-649-3 407 pp £49.95http://books.emeraldinsight.com/display.asp?isb=9780857246493&CUR=EUR

The introduction of social media and its applica-tions into educational contexts is changing the

landscape of teaching and learning in higher edu-cation, including teacher education. The role thatthese technologies play in learning activities hasdramatically increased within higher education,from interaction with online learning communities

and virtual worlds to e-portfolios, mobile learning,and open content . . . and the list goes on. Theseand other tools have already been adopted byseveral educational institutions worldwide—somevery successfully, others not yet so. Most of them,however, have the desire to provide their studentswith the most effective and best learning experi-ences possible.

The book has nineteen chapters in five sections.The book’s editor puts together a series of chaptersthat include examples and case studie explor-

ing the application of a diverse range of socialmedia technologies from educational institu-tions worldwide. Amongst the chapters you willfind:

• examples of the use of social media in postgradu-ate and undergraduate studies;

• opportunities, trends, challenges and lessonslearned using these technologies;

• theoretical and pedagogical perspectives;• students’ and teachers’ perceptions on the use of

social media; and• assessment and evaluation.

It is disappointing to see, however, that the editorhas failed to place the chapters accurately withinthe themes proposed in the sections. Given that thetitle of the book is Educating educators with socialmedia, I was expecting to encounter many morereadings particularly, but not exclusively, related tothe preparation and training of pre-service andpost-service teachers, and also university teachers,using social media. Unfortunately, these groupsare a small minority in the book. Also, the editorhas not provided assistance to some authors

with basic editing, mostly those where Englishmay not be their first language. This affects thereading flow, clarity and understanding in somechapters.

Despite this, the book is still an informative andinteresting resource covering a variety of subjectareas, and due to its collection of international con-tributors, the book offers to readers a series of dis-tinct writing styles. It certainly is a rich resource forinnovators and adventurous educators in the searchfor illustrations of educational practices with social

media.Thus, Porto and her friends end their Chapter6 with a succinct, but practical, view of the potentialof social media technologies in education today;they contend that the introduction of social mediato support teaching and learning should not beunderestimated, stating that “its evolution will be a

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ride full of surprises, but is definitely not one to bemissed” (p 132).

Dr Carina Bossu (received July 2011)Research Fellow, University of New England, Australia

[email protected]

Webb, Simon (2011) Elective home education in theUK Trentham (Stoke-on-Trent & Sterling VA) ISBN978-1-85856-482-1 131 pp £18.99http://www.trentham-books.co.uk/acatalog/Elective_Home_Education_in_the_UK.html

Theauthorof this book haseducated hisown daugh-ter at home, has worked for years with children withspecial educational needs, and is a strong advocate of

elective home education as an effective preparationfor life. He is not alone in his beliefs: in the UK, up to80 000 children are estimated to be educated athome by their parents with, in the USA, up to twomillion; and these numbers are still growing.

From the introduction of compulsory schooling inthe western countries in the mid- to late 1800s,there has been growing opposition by some parentsto the idea that their children must attend school.UK’s Badman Review (2009) proposed compulsoryregistration for home educators—something thathad never previously been a requirement in the UK.Its other recommendations included giving LEA(local educational authority) inspectors “right of access” to home educators’ homes, the right tospeak to children without their parents present, theenforcement of so-called “minimum standards”amongst home educators, and the requirementthat parents register their curricula, annual plansand expected learning outcomes. The Review alsorecommended that flexi-schooling should be easier,and that LEAs should make it easier for home edu-cated students to take public exams without cost.

Simon Webb shows that “home schooling” is acatch-all term covering a variety of ideologies andpractices. Some parental schooling is very intense,tightly structured and academically demanding.Some parents even have their 14–15 year olds takeUK Open University courses. But the majorityregards “schooling” as the very antithesis of “edu-

cation”. They believe that schools do not teach veryeffectively and can even be damaging and they areconvinced that they can do better using a variety of methods including “natural learning”, “child-ledlearning”, “informal learning” or “an everyday cul-

tural curriculum”.

Some parents prefer their children to study for theCambridge International GCSE exam at 16 becauseit encourages learner-centred and enquiry-basedapproaches to learning, adopts a flexible approach,and is compatible with other curricula and interna-tionally relevant while being sensitive to differentneeds and cultures.

The internet has clearly been an enormous boon tothese parents. Being a home-educating parent can

be a demanding, costly and lonely experience. Nowthey can access practically unlimited informationon home education, resources for their children’slearning and even entire national curricula fromprimary to pre-university levels. They can also joinonline communities of like-minded people to askquestions, express anxieties, seek advice and shareexperiences, materials and ideas, nationally andinternationally. There are even a number of “onlineschools” where children can join virtual communi-ties that mirror the school environment, down toplaying and chatting during breaks.

The author of this highly readable and informativebook takes the reader through the pros and cons andpedagogical, research and legal aspects of electiveschool education. He observes that while increasedaccess to information and support have improvedthe popularity of this form of schooling, this is notenough to explain why the figures are still climbingsteadily. He therefore observes the need for moreresearch in this field. Some readers of BJET may seeopportunities here to undertake original researchinto the ways in which online teaching, assessment

and support communities can help to achieve suit-able and effective home education and secure the“rights” of the children and their parents.

Colin Latchem (received 2011)Open learning consultant, [email protected]



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Journal - Perspectives on Language Learning Materials Development