Education for the Future

"Almost every day you can read somewhere that a fundamental change is needed in schools and the education system..." Dr M Gloeckler.

- How do we accompany and support the development of children and adolescents so that they can be motivated to face the challenges ahead?
- What skills are needed to solve the global problems of social injustice and deal with the consequences of the ecological economic crisis creatively?
- What must the education system be like, that it prepares us as adults to be less moulded to existing conditions and therefore better able to see what needs to be changed for the future?
- Which activities in the classroom or necessary so that initiative and entrepreneurial will can develop for the realisation of new ideas?
- What does an age-appropriate media education look like, for achieving maturity and competence in working with information technology?

Regardless of what problem you are considering: what is needed are courage and confidence, health and a joy for life. But how can school and parental home create the conditions for these qualities to develop? In view of the increasing life expectancy worldwide this is an urgent need, because a healthy physical emotional spiritual maturation is the best prerequisite for a creative life into old age.

This book is a plea for radically aligning upbringing and education with what is needed for the healthy development and well-being of children and adolescents - and not aligning at the wrong time with performance goals coming from business and government policy.

The author, a paediatrician with many decades of experience, begins with a consideration of what is meant by age appropriate instruction, delving into a detailed discussion of the child as he or she grows through different stages of development, and how the child will grow in health, well-being and resilience if upbringing and education are aware of and an sync with this.

As an example, the experiences of Waldorf schools are examined, looking in detail at the growth in each year of childhood and adolescence as it pertains to a holistic curriculum which incorporates education of body, soul and spirit. Dr Gloeckler then considers the effects on health and the causes for illness in adult life if age-appropriateness is not taken into account. She concludes with a discussion of teacher health and health engendering principles that can protect against teacher burnout.

Education for the Future is a very informative book and will be of interest for educators as well parents who are interested in nurturing health and human potential in children.