Transformative Classroom

Douglas W. Yacek is a postdoctoral research fellow in philosophy of education at Dortmund University, Germany.

• IntroductionPart I: The Paradigms of TransformationChapter 1: Transformation as ConversionChapter 2: Transformation as EmancipationChapter 3: Transformation as ReconstructionPart II: The Theory of AspirationChapter 4: The Psychology of AspirationChapter 5: Psychological Barriers to AspirationPart III: The Aspirational ClassroomChapter 6: Awakening Aspiration in the ClassroomChapter 7: Creating an Aspirational Classroom EnvironmentChapter 8: Conclusion

"Yacek’s purpose in The Transformative Classroom is to show that the concept of “aspiration” can provide a more philosophically robust, ethically sound, and practical guide for education that seeks to be transformative... As the conclusion of the book indicates, however, Yacek’s theory of aspiration has implications well beyond the circle of those explicitly concerned with transformative education. In fact, this book deserves to be read by all academics and practitioners interested in the dynamics of the teaching–learning experience. And while Yacek is primarily a philosopher of education, he moves seamlessly between philosophy, psychology, and reflections on practice, enhancing the appeal and accessibility of his interdisciplinary book."Ilya Zrudlo, Teachers College Record (6th September 2021) https://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 23837"In The Transformative Classroom, Douglas Yacek lays a striking new path forward for educators seeking to develop a classroom of transformation." Hannah Morgan, high school English teacher, South Chicago, USA"Yacek offers us a comprehensive – and eminently useful – map to a transformative classroom that is no doubt ethically richer than what is currently on the market." Johan Dahlbeck, Associate Professor of Education at Malmö University, SwedenYacek inspires the reader to a vision of the transformative classroom by providing well-articulated glimpses, modeled epiphanies, of an approach that ignites the imagination. . . . I am confident Yacek’s book will inspire educators to take ethically justified risks in their pursuit to become truly transformative teachers. William Merrifield, Director of Education at IDEAS (ideasworld.org)"Douglas Yacek’s recent book The Transformative Classroom meets a critical need by consolidating and assessing various paradigms of transformation, offering readers a positive account of it, and providing suggestions for how this account can guide educational practice and shape a classroom community." John Fantuzzo, Interim Director of Eastern University’s Prison Education Program