Children's Minds, Talking Rabbits and Clockwork Oranges

In these essays, the author questions the concept of children as "concrete thinkers" and recommends discarding social studies from the curriculum. Arguing that most empirical research in education is fruitless because of a particular conceptual confusion, he aims to show how presuppositions commonly prevent people from thinking effectively about educational issues. Focusing on children's and adolescents' thinking, he seeks to show how education must engage children's imaginations. The text moves from research and theory to practical lesson-planning, showing, for example, how one can teach punctuation in an engaging way.