Since the early Egyptians human beings have formalised the business of learning, setting up a designated environment of some form to pass knowledge and learning on to groups of students. In this second edition of his Very Short Introduction, Gary Thomas explores how and why education hasevolved as it has, examining the ways in which it has responded over the centuries to various influences in politics, philosophy, and the social sciences. Focussing on education today, he considers especially the controversies over progressive versus formal teaching, and also examines educationworldwide, assessing the accelerating trend on both sides of the Atlantic of the move to charter, academy, and 'free' schools.The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated moves to online learning in schools and universities, and in this new edition Thomas looks again at curriculums and what shape they should take in a rapidly changing world. He asks why action on race, gender and social inequality has borne so littlefruit thus far, questioning the oft-made claim of education to be a force for social mobility, and offering an analysis on how education may develop over the coming century.Very Short Introuductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, andenthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Education: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Politics & Social Sciences

Thomas,Gary

Sociology

Oxford University Press

Education is one of the hot-button issues of our time, heatedly debated by parents, teachers, local school boards, and national politicians. But despite the many measures taken to overhaul the educational system, student math and reading scores rarely seem to improve. Taking the reader from the schools of ancient times to the present day, this Very Short Introduction explains why education has followed the path that it has taken-and what we might do to improve it. Education expert Gary Thomas delves into some of the big questions of education and the twists and turns the field has taken over time, looks at the work of such key thinkers as Piaget and Vygotsky, and examines such recent innovations as the introduction of progressive education in the 20th century and the marketization of schools over the last few decades. Thomas repeatedly returns to the question of why education has recently become so test-orientated and he explores the consequences of this obsession with testing for children. He also looks at moves that teachers and policy-makers have made to try to improve what goes on in schools, from changing teaching so that it mirrors the way children learn, to making schools more inclusive and meaningful for a broader range of students. About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.

Education & Teaching

Schools & Teaching

Millions of couples getting married have pledged to "love and to cherish, until death do us part." Most of us understand and get the love part... but what does it mean to cherish our spouse? Why do we say it once at the wedding and then rarely even mention it again?
In this six-session video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), bestselling author Gary Thomas draws on personal stories and teachings from the Bible to show how cherishing can have a powerful effect on marriage. Learning to truly cherish each other turns marriage from an obligation into a delight. It lifts marriage above a commitment to a precious priority. Cherish is the melody that makes a marriage sing.
Many couples today survive by gritting their teeth and holding on. Or they find themselves just "going through the motions" in their relationship. But cherishing our spouse can reverse this pattern. Cherishing can breathe light, hope, and new life into a marriage—even one marred by neglect and disrespect.
The Cherish Study Guide includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions.
Sessions include:
<ol>
<li>To Love and to Cherish</li>
<li>Your Honor</li>
<li>Taking Your Marriage to the Next Level</li>
<li>Cherishing Your Unique Spouse</li>
<li>This Is How Your Spouse Stumbles</li>
<li>Keep on Cherishing</li>
</ol>
Designed for use with Cherish Video Study (sold separately).

Cherish Bible Study Guide: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage

Religion & Spirituality

HarperChristian Resources

Most married couples survive by gritting their teeth and holding on. However, as Gary Thomas reveals in this six-session video Bible study (guide sold separately), couples can not only survive but actually thrive in marriage when they learn how to cherish one another. This simple practice of cherishing—noticing, appreciating, honoring, and encouraging one another—can reverse old patterns of "going through the motions" and bring hope and life into every marriage.
Sessions include:
<ol>
<li>To Love and to Cherish (20 min)</li>
<li>Your Honor (25 min)</li>
<li>Taking Your Marriage to the Next Level (23 min)</li>
<li>Cherishing Your Unique Spouse (21 min)</li>
<li>This Is How Your Spouse Stumbles (22 min)</li>
<li>Keep on Cherishing (24 min)</li>
</ol>
Designed for use with the Cherish Study Guide (sold separately).

Cherish Video Study: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage

Millions of couples getting married have pledged to "love and to cherish, until death do us part." Most of us understand and get the love part... but what does it mean to cherish our spouse? Why do we say it once at the wedding and then rarely even mention it again?
In this six-session video Bible study, bestselling author Gary Thomas draws on personal stories and teachings from the Bible to show how cherishing can have a powerful effect on marriage. Learning to truly cherish each other turns marriage from an obligation into a delight. It lifts marriage above a commitment to a precious priority. Cherish is the melody that makes a marriage sing.
Many couples today survive by gritting their teeth and holding on. Or they find themselves just "going through the motions" in their relationship. But cherishing our spouse can reverse this pattern. Cherishing can breathe light, hope, and new life into a marriage—even one marred by neglect and disrespect.
The Cherish Study Guide includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions.
Sessions include:
<ol>
<li>To Love and to Cherish</li>
<li>Your Honor</li>
<li>Taking Your Marriage to the Next Level</li>
<li>Cherishing Your Unique Spouse</li>
<li>This Is How Your Spouse Stumbles</li>
<li>Keep on Cherishing</li>
</ol>
This pack contains one softcover study guide and one DVD.

Cherish Study Guide with DVD: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage

A Year of Weekly Devotions for a Holier, Happier Marriage
Your marriage is more than a sacred covenant with your spouse. It is a relationship God uses to help you know Him more, trust Him more fully, and love Him more deeply.
Devotions for a Sacred Marriage explores how God can reveal Himself to you through your marriage and help you grow closer to Him as well as to your spouse. With fresh insights that build upon the principles found in Sacred Marriage, these fifty-two weekly devotions offer practical, biblical wisdom for nurturing your marriage as an expression of your love for God.
A happy marriage is good, but a holy one is sacred.
Gary Thomas is a writer-in-residence at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and an adjunct faculty member teaching about spiritual formation at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of fifteen books, including Sacred Marriage, Sacred Pathways, Sacred Parenting, and the Gold Medallion Award-winning Authentic Faith.

Devotions for a Sacred Marriage: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Couples

Christian Books & Bibles

Christian Living

Zondervan

Raising children is a sacred calling—and not for the faint of heart. It shapes the parent every bit as much as parents shape their children. In Devotions for Sacred Parenting, Gary Thomas, author of Sacred Parenting, delves deeper into the conversation and contemplates the soul-transforming journey of being a parent.
Many books have been written about how to parent your children effectively, how to become a better parent, and how effective parenting produces better kids. Devotions for Sacred Parenting explores an entirely different reality: how parenting transforms you, the parent. It explores the spiritual dynamics of parenting and why caring for your children is such an effective discipline in shaping your soul and forming the character of Christ within you.
With all new material, 52 devotions explore the spiritual dynamics of parenting. These life-related devotions are creative, fresh, and encouraging, inspiring mothers and fathers to look at parenting from a different perspective—as a holy and high calling from God, and as an opportunity to grow spiritually as you strive to raise godly children. Devotions for Sacred Parenting helps you understand how God is parenting you as you parent your children.

Devotions for Sacred Parenting

Parenting & Relationships

Parenting

Jesus walked away from toxic people, and you should too.
In this six-session video Bible study, bestselling author Gary Thomas draws on Jesus’ example to show how the best course of action for us to take with some relationships is to walk away . . . or let the other person walk away. In the Gospels, we read that when Jesus spoke a hard truth, sometimes the other person chose to walk away. Other times, the person asked Jesus to leave–and he complied. There were also times when people begged Jesus to stay, but he walked away so he could remain completely focused on the mission God had for him.
Most of us have run across toxic individuals who drain us of our joy and peace–people who resent the grace we share and will never change. However, as Gary will show in this study, we don’t have to pour our time and energy into these people. Instead, we can follow Jesus’ example to walk away from toxic people and walk toward healthy relationships that will encourage us, strengthen us, and build us up. And as we do, it frees us to focus completely on the purpose that God has established for our lives.
The When to Walk Away Study Guide includes teaching notes, discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions.
Sessions include:
<ol>
<li>Follow Jesus’ Example</li>
<li>Recognize Toxic People</li>
<li>Build a Good Offense</li>
<li>Create a Good Defense</li>
<li>Speak the Truth</li>
<li>Align with Christ</li>
</ol>
Designed for use with the When to Walk Away Video Study (9780310110361), sold separately. Streaming video also available.

When to Walk Away Bible Study Guide: Finding Freedom from Toxic People

Jesus walked away from toxic people, and you should too. 
In this six-session video Bible study, bestselling author Gary Thomas draws on Jesus’ example to show how the best course of action for us to take with some relationships is to walk away . . . or let the other person walk away. In the Gospels, we read that when Jesus spoke a hard truth, sometimes the other person chose to walk away. Other times, the person asked Jesus to leave–and he complied. There were also times when people begged Jesus to stay, but he walked away so he could remain completely focused on the mission God had for him. 
Most of us have run across toxic individuals who drain us of our joy and peace–people who resent the grace we share and will never change. However, as Gary will show in this study, we don’t have to pour our time and energy into these people. Instead, we can follow Jesus’ example to walk away from toxic people and walk toward healthy relationships that will encourage us, strengthen us, and build us up. And as we do, it frees us to focus completely on the purpose that God has established for our lives. 
Sessions include: Follow Jesus’ Example Recognize Toxic People Build a Good Offense Create a Good Defense Speak the Truth Align with Christ 
Designed for use with the When to Walk Away Video Study (9780310110361), sold separately.

When to Walk Away Video Study: Finding Freedom from Toxic People

Jesus walked away from toxic people, and you should too.
In this six-session video Bible study, bestselling author Gary Thomas draws on Jesus’ example to show how the best course of action for us to take with some relationships is to walk away . . . or let the other person walk away. In the Gospels, we read that when Jesus spoke a hard truth, sometimes the other person chose to walk away. Other times, the person asked Jesus to leave–and he complied. There were also times when people begged Jesus to stay, but he walked away so he could remain completely focused on the mission God had for him.
Most of us have run across toxic individuals who drain us of our joy and peace–people who resent the grace we share and will never change. However, as Gary will show in this study, we don’t have to pour our time and energy into these people. Instead, we can follow Jesus’ example to walk away from toxic people and walk toward healthy relationships that will encourage us, strengthen us, and build us up. And as we do, it frees us to focus completely on the purpose that God has established for our lives.
Sessions include:
<ol>
<li>Follow Jesus’ Example</li>
<li>Recognize Toxic People</li>
<li>Build a Good Offense</li>
<li>Create a Good Defense</li>
<li>Speak the Truth</li>
<li>Align with Christ</li>
</ol>
This pack contains one study guide and one DVD.

When to Walk Away Study Guide with DVD: Finding Freedom from Toxic People

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Thomas,Gary. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Thomas,Gary

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Thomas,Gary. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Education: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Education: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Cherish Bible Study Guide: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage

Cherish Video Study: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage

Cherish Study Guide with DVD: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage

Devotions for a Sacred Marriage: A Year of Weekly Devotions for Couples

Devotions for Sacred Parenting

When to Walk Away Bible Study Guide: Finding Freedom from Toxic People

When to Walk Away Video Study: Finding Freedom from Toxic People

When to Walk Away Study Guide with DVD: Finding Freedom from Toxic People