Knowing from the Inside - (Alternative Education) by Tim Ingold (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Knowledge comes from thinking with, from and through things, not just about them. We get to know the world around us from the inside of our being in it. Drawing on the fields of anthropology, art, architecture and education, this book addresses what knowing from the inside means for practices of teaching and learning. If knowledge is not transmitted ready-made, independently of its application in the world, but grows from the crucible of our engagements with people, places and materials, then how can there be such a thing as a curriculum? What forms could it take? And what could it mean to place such disciplines as anthropology, art and architecture at the heart of the curriculum rather than - as at present - on the margins?

In addressing these questions, the fifteen distinguished contributors to this volume challenge mainstream thinking about education and the curriculum, and suggest experimental ways to overcome the stultifying effects of current pedagogic practice.

Review Quotes

This fascinating, disturbing and urgently-needed book compels us to reconsider what education is really about. Developed in a spirit of generous-minded exploration which dismantles traditional boundaries, the book challenges unhelpful divisions between 'knowing' and 'doing' and demands that we rethink what it means to learn and to be human.

Roger Kneebone, Professor, Imperial College London, UK

This ground-breaking book is at once provoking and informative. The concept of 'Knowing from the Inside' reminds us that all we seek to know stems from the place we call 'home'. This book will stimulate debates and synergies amongst scholars across disciplines but it will also invite reflection from those who are interested in the powers of art and anthropology to lead our gaze, to pay attention, that is, to educate.
Laura Colucci-Gray, Senior Lecturer in Science Education, The University of Edinburgh, UK