THE TURNING OF THE SCREW

INNOCENCE, precociousness, wickedness — What to do with bright young children? In my book, UNLOCK THE GENIUS WITHIN: Neurobiological Trauma, Teaching, and Transformative Learning (Rowman and Littlefield Education 2005) by Daniel S. Janik, I argue for replacing “teaching” with self-paced, non-traumatic, curiosity-based, discovery-driven, and mentor-assisted transformational “learning.” An easy read that explains―in conversational manner―the newest ideas on neurobiological and transformational learning, the work begins with what’s wrong with education and ends with a call for reader participation in developing and applying transformational neurobiological learning, addressing knowledge and wisdom over data and information acquisition.

I’ve been working for over 15 years on a sequel, tentatively entitled “Nurturing the Genius Within,” addressing the “how-to,” building directly on UNLOCK THE GENIUS WITHIN. Interestingly, this approach to education has extensive applications far beyond the classroom. In THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, a fiction pen name of mine) — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859 — I address the whole concept of “meeting place” education, suggesting that technologies such as Meta will play a crucial role in the future of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial (e.g. in-transit and Mars colony) education. Consider, for example, a future “classroom” inhabited by interactive holographic representations of both students, instructors and mentors. Far fetched? Perhaps, but not as far fetched as one might think. Rather “existing on the progressing technological edge” of education, which for some, can only be imagined as magic or madness.

Unlock the Genius Within: Neurobiological Trauma, Teaching, and Transformative Learning

THE EDGE OF MADNESS is available in printed, digital and audiobook format, and has been purchased by K. Simmons Productions for manga, animation and cinematic treatment. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll end up acting in the film version…