BOOK REVIEW: "Postformal Education" by Helen E. Lees in ‘Other Education’

Postformal Education: A Philosophy for Complex Futures by Jennifer M. Gidley (Springer, 2016)

BOOK REVIEW by Dr. Helen E. Lees, Newman University, UK, in Other Education - The Journal of Educational Alternatives Volume 7 (2018), Issue 1, pp. 79-82.

“Altogether the ambition of this volume is enormous.” Helen E. Lees

“In postformal education as phrase we have a rather new domain for the everyday educationist: one replete with views, perspectives, ideas that are not every-day … any alternative educationist will find in this volume rich resources with which to think anew.

It is a vitally important topic … well researched, scholarly, interesting and stimulating.

We find Gidley stating that “the term postformal is the most widely used psychological term to denote higher developmental stages beyond Piaget’s formal operations” (emphasis in the original). Thus we can see then the scope, magnificence and import of this book’s intent. It is tremendously exciting to connect with education in this “zone” and indeed moments of deep fascination and stimulating speculations have accompanied my reading of this book.

The offer is to allow education to dwell in great ideas that bring inroads to new approaches, alternative visions… There is meat here of an intellectual kind on which to chew… It is an important book for the rarity of its subject matter and ought to be paid attention..."

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