Through a Different Lens: Lessons from a Life in Education

In Through a Different Lens, Ger Graus, a global authority on education, especially in the areas of experience-based learning and human potential, gives us a unique and invaluable perspective on education, children, and schooling. His personal and professional reflections and thoughts remind us that we all need stories and personal narratives to help us understand and navigate today’s world, and that education can be a powerful force for change – “Whatever the question, education is always the answer”. Through his own experiences, Ger Graus shows us that we must use education as a tool for bringing about this positive change. He implores the reader to feel empowered to share their own stories and experiences, with an understanding that “everybody is an educator.” In this professional autobiography he includes: The importance of early childhood, children’s contexts and social mobility The multi-dimensionality of childhood: one size never fits all The value of experience-based learning and the importance of heroes and sheroes Zero to 99: lifelong learning Innovation, purpose and measuring what we value The future of education and schooling Throughout the narrative the author skilfully leaves us with his personal stories and lessons learned, anecdotes - sometimes sad, sometimes funny, including tales about his grandad, Bob Geldof and the Band Aid Trust, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Marcus Rashford and KidZania, to name a few, and most importantly, stories and observations about magical teachers, inspirational leaders, wonderful children and families, over forty-plus years and across forty-plus countries. This important book is an inspiring read for all those who teach, for parents and carers, for policy advisors and for anyone who cares deeply about the education of the world's children.

Table of Contents:
Foreword - Carla Rinaldi Introduction 1. The benefit of hindsight and lessons learned 2. Children can only aspire to what they know exists 3. Thoughts about schooling and education 4. “Technology. Bloody hell!” 5. The role we play 6. More than a school - measuring what we value And finally Afterword - Andreas Schleicher Acknowledgements

About the Author :
Ger Graus is a globally recognised figure in the field of education, once described as “Jean-Jacques Rousseau meets Willy Wonka”. Driven by his famous mantra that “Children can only aspire to what they know exists” he champions the causes of equity and social mobility, purpose and experience, creativity, and awe and wonder in children’s learning, so that each child becomes empowered to write their own narrative of the possible.

Review :
“Ger Graus is a black belt storyteller.” Mark Sylvester, Executive Producer, TEDx, USA “Education is not just about acquiring knowledge, but about empowering individuals, building communities, and creating a more just and equitable world. This book, Through a Different Lens, offers us a unique and invaluable perspective on the critical role that education plays in our society. Through his personal experiences, the author has shown us that we must use education as a tool for creating positive change, empowering children to write their own narrative of the possible. Ger Graus stands for me along with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Gianni Rodari as the best broadcasters of the children’s voice.” Sergey Kosaretsky, Director, Pinsky Centre of General and Extracurricular Education, National Research University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia “Ger Graus - he hasn’t changed! This book is a must-read for everyone who loves teaching and being a teacher, who thinks differently, and who, first and foremost, loves children.” James Neill, former (favourite) Pupil and International Director, GL Education, United Kingdom “A menu of educational deliciousness! This book is where knowledge meets experience, wisdom meets creativity, and where inspiration and optimism meet all of us.” Miriam Uono, Former Director General, KidZania São Paolo, Brazil “To those who believe in reimagining education for the benefit of the children, who believe in the benefit of hindsight and in the power of storytelling I say, if you read one book this year, read this one.” Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe, CEO, Desmond Tutu Tutudesk Campaign, Republic of South Africa “Drawing on experiences both personal and professional, this book paints a vivid picture of the joys and challenges, successes, and failures, which make up the fabric of a meaningful and fulfilling career in education. Through his own stories, Ger offers valuable perspectives on what it truly means to be an educator, and how we can all come to appreciate the power of education to shape, inform, and transform lives.” Anjum Malik, Executive Director, Global Impact Initiative, India “He trobat el Johan Cruijff de l’educació [I have found education’s Johan Cruijff].” Andreu Gual Falcó, Founder, Nexgen Careers, Spain “An education. This book is unputdownable!” Professor Amal Fatani, Former Cultural Attaché to the United Kingdom, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia "Ger’s book is not just a reflection on his life’s work; it is also a call to action. He sees education as a tool for social change, and he believes that we must use it to create a better world. He advocates for a more humanistic approach to education, one that emphasises the development of the whole person, through answering why questions, rather than merely the acquisition of knowledge." Carla Rinaldi, President, Fondazione Reggio Children, Reggio Emilia, Italy “Ger Graus makes us realise that it is within our means to deliver a future for millions of learners who currently do not have one, and that the task is not to make the impossible possible but to make the possible attainable. ” Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, France " ‘Life can only be understood backwards,’ as Kierkegaard put it, ‘but it must be lived forwards.’ Dr Graus’s book, Through a Different Lens; Lessons from a life in Education, bears extensive witness to this insight. It is partly a reflective memoir of an extraordinary, forty-year career; partly a fundamental examination of the strengths and weaknesses of some current and past educational practice; partly a passionate plea for education to make itself fit-for-purpose in a rapidly changing, and almost certainly unpredictable, world. Most people who have taught, been parents or, indeed, children during the last 40 years will recognize Graus’s analysis of the tensions that have been played out in the world of British education. He considers government’s attraction to economies of scale against the desirability of knowing and engaging children as individual learners; the fascination with measuring and testing pupils and inspecting schools with a ‘one size fits all’/’single adjective’ approach, where the high stakes involved can affect the value of properties in the catchment area; the promising experiments, like action zones, launched in areas of deprivation, involving partnerships of schools and other local interests, including businesses, which aimed to raise educational standards by developing innovative educational strategies, but were then dropped. Lest all this sounds like a cautionary tale to anyone considering becoming a teacher, the book never loses its belief in the ‘awe and wonder’ potential of schools where pupils, their well-being and potential, are celebrated and nurtured." Richard Taylor, Secondary School Teacher for 40 years, United Kingdom "When asked what he wants for his own children from education and schooling, Ger Graus tells us: “happiness is of course the first answer.” Happiness. The pursuit of it is one of only three basic human rights enshrined in the United States’ Declaration of Independence and Graus tells us that when he was a young child growing up in The Netherlands: “Time after time my grandad would cement the importance of happiness by answering many a question or statement from me with, “Es doe mer gelökkig bös” - as long as you are happy.” I can thoroughly recommend this book. Read it critically; use it to reflect on the lessons of your own experience, and never lose sight of three central truths. One that Graus has borrowed from Desmond Tutu: “Whatever the question, education is always the answer;” a second which his career has taught him, “one size does not fit all;” and the third he first learnt at the primary school which set him on the road to Wythenshawe, KidZania and beyond, the “Pius X RC Lagere School,” and on walks with his grandfather: happiness is important." John Cosgrove, Retired Headteacher and Author, United Kingdom "It has been one of the great pleasures of my adult life to regard as both dear friends and collaborators two remarkable educators, thinkers and advocates for children. The late, and irreplaceable, unique and simply beautiful, Professor Sir Ken Robinson, whose light shone so brightly on the whole world. And, more latterly, Professor Ger Graus. Professor Graus has spent his life at the coal face of education bringing champagne skills with a draft beer attitude to trying to make a very real and practical difference to the lives of children. His intellect, empathy and compassion are married to a warrior heart and incredible humility. I would urge everyone to hear his voice and to read his memoir about his life as an educator and champion of children. Through a Different Lens – Lessons from a Life in Education is available from Friday April 11th. It is a passionate and touching memoir penned by a truly great teacher and human being." Lee Daley, former Group CEO and Chair of Saatchi & Saatchi, United Kingdom