Why not take time this summer to catch up on some reading? Check out these selected titles from the OISE Library’s New Arrivals shelf. There is something for everyone!
Chakra the invincible: Secret origins, by Stan Lee, Sharad Devarajan, and Gotham Chopra.
This action-packed comic book revolves around its protagonist Raju Rai, a courageous young orphan child living in Mumbai. Together with mentor, Dr. Singh, they develop a super-suit that helps Raju unlock and harness his hidden chakra powers. With his superpowers, Raju devotes himself to helping the “little guys” as the hero–Chakra the Invincible. However, Raju struggles to maintain a balance between his superhero life and his life as a regular kid. This struggle creates rifts between Raju and his older brother—who begins to follow a darker path. Raju faces the supervillain Yama, his older brother’s mentor and a corrupt businessman who is a ring-leader of Mumbai’s largest criminal organization. Raju must save both his brother and the world from Yama, who plans to use the powers of chakra to create a super villain army powerful enough to take over the planet.
Serving students who are homeless: A resource guide for schools, districts, and educational leaders, by Ronald E. Hallett and Linda Skrla.
The intentions of the book is to provide educators and school administrators with tools and strategies for implementing effective programs to support the needs of homeless and highly mobile students. The book specifically focuses on how to help students overcome obstacles to academic success. Through a variety of case studies, the book provides readers with the voices and opinions of students, families, and teachers from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, the book includes various activities and questions that are aimed at invoking discussion and professional development. Written in the context of the McKinney-Vento Act, which aims to provide federal support to homeless shelters in the United States, Hallett and Skrla explores how many places struggle to meet this mandate. The first section of the book examines the current social, political, and economic issues regarding educating homeless and highly mobile students. The second and third section discuss how schools and teachers can facilitate better learning environments for students.
Philosophy and history of education: Diverse perspectives on their value and relationship, edited by Antoinette Errante, Jackie Blount, and Bruce A. Kimball.
Composed of studies by scholars in philosophy and history, Philosophy and history of education: Diverse perspectives on their value and relationship explores how each field contributes to a greater understanding of education overall. Through the lens of scholars across the country, the anthology examines the histories and philosophical background behind various education principles and practices. The first section of the book looks at the differences and similarities between philosophical and historical studies in education. These chapters explore the ideas of various famous philosophy and history scholars in education, such as John Dewey, Ella Flagg Young, Boyd Bode, Bernard Mehl, and more. The second section of the book examines how the study of philosophy and history can help shape practices and policies in modern day education. Contributors of this book argue for a greater need for interdisciplinary collaboration between philosophers, historians, and educational scholars to solve current issues in education.
How big is a big number? Learning to teach mathematics in the primary school, by Paul Killen and Sarah Hindhaugh.
For many new and aspiring teachers, primary school mathematics has not been part of their repertoire for many years. In How big is a big number? Learning to teach mathematics in the primary school, Killen and Hindhaugh aim to re-familiarize readers with primary school math concepts, problems, and activities. This book is a valuable resource for primary school math teachers, as it provides a variety of teaching strategies and tools to use in the classroom, such as recommendations for activities and exercises that are aimed to help students understand and retain math principles and concepts. The book explores a variety of common primary school math topics, such as geometry, numerical sense, fractions, and much more.
Constructing sexualities and gendered bodies in school spaces: Nordic insights on queer and transgender students, by Jon Ingvar Kjaran.
Nordic countries have always been perceived as a utopia for LGBTQ+ individuals and communities. However, Constructing sexualities and gendered bodies in school spaces: Nordic insights on queer and transgender students, explores how diverse genders and sexualities fit within the hetero-normative school spaces of Iceland. The book draws from variety of ethnographic data, case studies, and up-to-date research on this topic to examine how Icelandic schools are providing safe and inclusive spaces for its students. Kjaran interviewed various LGBTQ+ students across different regions in Iceland, and found that high schools in Iceland are not sufficiently implementing practices and policies that help meet the needs of its diverse students. Instead, Icelandic high school systems continue to operate under outdated ideas of maintaining the heteronormative status quo. The book argues that schools in Iceland should encourage greater visibility of LGBTQ+ students and open discussions around gender and sexuality.
