Non-Fiction/Editing of Constance Brewer
Editing
Wyoming Paintbrush - A collection of poems by WyoPoets writers, published by WyoPoets in 2007. Juried by Jane Wohl.
Distant Blooms - A collection of poems by WyoPoets writers, to be published by WyoPoets in 2009. Juried by Jennifer Sorenson.
Every Day Poets - Editor for on-line poetry magazine Every Day Poets, scheduled to go live September, 2008
RPG
Managing editor for a new role-playing game book, Space Races, due out in late 2010
Adult Education
Assorted papers on Adult Education
Critical Thinking: Everything Old is New Again
A Historical Perspective on Philosophy of Adult Education
by: Constance Brewer
Abstract
Critical thinking has been an influence on education since ancient times. The
Greek idea of paedia provides a starting point for tracing the development of
critical thinking and its intricate partnership with education. The adult
educational philosophy of Stephen Brookfield can be compared and contrasted with
classical models of education, revealing several similarities between a modern
take on critical thinking and the classical intention. Other philosophers, such
as George Hole, provide a more complex philosophical basis for the use of
critical thinking in adult education that has its basis in classical ideals.
Popular culture provides a third way of looking at critical thinking, and not
always a complementary one. The current rush toward vocational education in
place of a classical education goes hand in hand with the popular notion of
specialization as the answer to societies problems. Expansion of the classical
notion of paedia through the ideas of Brookfield and Hole would make critical
thinking a powerful component of modern adult education.
Read paper Critical Thinking (.pdf file opens in new window)
Collision Course: Assessments of Attention Deficit Disorder
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Educational Process
by: Constance Brewer
Abstract
America is a society of measurers, comparing and contrasting everything from
sports scores to the price of coffee to unemployment statistics. This
measurement mentality extends to our schools, where children and adults are
assessed yearly, quarterly, and sometimes weekly against a yardstick that can
change from one test to the next. In order to quantify test results and promote
objectivity, various ‘scientific’ methods of assessment have been developed.
There have been attempts to apply these scientific methods to determine if an
individual has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The diagnosis of ADD is made on
a series of questions that base themselves on perceived behaviors. The inherent
dangers are that often the adult with ADD has perceptions that don’t match the
interviewer’s perceptions, or that the criteria is determined by remembered
events, and many people with ADD have incredibly poor memories, and that
subjectivity and reliability problems can occur. In the quest to create an
etiology for ADD, treatment has focused on medication rather than psychosocial
therapy and other non- pharmacological methods. Third party observations about
behavior are often seen as more valid than the observations made by the
individual with the problem, leading to questions about motivation on the part
of those recommending the assessment. Finally, tests to determine the type and
scope of the ADD are based on the model developed for children, which can lead
to built in flaws in diagnosis, treatment, and education of the adult with ADD.
Read paper Collision Course (.pdf file opens in new window)
Organization as Religion
by: Constance Brewer
Abstract
Discussion of organizational structure falls under many forms. Popular thought
assigns metaphors to describe the different organizational realities inherent in
many businesses and in use by various managers; organizations as machines,
organisms, brains, cultures, political systems, psychic prisons, and as
instruments of domination. Another metaphor has been overlooked, one that
addresses the underlying reason for the hierarchical structure that supports and
encourages organizational metaphors, and explains the fascination with
organizational theory prevalent in American society. An examination of
organizations as religion and the structure of religious organization uncovers
many parallels with other organizational metaphors, and brings to light the
reasoning behind the metaphors.
Read paper
Organizations as Religion (.pdf file opens in new window)
