Outside of School

May 2, 2013 "Radically accepting the poverty of one’s own life and community while simultaneously depersonalizing it makes possible a certain kind of growth/development – especially if one is simultaneously involved in activities that engage the underdevelopment that accompanies poverty." [caption id="attachment_1506" align="alignleft" width="204"] Lenora B. Fulani[/caption] So says Dr. Lenora Fulani in...

January 29, 2013 A few days ago I wrote about the long lag time for reviews of academic books. Here’s an example very close to home. During my Internet searches this weekend I came across a new review of my book, Vygotsky at Work and Play. (You can click on it...

December 16, 2012 I was in Serbia last week. I crammed a lot into four days and it was well worth it. I’ve been going to Serbia once a year for more than a decade and each time I experience the joy of people supporting other people to develop and, at...

October 17, 2012 “Schools for growth—ones where developmental learning occurs—are much more like theatrical stages than classrooms." I wrote those words, in 1997, as the opening sentence of my book, Schools for Growth: Radical Alternatives to Current Educational Models. Fifteen years later, I believe it even more strongly. As school becomes more...

September 24, 2012 Today I’m going to do some more promotion for Performing the World 2012 (PTW 2012)—because I’m so excited about it! The opening reception on Thursday evening October 4 will be a community welcome to New York—featuring food prepared by dozens of New York City friends; greetings by myself and...

June 19, 2012 I’ve been immersed in PTW—that’s Performing the World, an international festival/conference/happening I launched eleven years ago. This October, we’re hosting the 7th PTW, “Can Performance Change Save the World?” (recasting the 2010 PTW theme, “Can Performance Change the World?” because of the  increasing intensity of the challenges facing...

[caption id="attachment_1180" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Zdravo da Ste Weekend"][/caption] December 29, 2011 I returned from Serbia a few weeks ago, energized from six very performatory days with friends old and new. Nearly every year since 1997 as winter begins I’ve made the journey to work and play with the extraordinary people of Zdravo...

October 9, 2012 I’m currently leading the second phase of my ongoing series, "The Thought Leadership of Fred Newman," at the East Side Institute. For this coming Monday’s session we’re going to play around with two of Newman’s “Psychology Plays”—written expressly for performance at APA (American Psychological Association) annual conventions during...

October 6, 2011 I was delighted to come across this Amazon reader review of my book Vygotsky at Work and Play. The author is David R. Cross, Ph.D. Thanks, David!  A Transformative Book Reflecting on a Transformative Life, July 2, 2011 Every now and then you get lucky, and find the book that is...