Making a difference: community change as a resource for connected primary curriculum

CONNECTING LIVES AND LEARNING is a project dedicated to connecting learning to student lives, connecting teachers with the latest middle years research, and better connecting primary and secondary schools to keep students at school longer. Based in Adelaide's lower socio-economic northern urban fringe, the project helps teachers use students' everyday experience and expertise to develop new ways of teaching and learning that involve students in intellectually challenging tasks. This book tells the stories of real teachers, in real classrooms, making real attempts for change, and not always succeeding. It is a book about teachers making a difference in difficult times and tough places. But most importantly, this book reaffirms that being an educator is inherently about adopting socially just practices, building community capacity and contributing to a more socially sustainable world.