Nationally acclaimed teacher and author Robert Fried at Fairfield University | Press Releases

Nationally acclaimed Teacher and Author Robert Fried, who challenges the high stakes testing model so engrained in the American system of education and reinforced by the No Child Left Behind Act requirements, will speak at Fairfield University on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m., in the Oak Room of the John A. Barone Campus Center. Fried's interactive lecture on "Creating and Sustaining Passionate Teaching in an Age of Accountability," will be followed by a panel of area educators who will respond to his remarks. The event if free and the public is welcome.

Fried, associate professor of education at Northeastern University, is the author of several books that speak to the heart of the teaching profession. In "The Passionate Teacher: A Practical Guide" (Beacon Press, 1991/2001), "The Passionate Learner: How Teachers and Parents Can Help Children Reclaim the Joy of Discovery" (Beacon Press, 2001) and "The Game of School: Why We All Play It, How It Hurts Kids, and What It Will Take to Change It," (Jossey-Bass Educational Ser., 2005), he champions the rights of teachers and students to reclaim the enthusiasm and curiosity for learning they had as young children.

He says that students from kindergarten through graduate school too often leave behind their love of learning when they learn to play "the Game of getting by" and complying with the system. The result is the stifling of creativity and "the paralysis of intellect and meaningful inquiry." Fried draws on examples of real classrooms with authentic teaching models that inspire, and provides a roadmap for a return to the rewards of teaching and learning with a passion.

Earlier in the day Fried will visit Bryant Elementary School in Bridgeport which partners with Fairfield University's Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions. There he will meet with teachers, tour the school and visit a classroom to work with students using teaching methods to engage the students

Sponsors include Fairfield University's Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions (GSEAP), and the Center for Academic Excellence; the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield, the Connecticut State Department of Education, the Bridgeport Higher Education Alliance, and the public school districts of Bridgeport, Fairfield, Norwalk and Westport.