When instruments are harmoniously joined together, beautiful music ensues. Just as in a classic symphony, life often occurs in phases, or movements. In his creative comparison Symphony #1 in a Minor Key, literary exegete Alan Block shares his philosophies on four movements reflected in his own life, each loosely modeled on a different musical form linked to the emotions of a life both fully lived and joyously celebrated. In the first movement, -Sonata Allegro, - Block juxtaposes biblical stories with personal experiences as he explores the contradictory nature of what it means to leave home...

When instruments are harmoniously joined together, beautiful music ensues. Just as in a classic symphony, life often occurs in phases, or movements. In his creative comparison Symphony #1 in a Minor Key, literary exegete Alan Block shares his philosophies on four movements reflected in his own life, each loosely modeled on a different musical form linked to the emotions of a life both fully lived and joyously celebrated. In the first movement, -Sonata Allegro, - Block juxtaposes biblical stories with personal experiences as he explores the contradictory nature of what it means to leave home...

This book explores the seminal curriculum work of Joseph Schwab in the light of a Rabbinic Judaism to which Schwab did not - even, perhaps, could not - refer, but which Alan Block asserts might be central to a fuller understanding of Schwab's prescriptions for 'The Practical'. Using the language and methods of Rabbinic Judaism and Schwab's eclectic arts, Talmud, Curriculum, and The Practical opens a new, practical perspective onto American education, studying and redefining issues confronting education at the beginning of a new century and a new millennium.

In this book, Block critically examines the political and social critique now directed at the teaching profession, and to look at some ethical positions the teacher regularly and already takes in the course of her daily life in the classroom.

What goes on in a classroom? can mean "Are teachers imparting knowledge that will raise test scores?" or it can mean much more. In this series of essays, Block addresses the nature of the classroom as a place for encounter and engagements: with curriculum materials and books, between teachers and students, and with the self.

This new work from Alan Block explores the contemporary discourses of education, scholarship and learning. The book offers a strong argument for the centrality of ethics in curriculum, scholarship and the classroom, and presents a powerful argument against the present emphasis on standards and quantitative accountability.

What goes on in a classroom? can mean "Are teachers imparting knowledge that will raise test scores?" or it can mean much more. In this series of essays, Block addresses the nature of the classroom as a place for encounter and engagements: with curriculum materials and books, between teachers and students, and with the self.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Based on primary source documents, this historical study establishes the interconnections between private violence and political, social, and economic life in New York from 1930 to 1950. By describing and analyzing both the social world and social system of organized crime, Block provides a new perspective on racial and ethnic stereotypes in the study of organized crime. He also provides a penetrating look at one of the most misunderstood aspects of American society. East Side-West Side is an important book for historians, criminologists, and sociologists.