Foreword and Preface

I know - many don't read the Foreword; but I do :-). As the book title implies, this is a 2nd edition. The first edition was published in 1994. Vella wrote a revised edition in 2002 to share what she has learned since the first edition (that all make sense?) The 2nd edition includes the 1994 Foreword from Malcolm Knowles; which is a good starting point and considering Knowles died in 1997, he couldn't write a revised Foreword anyway.

The revised edition has a Preface written by Vella - quite lengthy at 13 pages. But in the Preface Vella describes what prompted her to write a revised edition - quantum thinking. I don't know if you are having the same feelings as me; but 'quantum' sounds like SCIENCE. Science is a subject (along with Math), I try really hard to stay away from.

But I'm more mature and can face my fear and it helps greatly that Vella writes in an easy to read style. Vella references two books that sparked her interest: Danah Zohar's Rewiring the Corporate Brain (1997) and Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science (1999). Vella made a connection between the authors' research of physics, psychology, and organizational behavior and her own research on learning. Vella writes that Zohar "describes quantum thinking as a new-paradigm thinking: holistic, integrated, spiritual, energetic" (xi).

Vella also discusses in the Preface What is Old, What is Special, the intended audience (anyone in an educational setting), the potential of the book (growth as an educator), the approach (both deductive and inductive), an overview of the contents, and ends with acknowledgements.