Democratic Socialism And Education New Perspectives On Policy And Practice

This book engages with the political, philosophical and policy debates around contemporary democratic socialism and state education. It examines contemporary education and education systems, as well as democratic socialism in the context of the complex political world we live in currently. It takes the reader towards a democratic socialist curriculum and pedagogy, and concludes by investigating democratic socialism and governance in education. Discussing the work of Axel Honneth, Chantal Mouffe and Norberto Bobbio, the book argues that contemporary democratic socialism gives a philosophical and political grounding to the notion of education being more than simply preparation for work or a series of qualifications. It makes the case for education as an exercise in democratic community, and learning as collective citizenship. Taking the curriculum, classroom pedagogy, and educational governance in turn, it offers a series of practical ways in which state education can be re-interpreted and re-applied to emphasise the democratic, collective and creative aspects of learning. "Hopkins contends, firstly, that twenty-first-century democratic socialism must reinvigorate itself by responding to the challenges of liberalism; and, secondly, that a socially just education system must be willing to learn from such a reinvigorated socialism. These twinned theses are clearly and concisely thought through in relation to urgent educational, and more broadly socio-political, issues: contemporary democratic-socialist thought; educational systems (and possibilities for reform); curriculum design; pedagogy; systems and mechanisms of governance. In just a few thousand words, Hopkins’s Democratic Socialism and Education manages to be that rare thing: a book that is both lucid introduction and original contribution. It will surely appeal equally to teachers, philosophers of education, and those engaged in educational action research." Dr. Oliver Belas, Lecturer in Education, School of Education and English Language, University of Bedfordshire, UK

New Perspectives on Education for Democracy brings together diverse communities of education research in an innovative way to develop a nuanced understanding of the relationship between education and democracy. This book synthesises a range of theoretical, conceptual and empirical approaches to address the complex challenges faced by young people and societies in the twenty-first century. Each chapter provides accounts of local democratic encounters in education, while engaging with global debates and issues such as de-democratisation and growing social, economic and educational inequality. This book presents new ways of thinking about democracy, local-global enactments of democracy through teaching and learning, and future thinking for a new era of democracy. This book will be relevant for educators, researchers and policymakers who are interested in educational sociology, critical pedagogy and democratic education.

While engaging with the current political-educational climate of England, this book offers a timely contribution to debates around questions of knowledge in relation to education and school-level English by drawing together theories of individual and disciplinary knowledge. The book provides a philosophical conception of knowledge – as fundamentally embodied at the level of the individual, and a matter of cultural form at the level of shared or "common" knowledge – and an analysis of the implications of this for schooled English. The research draws from various related fields including literary criticism, philosophy (of knowledge and of symbolic form), and phenomenology. The book rethinks general notions of knowledge and lays out the problems that exist within knowledge and language systems in education, especially secondary and university levels. This highly relevant and informative book offers an insightful resource for academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of education studies, educational policy and politics, philosophy of education, and literature studies.

Through expert analysis, this text proves that John Dewey’s views on efficiency in education are as relevant as ever. By exploring Deweyan theories of teaching and learning, the volume illustrates how they can aid educators in navigating the theoretical and practical implications of accountability, standardization, and assessment. The Contemporary Relevance of John Dewey’s Theories on Teaching and Learning deconstructs issues regarding accountability mechanisms, uniform assessment systems, and standardization processes through a Deweyan lens. Connecting the zeitgeist of the era from which Dewey’s ideas emerged and current global political, social, and economic contexts, the book emphasizes the importance of resilient systems in reconciliating the tension between standardized assessments and individual student development. Contributors provide insights from a range of settings across Pre-K, primary, secondary, and higher education and address topics including teacher agency, voice, leadership, and democracy. The volume will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and academics with an interest in philosophy of education, education policy and the impact of neoliberal agendas, as well as teaching and learning more broadly.

How can we bring the curriculum to life so that all young people of compulsory school age are fully engaged in their learning and achieve to their maximum? Professor Janice Wearmouth and Dr Karen Lindley bring together contributions from practising teachers, researchers and academics to answer this question for a range of educational contexts and demonstrate the positive impact that can be achieved on student learning at all levels. This edited volume highlights challenges and opportunities within the current English education system. With reflective questions and ideas for teachers to implement in the classroom, this important book bridges the gap between theory and practice and will be invaluable reading for trainee teachers, teacher trainers, qualified teachers and others with an interest in education and the curriculum. "The intrinsic value of the book is that it seeks to illuminate the discussions surrounding the issues identified, from differing and alternative perspectives in education." Dr Barry Paraskeva Costas, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education, University of Hertfordshire, UK "A highly engaging and refreshing look at how a diverse range of learners might be immersed in their learning, this book provides an imaginative and thought-provoking consideration of creative curricula to involve and inspire learners." Julie Wharton, Senior Lecturer, University of Winchester, UK "This book does an excellent job of drawing together a wide range of contributions and contexts that collectively put the challenges and opportunities of curriculum centre stage." Dr Warren Kidd, School of Education and Communities, University of East London, UK Janice Wearmouth is Professor of Education at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Dr Karen Lindley is Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Both editors are experienced teachers and researchers with continuing close links to Education students, trainee teachers, teacher trainers and practising teachers.

Exploring Social Justice in Practice in Education focuses on the tensions and challenges to issues of fairness and social and cognitive justice in the sphere of education. The terms ‘fairness’ and ‘social and cognitive justice’ are often used to justify particular policies and practices in the sphere of education. In providing a clear definition of what they should mean in practice, this book includes a discussion of, and, in some cases, potential resolutions to, tensions and challenges in relation to notions of fairness, and social and cognitive justice that are implicit within individuals’ lived experiences across all phases of education. Through their personal narratives, the authors illustrate how such tensions and challenges have played out in their own lives. They go on to explore differences in interpretations and consequent challenges in putting concepts of social justice into practice. Chapters consider important implications across different sectors and phases of education, including special educational needs, leadership and higher education. This insightful volume will enable educators, at all levels, to hear from students, family members, significant adults/carers and professionals, their experiences of fairness and social justice in education, and about what could be done in the future to redress injustices. It will appeal to readers at all levels in education including those studying for or teaching Education-related degrees at bachelors’, masters’ and doctoral levels.

This book re-examines aspects of historical socialism, and includes case studies of education within twenty-first century socialist and post-socialist contexts shaped by the trajectories of historical socialism. Through these case studies, contributions offer insights into key questions: How are education systems and student subjectivities shaped by post-socialist trajectories and current regional politics, economics and resistance movements? How do sedimented socialist discourses and geographies alter and contest the ‘neoliberal child’ and ‘childhood’ in post-socialist education? How have disjunctures between the rhetoric of historical Marxism-Leninism and the practices of educators, students and student political organizations played out under socialism, and what could we learn from that for our present? How much emancipatory potential is there in the theories and practices of (popular) education for combatting injustice in the absence of mass, revolutionary political parties? Above all, this volume affirms the need to move beyond simplistic accounts of historical socialism and post-socialist transitions. By exploring how socialist trajectories remain influential and have potential in our current contexts, this book contributes to the work of politically engaged educators working to re-imagine and reconstruct education. This book was originally published as a special issue of Globalisation, Societies and Education.

In 1932 George Counts, in his speech "Dare the School Build a New Social Order?" explicitly challenged teachers to develop a democratic, socialistic society. In Democratic Social Education: Social Studies for Social Change Drs. Hursh and Ross take seriously the question of what social studies educators can do to help build a democratic society in the face of current antidemocratic impulses of greed, individualism and intolerance. The essays in this book respond to Counts' question in theoretical analyses of education and society, historical analyses of efforts since Counts' challenge, and practical analyses of classroom pedagogy and school organization. This volume provides researchers and teacher educators with ideas and descriptions of practice that challenge the taken-for-granted meanings of democracy, citizenship, culture, work, indoctrination, evaluation, standards and curriculum within the purposes of social education.