Kevin J. Brehony | Roehampton University (original) (raw)
Papers by Kevin J. Brehony
Bordón, Mar 2013
Currently, the place of play in schooling and education is controversial. Even in pre-school, whe... more Currently, the place of play in schooling and education is controversial. Even in pre-school, where play is most likely to be found, its status is often precarious. This article notes that in many ancient religious traditions, play is sometimes viewed as sinful, whereas work, its antithesis, is seen as virtuous. The German educationist, Friedrich Froebel, departed radically from these evaluations and devised a system of educative play based on toys and games to be used in his institution for the education of young children, the kindergarten. Nevertheless, while at the same time as being a prominent advocate of the notion that play was a worthwhile and necessary part of an early childhood curriculum, Froebel thought it subordinate in value to what it was intended to lead to, work of a manual nature.
The reading of Froebel and the Froebel Movement presented here situates his conceptions of play and work within the intellectual context of German Romanticism and Idealist philosophy. The main contours of thought on play and work are traced in the writings of Kant, Schiller, Hegel and Marx, through a consideration of work as both emancipatory and alienating. This theme is pursued in the thought of leading English Romantics and various figures within the Marxist tradition, including some attached to Soviet ideology.
It is argued that the Froebel revisionists, like Schrader Breymann and many Froebelians inspired by G. Stanley Hall and John Dewey, tended to abandon the view of work embraced by Froebel and focused more on play, aided by the interests and findings of the developing field of psychology and the lengthening of compulsory schooling.
Children should above all be taught self-‐reliance, love for all men, altruism, mutual charity an... more Children should above all be taught self-‐reliance, love for all men, altruism, mutual charity and more than anything else, to think and reason for themselves. We would reduce the purely mechanical work of the memory to an absolute minimum, and devote the time to the development and training of the inner senses, faculties and latent capacities.
In recent decades there has been a growth in histories of the arrangements made for the education... more In recent decades there has been a growth in histories of the arrangements made for the education and care of children in their early years. Larry Prochner's book is a welcome addition to this literature that in various ways, as he acknowledges, is related to the contemporary political debate over the nature of early childhood education and to the recent rapid expansion of its provision. Most of that literature has focused on early childhood education in a particular nation state.
Studies in Higher Education, Jan 1, 2000
... citizenship and the governing of schools, Buckingham, UK, Open University Press, 197pp. Full ... more ... citizenship and the governing of schools, Buckingham, UK, Open University Press, 197pp. Full text not available from this repository. Item Type: Book. ... Subjects: H Social Sciences > H SocialSciences (General). Divisions: School of Social Sciences > Sociology and Social Policy. ...
Oxford Review of Education, Jan 1, 2005
The paper explores ideological conceptions of management, especially 'ne... more The paper explores ideological conceptions of management, especially 'new managerialism', with particular reference to their role in the reform of higher education. It is suggested that attempts to reform public services in general are political as well as technical, though there is no single unitary ideology of 'new managerialism'. Whilst some argue that managers have become a class and have particular interests, this may not be so for all public services. The arguments presented are illustrated by data taken from a recent ...
Oxford Review of Education, Jan 1, 2005
This article aims to provide both an account and an assessment of the most significant policies a... more This article aims to provide both an account and an assessment of the most significant policies adopted by New Labour on primary schooling since its victory in the election of 1997. A secondary intention is to determine what these policies reveal about New Labour and its political project. A key policy objective in New Labour's two terms of office since 1997 has been the retention of the electoral support it received from voters who had benefited from policies pursued by the Thatcher governments.
Educational Studies, Jan 1, 1993
Findings of a longitudinal study that explored the impact of recent educational reforms in Englan... more Findings of a longitudinal study that explored the impact of recent educational reforms in England on the nature of the relationship between headteachers and lay school governors are presented in this paper. Recent legislation, notably the 1986 Education Act (No. 2) and the 1988 Education Reform Act, have increased governors' and consumers' power and reduced the power of the "producers" of educatfon. Governors are members of school governing bodies who have volunteered to work with headteachers in school administration. The study of two local education authorities--Northshire and Southshire--involved observations of meetings and governor training sessions, questionnaires administered to governors, interviews conducted with headteachers and chairs, and informal discussions with local education agency officers. Findings indicate that the governor/headteacher relationship is not a consensual one. Factors inhibiting the development of a partnership include the micropolitical nature of school governance; the emerging organizational cultures of governing bodies; the loose coupling of governing bodies to schools; the differences between heads and governors about power; the complex and ambiguous nature of reform legislation; and cultural factors, such as race, gender, and ethnicity. The question is raised whether community involvement should extend to nonprofessionals taking a key role in educational decision making and policy formation.
British journal of sociology of education, Jan 1, 2005
This paper examines claims that recent reforms to UK education have led to significant organisati... more This paper examines claims that recent reforms to UK education have led to significant organisational changes in primary school and higher education. It also examines two main theoretical explanations for these, namely post‐Fordism and New Managerialism. Examples of changes in both schools and universities, including flexibility and teamwork, are explored. Up to the mid‐1980s, publicly funded educational organisations did display bureaucratic features, including rules, staff hierarchies and complex procedures. However, ...
Journal of Education Policy, Jan 1, 1990
Legal judgements delivered in recent years have impelled the government to redefine the meaning o... more Legal judgements delivered in recent years have impelled the government to redefine the meaning of free education. This redefinition was one of the miscellaneous measures included in the Education Reform Act. In contrast to former years, much of the responsibility for ensuring that schools only charge for those activities that they are legally entitled to, now falls to school governing bodies. These were, themselves, restructured and reconstituted by recent legislation. In this paper, we outline some of the resultant changes to the ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 2001
Until relatively recently, writing onprogressive education'has tended to gravitate to one of... more Until relatively recently, writing onprogressive education'has tended to gravitate to one of the following genres. First, descriptive historical accounts of an empirical kind. A second genre consists of attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of progressive approaches to pedagogy. 1 A third genre has been constituted by writing that is perhaps best categorized as normative. Writing in this genre is characterized by advocacy and it has attempted to attribute all kinds of effects to progressive education, both positive and negative. 2 These genres have now ...
International Studies in Sociology of Education, Jan 1, 1992
ABSTRACT This article reviews current and historical debates about active, participant citizens a... more ABSTRACT This article reviews current and historical debates about active, participant citizens and related conceptions of citizenship. In particular it focusses on the prospects for the participation of citizens in the administration of public bodies. It discusses critically the notion of participative citizenship and active citizenship as articulated by Douglas Hurd (when Home Secretary) and also the version contained in the report of the Speaker's Commission on Citizenship. The article then draws upon research conducted for the ...
Sociological review, Jan 1, 1995
Résumé/Abstract Les réformes les plus récentes en matière d'éducation en Grande-Bretagne... more Résumé/Abstract Les réformes les plus récentes en matière d'éducation en Grande-Bretagne ont donné des responsabilités considérables aux administrations des établissements d'enseignement. L'A. examine, à partir d'entretiens menés dans 10 écoles ente 1988 et 1992, les compétences éducatives des directeurs de ces établissements. Dans ce but, il étudie le type de connaissance, de formation en matière pédagogique et leur renouvellement. Il montre que le sexe, l'origine sociale affectent la nature de cette ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 2000
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the adjectivenew'was very much in vogue, especial... more At the beginning of the twentieth century, the adjectivenew'was very much in vogue, especially when used in tandem with nouns such aswoman',psychology'andeducation'. The New Education Fellowship (NEF), 1 for example, was formed to represent and promote the somewhat heterogeneous theories and practices that were labelled theNew Education'. 2 In 1918, in keeping with fashionable usage, Sir John Adams produced a book on thenew teaching'. In it, he characterized innovations in teaching as paidocentric. 3 Adams had ...
British Journal of Sociology of Education, Jan 1, 1998
Abstract This article draws upon theories from a wide range of disciplines, including cultural st... more Abstract This article draws upon theories from a wide range of disciplines, including cultural studies and literary theory, to analyse representations of schooling in rock and pop songs. The songs selected cover a period from the beginning of rock V roll in the 1950s, to Britpop and the present. It is argued that schooling is overwhelmingly represented as the antithesis of leisure and that in the 1960s conjuncture the representations of schooling became more and more critical. Even so, the resolution to the perceived oppression of schooling takes ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 1998
Accumulation of capitalised wealth, vast mineral resources, a splendid geographical position‐‐the... more Accumulation of capitalised wealth, vast mineral resources, a splendid geographical position‐‐these advantages avail less and less as the advances of science place all nations on one footing. We shall hold our own in the world as people if our teachers are determined that children shall be trained in the discipline that leads to wisdom, the discipline that leads to health, and the discipline that leads to strength, and such disciplines, I am convinced, will be found in Swedish Sloyd. 1 1Rooper, TG School and Home Life (London, 1896), 479.
Oxford Review of Education, Jan 1, 1997
ABSTRACT This article focuses on the educational theories and practices of the American pragmatis... more ABSTRACT This article focuses on the educational theories and practices of the American pragmatist philosopher, John Dewey, and their reception in England between 1895 and 1939. It takes issue with the notion of influence and its usage in the History of Ideas and points to the many critiques it has been exposed to. Adopting Quentin Skinner's approach to the definition of influence, prevailing accounts of Dewey's impact on the English education system are found to be misleading. An alternative account that highlights the contribution ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 1994
The Consultative Committee of the Board of Education is best known for the reports it produced du... more The Consultative Committee of the Board of Education is best known for the reports it produced during the interwar years when it was chaired by Sir WH Hadow and, subsequently, Sir Will Spens. These, however, constitute only a fraction of the reports that the Consultative Committee published. During the period of its existence from 1899 to 1944 and in spite of a break during the First World War, it produced a total of seventeen reports. Moreover, before its demise, although strictly an advisory body, it had become a major ...
Bordón, Mar 2013
Currently, the place of play in schooling and education is controversial. Even in pre-school, whe... more Currently, the place of play in schooling and education is controversial. Even in pre-school, where play is most likely to be found, its status is often precarious. This article notes that in many ancient religious traditions, play is sometimes viewed as sinful, whereas work, its antithesis, is seen as virtuous. The German educationist, Friedrich Froebel, departed radically from these evaluations and devised a system of educative play based on toys and games to be used in his institution for the education of young children, the kindergarten. Nevertheless, while at the same time as being a prominent advocate of the notion that play was a worthwhile and necessary part of an early childhood curriculum, Froebel thought it subordinate in value to what it was intended to lead to, work of a manual nature.
The reading of Froebel and the Froebel Movement presented here situates his conceptions of play and work within the intellectual context of German Romanticism and Idealist philosophy. The main contours of thought on play and work are traced in the writings of Kant, Schiller, Hegel and Marx, through a consideration of work as both emancipatory and alienating. This theme is pursued in the thought of leading English Romantics and various figures within the Marxist tradition, including some attached to Soviet ideology.
It is argued that the Froebel revisionists, like Schrader Breymann and many Froebelians inspired by G. Stanley Hall and John Dewey, tended to abandon the view of work embraced by Froebel and focused more on play, aided by the interests and findings of the developing field of psychology and the lengthening of compulsory schooling.
Children should above all be taught self-‐reliance, love for all men, altruism, mutual charity an... more Children should above all be taught self-‐reliance, love for all men, altruism, mutual charity and more than anything else, to think and reason for themselves. We would reduce the purely mechanical work of the memory to an absolute minimum, and devote the time to the development and training of the inner senses, faculties and latent capacities.
In recent decades there has been a growth in histories of the arrangements made for the education... more In recent decades there has been a growth in histories of the arrangements made for the education and care of children in their early years. Larry Prochner's book is a welcome addition to this literature that in various ways, as he acknowledges, is related to the contemporary political debate over the nature of early childhood education and to the recent rapid expansion of its provision. Most of that literature has focused on early childhood education in a particular nation state.
Studies in Higher Education, Jan 1, 2000
... citizenship and the governing of schools, Buckingham, UK, Open University Press, 197pp. Full ... more ... citizenship and the governing of schools, Buckingham, UK, Open University Press, 197pp. Full text not available from this repository. Item Type: Book. ... Subjects: H Social Sciences > H SocialSciences (General). Divisions: School of Social Sciences > Sociology and Social Policy. ...
Oxford Review of Education, Jan 1, 2005
The paper explores ideological conceptions of management, especially 'ne... more The paper explores ideological conceptions of management, especially 'new managerialism', with particular reference to their role in the reform of higher education. It is suggested that attempts to reform public services in general are political as well as technical, though there is no single unitary ideology of 'new managerialism'. Whilst some argue that managers have become a class and have particular interests, this may not be so for all public services. The arguments presented are illustrated by data taken from a recent ...
Oxford Review of Education, Jan 1, 2005
This article aims to provide both an account and an assessment of the most significant policies a... more This article aims to provide both an account and an assessment of the most significant policies adopted by New Labour on primary schooling since its victory in the election of 1997. A secondary intention is to determine what these policies reveal about New Labour and its political project. A key policy objective in New Labour's two terms of office since 1997 has been the retention of the electoral support it received from voters who had benefited from policies pursued by the Thatcher governments.
Educational Studies, Jan 1, 1993
Findings of a longitudinal study that explored the impact of recent educational reforms in Englan... more Findings of a longitudinal study that explored the impact of recent educational reforms in England on the nature of the relationship between headteachers and lay school governors are presented in this paper. Recent legislation, notably the 1986 Education Act (No. 2) and the 1988 Education Reform Act, have increased governors' and consumers' power and reduced the power of the "producers" of educatfon. Governors are members of school governing bodies who have volunteered to work with headteachers in school administration. The study of two local education authorities--Northshire and Southshire--involved observations of meetings and governor training sessions, questionnaires administered to governors, interviews conducted with headteachers and chairs, and informal discussions with local education agency officers. Findings indicate that the governor/headteacher relationship is not a consensual one. Factors inhibiting the development of a partnership include the micropolitical nature of school governance; the emerging organizational cultures of governing bodies; the loose coupling of governing bodies to schools; the differences between heads and governors about power; the complex and ambiguous nature of reform legislation; and cultural factors, such as race, gender, and ethnicity. The question is raised whether community involvement should extend to nonprofessionals taking a key role in educational decision making and policy formation.
British journal of sociology of education, Jan 1, 2005
This paper examines claims that recent reforms to UK education have led to significant organisati... more This paper examines claims that recent reforms to UK education have led to significant organisational changes in primary school and higher education. It also examines two main theoretical explanations for these, namely post‐Fordism and New Managerialism. Examples of changes in both schools and universities, including flexibility and teamwork, are explored. Up to the mid‐1980s, publicly funded educational organisations did display bureaucratic features, including rules, staff hierarchies and complex procedures. However, ...
Journal of Education Policy, Jan 1, 1990
Legal judgements delivered in recent years have impelled the government to redefine the meaning o... more Legal judgements delivered in recent years have impelled the government to redefine the meaning of free education. This redefinition was one of the miscellaneous measures included in the Education Reform Act. In contrast to former years, much of the responsibility for ensuring that schools only charge for those activities that they are legally entitled to, now falls to school governing bodies. These were, themselves, restructured and reconstituted by recent legislation. In this paper, we outline some of the resultant changes to the ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 2001
Until relatively recently, writing onprogressive education'has tended to gravitate to one of... more Until relatively recently, writing onprogressive education'has tended to gravitate to one of the following genres. First, descriptive historical accounts of an empirical kind. A second genre consists of attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of progressive approaches to pedagogy. 1 A third genre has been constituted by writing that is perhaps best categorized as normative. Writing in this genre is characterized by advocacy and it has attempted to attribute all kinds of effects to progressive education, both positive and negative. 2 These genres have now ...
International Studies in Sociology of Education, Jan 1, 1992
ABSTRACT This article reviews current and historical debates about active, participant citizens a... more ABSTRACT This article reviews current and historical debates about active, participant citizens and related conceptions of citizenship. In particular it focusses on the prospects for the participation of citizens in the administration of public bodies. It discusses critically the notion of participative citizenship and active citizenship as articulated by Douglas Hurd (when Home Secretary) and also the version contained in the report of the Speaker's Commission on Citizenship. The article then draws upon research conducted for the ...
Sociological review, Jan 1, 1995
Résumé/Abstract Les réformes les plus récentes en matière d'éducation en Grande-Bretagne... more Résumé/Abstract Les réformes les plus récentes en matière d'éducation en Grande-Bretagne ont donné des responsabilités considérables aux administrations des établissements d'enseignement. L'A. examine, à partir d'entretiens menés dans 10 écoles ente 1988 et 1992, les compétences éducatives des directeurs de ces établissements. Dans ce but, il étudie le type de connaissance, de formation en matière pédagogique et leur renouvellement. Il montre que le sexe, l'origine sociale affectent la nature de cette ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 2000
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the adjectivenew'was very much in vogue, especial... more At the beginning of the twentieth century, the adjectivenew'was very much in vogue, especially when used in tandem with nouns such aswoman',psychology'andeducation'. The New Education Fellowship (NEF), 1 for example, was formed to represent and promote the somewhat heterogeneous theories and practices that were labelled theNew Education'. 2 In 1918, in keeping with fashionable usage, Sir John Adams produced a book on thenew teaching'. In it, he characterized innovations in teaching as paidocentric. 3 Adams had ...
British Journal of Sociology of Education, Jan 1, 1998
Abstract This article draws upon theories from a wide range of disciplines, including cultural st... more Abstract This article draws upon theories from a wide range of disciplines, including cultural studies and literary theory, to analyse representations of schooling in rock and pop songs. The songs selected cover a period from the beginning of rock V roll in the 1950s, to Britpop and the present. It is argued that schooling is overwhelmingly represented as the antithesis of leisure and that in the 1960s conjuncture the representations of schooling became more and more critical. Even so, the resolution to the perceived oppression of schooling takes ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 1998
Accumulation of capitalised wealth, vast mineral resources, a splendid geographical position‐‐the... more Accumulation of capitalised wealth, vast mineral resources, a splendid geographical position‐‐these advantages avail less and less as the advances of science place all nations on one footing. We shall hold our own in the world as people if our teachers are determined that children shall be trained in the discipline that leads to wisdom, the discipline that leads to health, and the discipline that leads to strength, and such disciplines, I am convinced, will be found in Swedish Sloyd. 1 1Rooper, TG School and Home Life (London, 1896), 479.
Oxford Review of Education, Jan 1, 1997
ABSTRACT This article focuses on the educational theories and practices of the American pragmatis... more ABSTRACT This article focuses on the educational theories and practices of the American pragmatist philosopher, John Dewey, and their reception in England between 1895 and 1939. It takes issue with the notion of influence and its usage in the History of Ideas and points to the many critiques it has been exposed to. Adopting Quentin Skinner's approach to the definition of influence, prevailing accounts of Dewey's impact on the English education system are found to be misleading. An alternative account that highlights the contribution ...
History of Education, Jan 1, 1994
The Consultative Committee of the Board of Education is best known for the reports it produced du... more The Consultative Committee of the Board of Education is best known for the reports it produced during the interwar years when it was chaired by Sir WH Hadow and, subsequently, Sir Will Spens. These, however, constitute only a fraction of the reports that the Consultative Committee published. During the period of its existence from 1899 to 1944 and in spite of a break during the First World War, it produced a total of seventeen reports. Moreover, before its demise, although strictly an advisory body, it had become a major ...