Colin Richards – författare

The definitive guide to the stone circles of Britain and Ireland  From Stonehenge and the Ring of Brogdar to the Rollright Stones and Avebury, the British and Irish Isles are scattered with the stone circles of our prehistoric ancestors. Although there have been many theories to explain them, to this day there is no consensus about their purpose.  Colin Richards and Vicki Cummings provide a clear and illuminating field guide to 424 key stone circle sites in Britain and Ireland. Organised by region, this handy volume sets out the features of these megalithic monuments, including their landscape position, construction, and physical properties. The authors take stock of cutting-edge research and recent excavations stone circles that were previously lost to time. They present new insights on the chronology, composition, and roles of different circles to transform our understanding the sites.  Beautifully illustrated with photographs, maps, and plans, this is an essential guide to Britain and Ireland’s most mysterious prehistoric monuments.

Architecture is a powerful medium for representing, ordering and classifying the world, and understanding the use of space is fundamental to archaeological inquiry. Architecture and Order draws on the work of archaeologists, social theorists and architects to explore the way in which people relate to the architecture which surrounds them. In many societies, houses and tombs have encoded cultural meanings and values which are invoked and recalled through the practices of daily life.Chapters include explorations of the early farming r archi*eye of Europe, from before the use of metals, to the Classical and Medieval worlds of the Mediterranean and Europe. Research of the recent past and present include an overview of hunter-gatherers' camp organization, a reassessment of the use of space amongst the Dogon of West Africa and an examination of mental disorders relating to the use of space in Britain. The volume goes beyond the implication that culture determines form to develop an approach that integrates meaning and practice.

Children, their World, their Education is the definitive text for students, teachers, researchers, educational leaders and all who are interested in primary education. As the culmination of the Cambridge Primary Review, the most comprehensive enquiry into English primary education for half a century, its publication provoked instant and dramatic headlines. Widespread support from teachers and eminent public figures demonstrated that the book had identified the issues that really mattered. Ministerial unease showed that here were findings that politicians could not ignore.But Children, their World, their Education is much more than a report. It is an unrivalled educational compendium that systematically covers the issues that are central to the daily work of students, teachers and heads. For trainee teachers on undergraduate and postgraduate courses it effectively maps the territory of primary education and provides the context, information and insight which are essential to the development of classroom skill. Its vast range of carefully evaluated evidence makes it a core resource for those undertaking research and advanced study. Its direct engagement with the policy process during a period of unprecedented change makes it an indispensable tool for policy analysis. It places England’s education system in the global context, and combines evidence on recent developments with a vision of how primary education should be.Part 1 sets the scene and tracks primary education policy since the 1960s.Part 2 examines children’s development and learning, their needs and aspirations, and their lives in a diverse society and fragile world.Part 3 explores what goes on in schools, from the vital early years to educational aims and values, the curriculum, pedagogy and classroom practice, assessment, standards and school organisation.Part 4 deals with the system as a whole: educational ages and stages, the work and training of primary teachers, school leadership, local authorities, funding, governance and policy.Part 5 pulls everything together with 78 conclusions and 75 recommendations for policy and practice.Companion volume: The Cambridge Primary Review Research Surveys, edited by Robin Alexander with Christine Doddington, John Gray, Linda Hargreaves and Ruth Kershner. The Cambridge Primary Review is supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: www.primaryreview.org.uk.

Children, their World, their Education is the definitive text for students, teachers, researchers, educational leaders and all who are interested in primary education. As the culmination of the Cambridge Primary Review, the most comprehensive enquiry into English primary education for half a century, its publication provoked instant and dramatic headlines. Widespread support from teachers and eminent public figures demonstrated that the book had identified the issues that really mattered. Ministerial unease showed that here were findings that politicians could not ignore.But Children, their World, their Education is much more than a report. It is an unrivalled educational compendium that systematically covers the issues that are central to the daily work of students, teachers and heads. For trainee teachers on undergraduate and postgraduate courses it effectively maps the territory of primary education and provides the context, information and insight which are essential to the development of classroom skill. Its vast range of carefully evaluated evidence makes it a core resource for those undertaking research and advanced study. Its direct engagement with the policy process during a period of unprecedented change makes it an indispensable tool for policy analysis. It places England’s education system in the global context, and combines evidence on recent developments with a vision of how primary education should be.Part 1 sets the scene and tracks primary education policy since the 1960s.Part 2 examines children’s development and learning, their needs and aspirations, and their lives in a diverse society and fragile world.Part 3 explores what goes on in schools, from the vital early years to educational aims and values, the curriculum, pedagogy and classroom practice, assessment, standards and school organisation.Part 4 deals with the system as a whole: educational ages and stages, the work and training of primary teachers, school leadership, local authorities, funding, governance and policy.Part 5 pulls everything together with 78 conclusions and 75 recommendations for policy and practice.Companion volume: The Cambridge Primary Review Research Surveys, edited by Robin Alexander with Christine Doddington, John Gray, Linda Hargreaves and Ruth Kershner. The Cambridge Primary Review is supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: www.primaryreview.org.uk.

A team of highly regarded contributors were invited to take a rational look at the future of primary schools, particularly during the first 20 years of the next millennium. They were asked to consider many questions, including: What are the roots of primary education? What is the justification for a radical agenda? How well is the system working and in what ways could it further optimize its effectiveness in the interests of the participants? What is a primary school, and what purpose does it serve, and what ends does it have in view? Are these ends appropriate for the future? This book, then, represents the thinking of key scholars and researchers working in the area of primary education and will be essential reading for those involved with the education of primary-aged children.

Informed professional debate about primary teacher education is long overdue. This book provides a sense of direction and impetus in this debate by focusing on pressing topical issues of policy and provision. There is focus on the current national scrutiny of initial and inservice teacher training, which is resulting in the development of a National Curriculum for ITE, the proposal of a General Teaching Council, and Continuing Professional Development initiatives from the TTA. In addition, the book will be of direct use in the design and implementation of new courses in teacher education. All the contributions have been specially commissioned for this book.

Informed professional debate about primary teacher education is long overdue. This book provides a sense of direction and impetus in this debate by focusing on pressing topical issues of policy and provision. There is focus on the current national scrutiny of initial and inservice teacher training, which is resulting in the development of a National Curriculum for ITE, the proposal of a General Teaching Council, and Continuing Professional Development initiatives from the TTA. In addition, the book will be of direct use in the design and implementation of new courses in teacher education. All the contributions have been specially commissioned for this book.

Primary education is currently at the centre of political attention. Reform is constantly under consideration, though the leading proponents of reform are often far removed from the classroom and the world of hard-pressed, demoralised primary teachers. Colin Richards rectifies this by communicating the big picture of primary school culture. He takes the world of the primary school since Plowden (1967) and traces perennial and emergent issues - the issues that need to be understood in order to make a difference to the future of primary education. Through constructive criticism of the national curriculum, OFSTED, ITT and teaching methodology the book will influence and improve the understanding of policy makers, headteachers, governors and teachers and students.

Architecture is a powerful medium for representing, ordering and classifying the world, and understanding the use of space is fundamental to archaeological inquiry. Architecture and Order draws on the work of archaeologists, social theorists and architects to explore the way in which people relate to the architecture which surrounds them. In many societies, houses and tombs have encoded cultural meanings and values which are invoked and recalled through the practices of daily life.Chapters include explorations of the early farming r archi*eye of Europe, from before the use of metals, to the Classical and Medieval worlds of the Mediterranean and Europe. Research of the recent past and present include an overview of hunter-gatherers' camp organization, a reassessment of the use of space amongst the Dogon of West Africa and an examination of mental disorders relating to the use of space in Britain. The volume goes beyond the implication that culture determines form to develop an approach that integrates meaning and practice.

Originally published in 1978 and as a second edition in 1984. The greatly enlarged second edition of the bibliography contains sections on curriculum history, curriculum management, ‘official’ publications, and journals. It also added expanded sections on the sociology of the curriculum and on curriculum evaluation, assessment, and accountability, reflecting the continuing development of curriculum studies in the United Kingdom, the interest shown in the curriculum by scholars in other areas of educational enquiry, and the rapid changes in the socio-cultural context in which the curriculum is discussed, designed and transacted.

Originally published in 1982. This book analyses developments in primary education since 1974 and from this analysis draws out issues gaining rapidly in currency and seem likely to have significant impact on primary education in the following decade. As well as including a substantial number of papers written specially for the book, it draws on some of the best of writing on primary education at the time. This is extremely useful for those interested in curriculum history.

Originally published in 1983. This book provides the first overview of developments in primary science prior to and following the national survey of primary schools in 1978. Key issues central to contemporary policy and practice are identified, set in context and interrelated for teachers, students, tutors and policymakers. Contributors to the book include most of the leading figures in contemporary primary science at the time.

Originally published in 1978 and as a second edition in 1984. The greatly enlarged second edition of the bibliography contains sections on curriculum history, curriculum management, ‘official’ publications, and journals. It also added expanded sections on the sociology of the curriculum and on curriculum evaluation, assessment, and accountability, reflecting the continuing development of curriculum studies in the United Kingdom, the interest shown in the curriculum by scholars in other areas of educational enquiry, and the rapid changes in the socio-cultural context in which the curriculum is discussed, designed and transacted.

Originally published in 1982. This book analyses developments in primary education since 1974 and from this analysis draws out issues gaining rapidly in currency and seem likely to have significant impact on primary education in the following decade. As well as including a substantial number of papers written specially for the book, it draws on some of the best of writing on primary education at the time. This is extremely useful for those interested in curriculum history.

Originally published in 1983. This book provides the first overview of developments in primary science prior to and following the national survey of primary schools in 1978. Key issues central to contemporary policy and practice are identified, set in context and interrelated for teachers, students, tutors and policymakers. Contributors to the book include most of the leading figures in contemporary primary science at the time.