Denis Lawton – författare

Titles in the Class, Race and Social Structure set of the International Library of Sociology consider every problem of socio-political importance that affected society in the years following the Second World War.

Until fairly recently the separation of pupils according to religion was felt to be compatible with a comprehensive education. That consensus no longer holds and there is a strong positive lobby either to absorb faith schools altogether within the state system or at least to dilute their membership ensuring they include children from other faiths, or no faith at all.This book addresses the current concerns, questions and interest surrounding the legitimacy, support and intended expansion of faith schools. Divided into five sections, it includes chapters on:* the legal frameworks for faith schools and the rights of the child* faith-based schools in the UK, Northern Ireland, France and the USA* the impact of faith schools on pupil performance* faith schools, religious education and citizenship* political and research issues.Faith Schools: Consensus or Conflict? is of interest to educators, policymakers, researchers and students of education, religion and sociology.

Until fairly recently the separation of pupils according to religion was felt to be compatible with a comprehensive education. That consensus no longer holds and there is a strong positive lobby either to absorb faith schools altogether within the state system or at least to dilute their membership ensuring they include children from other faiths, or no faith at all.This book addresses the current concerns, questions and interest surrounding the legitimacy, support and intended expansion of faith schools. Divided into five sections, it includes chapters on:* the legal frameworks for faith schools and the rights of the child* faith-based schools in the UK, Northern Ireland, France and the USA* the impact of faith schools on pupil performance* faith schools, religious education and citizenship* political and research issues.Faith Schools: Consensus or Conflict? is of interest to educators, policymakers, researchers and students of education, religion and sociology.

In 1997 Tony Blair broke with tradition by naming education as a major priority for the General Election Manifesto. In the past, Labour leaders had tended to give education a much lower priority. Despite this, Blair has been greatly criticised for his educational programme 1997-2001. Was he taking education away from traditional labour values of fairness and equality? Was Blair's 'Third Way' just 'Thatcherism in Trousers'?Denise Lawton approaches such questions by analysing labour education policies since 1900 and shows that from the very beginning the labour Party lacked unity and ideological coherence concerning education. Specifically, there has always been a tension between those like the early Fabians who saw educational reform in terms of economic efficiency, and the ethical socialists whose vision of a more moral society stressed the importance of social justice in education. After an assessment of Labour ideologies in the past, this book concludes with an examination of New Labour and the 'Third Way' in education and suggests some changes that will be necessary in the near future.

In 1997 Tony Blair broke with tradition by naming education as a major priority for the General Election Manifesto. In the past, Labour leaders had tended to give education a much lower priority. Despite this, Blair has been greatly criticised for his educational programme 1997-2001. Was he taking education away from traditional labour values of fairness and equality? Was Blair's 'Third Way' just 'Thatcherism in Trousers'?Denise Lawton approaches such questions by analysing labour education policies since 1900 and shows that from the very beginning the labour Party lacked unity and ideological coherence concerning education. Specifically, there has always been a tension between those like the early Fabians who saw educational reform in terms of economic efficiency, and the ethical socialists whose vision of a more moral society stressed the importance of social justice in education. After an assessment of Labour ideologies in the past, this book concludes with an examination of New Labour and the 'Third Way' in education and suggests some changes that will be necessary in the near future.

This yearbook on education for 2001 brings together leading international voices on values in education and presents a window on current debates. These include such fundamental issues as who should decide upon the values we adopt.

It is often argued that education is concerned with the transmission of middle-class values and that this explains the relative educational failure of the working class. Consequently, distinctive culture needs a different kind of education. This volume examines this claim and the wider question of culture in British society. It analyses cultural differences from a social historical viewpoint and considers the views of those applying the sociology of knowledge to educational problems. The author recognizes the pervasive sub-cultural differences in British society but maintains that education should ideally transmit knowledge which is relatively class-free. Curriculum is defined as a selection from the culture of a society and this selection should be appropriate for all children. The proposed solution is a common culture curriculum and the author discusses three schools which are attempting to put the theory of such curriculum into practice. This study is an incisive analysis of the relationships between class, education and culture and also a clear exposition of the issues and pressures in developing a common culture curriculum.

If the curriculum can be defined as a ‘selection from the culture of society’, the central question then becomes ‘who selects’. This volume answers this question, reviewing various aspects of the curriculum and its planning. For many years the control of the curriculum was uncontroversial. In the 1970s this situation changed: teachers were increasingly criticised for having too much power; the Department of Education was suspected of wanting more control and local education authorities felt they should be more involved in curriculum planning. In reviewing some of the reasons for these conflicting pressures, two central themes emerge: first, the change from a partnership model of control to a complex system of accountability; and second the fact that these and many other changes which occur tend to be brought about as a result of secret decisions and central manipulation rather than through open negotiation. Among the areas covered are the changing position of teachers and the Department of Education, the influence of examinations on the curriculum, and some political aspects of curriculum evaluation and the different models used.

This book deals with curriculum issues and problems, and one of its aims is to help practising teachers to clarify their own theory and practice in relation to the curriculum. The contributors look at three popular theories or sets of assumptions held by teachers: the child-centred view of education; the subject-centred or knowledge-centred view; and the society-centred view. Each of these views is incomplete on its own, but each has something to contribute in planning a curriculum as a whole, and the authors emphasize that a comprehensive theory of curriculum planning would take into account the individual nature of the pupil and also recognize the social value of education. This kind of comprehensive curriculum planning has been described as the situation-centred curriculum, based on the idea that schools should be concerned with preparing the young for the world as it will be when they leave school. One of the purposes of education is to develop a child’s autonomy; he or she must learn to cope with the variety of situations which will face him or her in society. Thus many different approaches must be employed in establishing a basis for the complex task of curriculum planning. The book draws on the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, history and sociology to suggest new approaches to curriculum objectives and evaluation. It considers the theoretical bases of curriculum models, practical issues of planning, evaluation and pedagogy and discusses some urgent contemporary questions about the politics and control of the curriculum.

It is often argued that education is concerned with the transmission of middle-class values and that this explains the relative educational failure of the working class. Consequently, distinctive culture needs a different kind of education. This volume examines this claim and the wider question of culture in British society. It analyses cultural differences from a social historical viewpoint and considers the views of those applying the sociology of knowledge to educational problems. The author recognizes the pervasive sub-cultural differences in British society but maintains that education should ideally transmit knowledge which is relatively class-free. Curriculum is defined as a selection from the culture of a society and this selection should be appropriate for all children. The proposed solution is a common culture curriculum and the author discusses three schools which are attempting to put the theory of such curriculum into practice. This study is an incisive analysis of the relationships between class, education and culture and also a clear exposition of the issues and pressures in developing a common culture curriculum.

This book deals with curriculum issues and problems, and one of its aims is to help practising teachers to clarify their own theory and practice in relation to the curriculum. The contributors look at three popular theories or sets of assumptions held by teachers: the child-centred view of education; the subject-centred or knowledge-centred view; and the society-centred view. Each of these views is incomplete on its own, but each has something to contribute in planning a curriculum as a whole, and the authors emphasize that a comprehensive theory of curriculum planning would take into account the individual nature of the pupil and also recognize the social value of education. This kind of comprehensive curriculum planning has been described as the situation-centred curriculum, based on the idea that schools should be concerned with preparing the young for the world as it will be when they leave school. One of the purposes of education is to develop a child’s autonomy; he or she must learn to cope with the variety of situations which will face him or her in society. Thus many different approaches must be employed in establishing a basis for the complex task of curriculum planning. The book draws on the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, history and sociology to suggest new approaches to curriculum objectives and evaluation. It considers the theoretical bases of curriculum models, practical issues of planning, evaluation and pedagogy and discusses some urgent contemporary questions about the politics and control of the curriculum.

In this volume, educationists and experts on values, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, discuss the question of values and the curriculum in societies which are changing rapidly and in which disagreements about values are sometimes acrimonious.

This is an up-to-date guide for teachers and parents, administrators, governors , students and others to help the find their way about the increasingly complex world of education. The main section provides a dictionary that is more than a simple set of definitions: many words in education have been put into some kind of historical context to become fully meaningful. The second part gives some important landmarks from the nineteenth century to the present time, and also provides a list of political heads of education since state education was established. The final section is devoted to a list of acronyms and abbreviations, both of which have been the subject of multiple definitions in recent years.

This is an up-to-date guide for teachers and parents, administrators, governors , students and others to help the find their way about the increasingly complex world of education. The main section provides a dictionary that is more than a simple set of definitions: many words in education have been put into some kind of historical context to become fully meaningful. The second part gives some important landmarks from the nineteenth century to the present time, and also provides a list of political heads of education since state education was established. The final section is devoted to a list of acronyms and abbreviations, both of which have been the subject of multiple definitions in recent years.

Values in education - how they are taught, the ethics of teaching itself, plus their role in the education of educators - is an area of lively and passionate debate. This book provides an essential resource of ideas, issues and current practice for all those with an interest in this area of education.Presenting a range of critical writing, this book deals with issues relating to education in values; approaches to teaching values; teacher education and values; research for education in values; and international comparative studies. Highly regarded when it was first published in hardback in 2000, the book now appears in paperback for the first time with a new introduction, which updates the main ideas and themes of the book.

There is now a broad agreement that citizenship should form a major part of the curriculum. That, broadly, is where the agreement ends. What pupils should learn, how and why they should learn it and how that learning should be assessed are all contentious issues. These questions and others provide the opportunities for theoretical debate yet, at the same time, busy practitioners have to teach citizenship and teach it effectively now. This helpful book is based on the assumption that theory needs to be related to practice, and also that there is already much good practice from which we can learn. Denis Lawton is Professor of Education and Jo Cairns and Roy Gardner are Senior Lecturers at the Institute of Education, University of London.

If the curriculum can be defined as a ‘selection from the culture of society’, the central question then becomes ‘who selects’. This volume answers this question, reviewing various aspects of the curriculum and its planning. For many years the control of the curriculum was uncontroversial. In the 1970s this situation changed: teachers were increasingly criticised for having too much power; the Department of Education was suspected of wanting more control and local education authorities felt they should be more involved in curriculum planning. In reviewing some of the reasons for these conflicting pressures, two central themes emerge: first, the change from a partnership model of control to a complex system of accountability; and second the fact that these and many other changes which occur tend to be brought about as a result of secret decisions and central manipulation rather than through open negotiation. Among the areas covered are the changing position of teachers and the Department of Education, the influence of examinations on the curriculum, and some political aspects of curriculum evaluation and the different models used.

Values in education - how they are taught, the ethics of teaching itself, plus their role in the education of educators - is an area of lively and passionate debate. This book provides an essential resource of ideas, issues and current practice for all those with an interest in this area of education.Presenting a range of critical writing, this book deals with issues relating to education in values; approaches to teaching values; teacher education and values; research for education in values; and international comparative studies. Highly regarded when it was first published in hardback in 2000, the book now appears in paperback for the first time with a new introduction, which updates the main ideas and themes of the book.