Pat Mahony – författare

Originally published in 1984. The history of sex in the last 100 years has usually been written as a story of progress from repression to sexual liberation. This book argues that the reverse is true, demonstrating that the ‘sexual revolution’ came as a backlash to a women’s movement which challenged men’s sexual abuse and tried to reconstruct male sexuality in women’s interest. At first it looks at those groups at the turn of the twentieth century who campaigned to challenge prevailing ideas about sexual behaviour. It moves on to review the work of the most influential sexologists Ellis, Kinsey, Masters and Johnson, and then presents a critical analysis of the sex magazine Forum.

Originally published in 1984. The history of sex in the last 100 years has usually been written as a story of progress from repression to sexual liberation. This book argues that the reverse is true, demonstrating that the ‘sexual revolution’ came as a backlash to a women’s movement which challenged men’s sexual abuse and tried to reconstruct male sexuality in women’s interest. At first it looks at those groups at the turn of the twentieth century who campaigned to challenge prevailing ideas about sexual behaviour. It moves on to review the work of the most influential sexologists Ellis, Kinsey, Masters and Johnson, and then presents a critical analysis of the sex magazine Forum.

Significant changes in the policy and social context of teaching over the last 30 years have had substantial implications for teacher professionalism. As the influence of central regulation and marketisation has increased, so the scope for professional influence on policy and practice has in many cases diminished. Instead, teachers have had to respond to a range of other demands stemming from broader social changes, including greater public scepticism towards professional authority combined with demands for public services that are more responsive to diverse cultural and social identities.

This collection of work by leading international scholars in the field makes a unique contribution to understanding both how these changes are impacting on teaching and how teachers might change their practice for the better. The central premise of the book is that if research is going to be helpful in improving professional learning and the quality of teachers’ practice, the full potential of three broad approaches to research on teacher professionalism needs to be brought to bear on these issues:

In bringing together and drawing out the complementarities of these three approaches, this book represents a ground-breaking collection of work.

Significant changes in the policy and social context of teaching over the last 30 years have had substantial implications for teacher professionalism. As the influence of central regulation and marketisation has increased, so the scope for professional influence on policy and practice has in many cases diminished. Instead, teachers have had to respond to a range of other demands stemming from broader social changes, including greater public scepticism towards professional authority combined with demands for public services that are more responsive to diverse cultural and social identities.

This collection of work by leading international scholars in the field makes a unique contribution to understanding both how these changes are impacting on teaching and how teachers might change their practice for the better. The central premise of the book is that if research is going to be helpful in improving professional learning and the quality of teachers’ practice, the full potential of three broad approaches to research on teacher professionalism needs to be brought to bear on these issues:

In bringing together and drawing out the complementarities of these three approaches, this book represents a ground-breaking collection of work.

Do girls do better in single-sex or co-educational schools?

Up to now, discussion has centred on girls’ academic achievements in single or mixed-sex groups, but Pat Mahony’s research clearly demonstrates that this is not the only issue, and that co-education is damaging for girls socially as well as academically. She challenges the argument that co-education is desirable because it is more normal. Her research reveals that it is normal for girls to be ‘put down’ in class, to be verbally abused and sexually harassed by boys, and yes, this will be their ‘normal’ experience as women. But does this justify the way girls are treated in schools? Pat Mahony goes on to explore some of the reasons behind this state of affairs and suggests that the answer lies in sexual politics, not biology.

The book concludes with practical suggestions for bringing about change in schools, including case-studies from existing projects.

Do girls do better in single-sex or co-educational schools?

Up to now, discussion has centred on girls’ academic achievements in single or mixed-sex groups, but Pat Mahony’s research clearly demonstrates that this is not the only issue, and that co-education is damaging for girls socially as well as academically. She challenges the argument that co-education is desirable because it is more normal. Her research reveals that it is normal for girls to be ‘put down’ in class, to be verbally abused and sexually harassed by boys, and yes, this will be their ‘normal’ experience as women. But does this justify the way girls are treated in schools? Pat Mahony goes on to explore some of the reasons behind this state of affairs and suggests that the answer lies in sexual politics, not biology.

The book concludes with practical suggestions for bringing about change in schools, including case-studies from existing projects.