British Educational Theory 1750-1850

This collection gives an excellent overview of the range of educational debates that took place in Britain between 1750 and 1850. One of the most prominent characteristics of British educational thought was its concern with practical problems of the curriculum, teaching methods, school organization and whether schools should be maintained by voluntary effort or by the state. It is possible that this emphasis on practical education as opposed to pure theory, led to the relative neglect of these books, and what these writers have to say in them, until more recent times.As in other key areas of intellectual thought such as philosophy and economics, British educationalists made a very valuable contribution. This selection also provides an important and historical perspective on some of the current discussions about the nature and scope of education.