48 results on '"Brooker, Liz"'
Search Results
2. The skifield spill
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz and Wall, Tony
- Published
- 2015
3. Childminders, Parents and Policy: Testing the Triangle of Care
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Abstract
Childminders in England have historically been seen as marginal providers of childcare, fulfilling Bruner's description of the service as an "accordion pleat" in provision. This article outlines the history and current position of childminders in English early childhood policy, and then reports on the views on this role of childminders who participated in focus groups to discuss the statutory requirements for their role. The participants describe their feelings about their role, revealing tensions between the maternal and professional aspects of their practice, the "expert" and "common-sense" contributions they make, and the ways in which they perceive adherence to regulatory frameworks as undermining the relationships with parents, which form a core theme in their self-perception.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Taking Children Seriously: An Alternative Agenda for Research?
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Abstract
Recent developments in early childhood research in the UK suggest there is a good deal of current knowledge as to "what works" in early education, including what helps to narrow the gap between more and less advantaged pupils. A broad consensus now exists in many parts of the English-speaking world as to the forms of provision, including curriculum and pedagogy, environment and ethos, which are most likely to support children's well-being and their development. This consensus is described as evidence-based because the findings from very large studies have informed policy and practice, and have been widely disseminated. This article summarizes some aspects of the current consensus--on learning through play, respecting diversity, listening to children--and asks some critical questions about the implementation of these principles in practice. Through examining some small examples of interactions in day care and classrooms, it asks whether current confidence about the nature of good practice has prevented researchers from asking difficult questions and challenging orthodoxies. It suggests some topics which might inform the agenda of future research, ensuring that rather than resting on their laurels, researchers attempt to listen carefully to children and families and take both them and their culture seriously.
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Constructing the Triangle of Care: Power and Professionalism in Practitioner/Parent Relationships
- Author
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Brooker, Liz
- Abstract
This paper draws on recent re-conceptualisations of the notions of "care" and "caring" (Noddings, 1992; Tronto, 1993) to explore data from semi-structured interviews with the parents and key workers for about twenty children under three who were attending two London children's centres. Located in an environment of frequent new policy initiatives, including an advocacy of parental partnership, it seeks to describe the ways that these adults construct their mutual relationships, and the difficulties which may attend this process. Class and cultural differences, as well as conflicting understandings of "professionalism" are shown to inform the development of the "triangle of care", with potential consequences for the care and welfare of the small child on whom the relationship is focused.
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. From Home to the Home Corner: Observing Children's Identity-Maintenance in Early Childhood Settings
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Abstract
This article draws on data from two recent studies of young children in early childhood settings. One study was of children in a Korean private kindergarten, the other of children in a UK reception class. In each study, the data discussed include both evidence from "home" (including parent interviews) and evidence from "school" (including conversations with the children themselves) on the gendered and ethnic identities the children display in the classroom. The children's stated beliefs and preferences, and their observed choice of activities and friends, appear to be influenced both by the beliefs and behaviour of their families, and by the early childhood environments they are offered. The transition from home to group settings, it is suggested, may reinforce rather than diminish the stereotyping along gendered and ethnic lines, while participation in "research" conversations may provide a rare opportunity for the children to question and reflect on stereotypes.
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. The Cooking Teacher: Investigating Gender Stereotypes in a Korean Kindergarten
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz and Ha, Sang-Jin
- Abstract
This article discusses some findings from a small-scale investigation of children's gendered beliefs and behaviours in a Korean kindergarten which was attempting to challenge gender stereotyping through the anti-bias intervention of a "cooking curriculum". A sample of 14 children, some with "working" mothers and some with "housewife" mothers, was observed for two months, and informally interviewed on several occasions. The children's mothers were also interviewed. The findings are situated in the context of the changing, but still traditional, culture of Korean society, as well as in the contexts of early childhood education and theories of gender acquisition. They confirm that, although children are highly likely to reproduce the beliefs current in their home environment, they are open to reconstructing these views when actively challenged to consider alternatives, either by the school curriculum or by engaging in debate with a researcher or practitioner. The nature of the "alternative" views available may however be problematic.
- Published
- 2005
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Learning How to Learn: Parental Ethnotheories and Young Children's Preparation for School
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Abstract
This paper discusses one aspect of the findings from an ethnographic study of the ways in which four-year-old children learn, and are taught, at home and in their Reception class. The children were from two distinctive cultural backgrounds within the same urban neighbourhood: one-half belonged to UK ("Anglo") families, and one-half to families from Bangladesh. They were observed and assessed throughout their first school year, and additional data were collected from interviews with parents, practitioners and the children themselves. Analysis of the data suggested that one way of understanding the variation in the children's experiences was through the ethnotheories, or cultural belief systems, of their home communities--such as their parents' concepts of childhood, and their theories of intelligence and instruction. The paper argues that such differences in children's home preparation have consequences for their school experience, and carry implications for their school providers. The study of parental ethnotheories, therefore, may help to explain, and alleviate, the differences in school achievement of children from diverse backgrounds. However, accessing respondents' personal theories presents both ethical and methodological problems, particularly when the researcher is working with socially disadvantaged groups. (Contains 1 figure.)
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Learning How To Learn: Parental Ethnotheories and Young Children's Preparation for School.
- Author
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Brooker, Liz
- Abstract
An ethnographic study explored cultural belief systems of four-year-olds' families and school staff from Anglo and Bangladeshi families in England. Case study of one child/family illustrates how parental beliefs about childhood, the home, uses and purposes of literacy, and children's learning influence children's school experience. How data were used to develop a theoretical explanation to interpret children's adaptation to school and to reflect implications for pedagogy is also illustrated. (KB)
- Published
- 2003
10. Integrating New Technologies in UK Classrooms: Lessons for Teachers from Early Years Practitioners.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Abstract
Notes that rapid introduction of information and communication technologies in United Kingdom schools, along with government-mandated curriculum requirements, has not been matched by growth in practitioners' understanding of appropriate ways to use the technology. Examines the successful implementation of technology in early childhood settings where less pressure to meet strict guidelines allows more opportunity to experiment with child-centered practice. (TJQ)
- Published
- 2003
11. CONSTRUCTING THE TRIANGLE OF CARE: POWER AND PROFESSIONALISM IN PRACTITIONER/PARENT RELATIONSHIPS
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
12. Integrating new technologies in UK classrooms: lessons for teachers from early years practitioners
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
Educational technology -- Study and teaching -- Curricula -- Technology application -- Educational aspects ,Computers and children -- Study and teaching -- Educational aspects -- Technology application ,Teachers -- Training ,Teacher centers -- Technology application -- Study and teaching -- Educational aspects ,Education ,Family and marriage ,Technology application ,Technology in education ,Educational aspects ,Curricula ,Study and teaching - Abstract
In England, as in many other countries, the introduction of new technologies into children's classrooms sometimes appears to have occurred with revolutionary speed. The number of computers used in education [...]
- Published
- 2003
13. Decision-making Processes in Review Meetings for Children in Care: A Bourdieusian Analysis.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. Childhood in Africa between Local Powers and Global Hierarchies.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. Struggling to Support: Genesis of the Practice of Using Support Persons in the Finnish Child Welfare Field.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. `Those Who Are Good to Us, We Call Them Friends': Social Support and Social Networks for Children Growing up in Poverty in Rural Andhra Pradesh, India.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. `A Fish in Water?' Social Lives and Local Connections: The Case of Young People Who Travel Outside Their Local Areas to Secondary School.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
18. Early Childhood Education as a Social Field: Everyday Struggles and Practices of Dominance.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
19. FrontMatter.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
20. Between Young Children and Adults: Practical Logic in Families' Lives.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Cultural Capital in the Preschool Years: Can the State `Compensate' for the Family?
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. Intergenerational Relations: Embodiment over Time.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Introduction.
- Author
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Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. Childminders, parents and policy: Testing the triangle of care.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
DAY care aides ,CHILDREN ,STATUS (Law) - Abstract
Childminders in England have historically been seen as marginal providers of childcare, fulfilling Bruner’s description of the service as an ‘accordion pleat’ in provision. This article outlines the history and current position of childminders in English early childhood policy, and then reports on the views on this role of childminders who participated in focus groups to discuss the statutory requirements for their role. The participants describe their feelings about their role, revealing tensions between the maternal and professional aspects of their practice, the ‘expert’ and ‘common-sense’ contributions they make, and the ways in which they perceive adherence to regulatory frameworks as undermining the relationships with parents, which form a core theme in their self-perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. Oversold & Underused. Computers in the Classroom Larry Cuban
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Published
- 2004
26. Researching Children's Perspectives Ann Lewis Geoff Lindsay
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Published
- 2001
27. Editorial.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
ATTITUDES of mothers , *EDUCATION policy , *PRESCHOOLS - Abstract
An introduction is presented in which the author discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the views on education of immigrant mothers in Canada, the beliefs and practices of Estonian teachers on policy implementation, the developing practice in preschools in Finland.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. BackMatter.
- Author
-
Alanen, Leena, Brooker, Liz, and Mayall, Berry
- Published
- 2015
29. Taking children seriously: An alternative agenda for research?
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
CHILD research ,EARLY childhood education ,CULTURAL pluralism ,PLAY ,LEARNING ,PARENT participation in preschool education - Abstract
Recent developments in early childhood research in the UK suggest there is a good deal of current knowledge as to ‘what works’ in early education, including what helps to narrow the gap between more and less advantaged pupils. A broad consensus now exists in many parts of the English-speaking world as to the forms of provision, including curriculum and pedagogy, environment and ethos, which are most likely to support children’s well-being and their development. This consensus is described as evidence-based because the findings from very large studies have informed policy and practice, and have been widely disseminated. This article summarizes some aspects of the current consensus — on learning through play, respecting diversity, listening to children — and asks some critical questions about the implementation of these principles in practice. Through examining some small examples of interactions in day care and classrooms, it asks whether current confidence about the nature of good practice has prevented researchers from asking difficult questions and challenging orthodoxies. It suggests some topics which might inform the agenda of future research, ensuring that rather than resting on their laurels, researchers attempt to listen carefully to children and families and take both them and their culture seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. Editorial.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
EARLY childhood education , *KINDERGARTEN - Abstract
The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Margaret Wong on children's engagement in literacy activities in high-quality kindergartens in Hong Kong, China and Toronto, Ontario and another by Lily Chan and colleagues on the differences in the task facing Chinese children learning to write, when compared with English-speaking children.
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. From Home to the Home Corner: Observing Children's Identity-Maintenance in Early Childhood Settings.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
CHILDREN & the environment , *GENDER identity , *EARLY childhood education , *STEREOTYPES , *OBSERVATION (Psychology) , *HOME & school - Abstract
This article draws on data from two recent studies of young children in early childhood settings. One study was of children in a Korean private kindergarten, the other of children in a UK reception class. In each study, the data discussed include both evidence from ‘home’ (including parent interviews) and evidence from ‘school’ (including conversations with the children themselves) on the gendered and ethnic identities the children display in the classroom. The children's stated beliefs and preferences, and their observed choice of activities and friends, appear to be influenced both by the beliefs and behaviour of their families, and by the early childhood environments they are offered. The transition from home to group settings, it is suggested, may reinforce rather than diminish the stereotyping along gendered and ethnic lines, while participation in ‘research’ conversations may provide a rare opportunity for the children to question and reflect on stereotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. The cooking teacher: investigating gender stereotypes in a Korean kindergarten.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz and Sang-Jin Ha
- Subjects
- *
CHILD psychology , *KINDERGARTEN , *GENDER stereotypes , *STEREOTYPES - Abstract
This article discusses some findings from a small-scale investigation of children's gendered beliefs and behaviours in a Korean kindergarten which was attempting to challenge gender stereotyping through the anti-bias intervention of a 'cooking curriculum'. A sample of 14 children, some with 'working' mothers and some with 'housewife' mothers, was observed for two months, and informally interviewed on several occasions. The children's mothers were also interviewed. The findings are situated in the context of the changing, but still traditional, culture of Korean society, as well as in the contexts of early childhood education and theories of gender acquisition. They confirm that, although children are highly likely to reproduce the beliefs current in their home environment, they are open to reconstructing these views when actively challenged to consider alternatives, either by the school curriculum or by engaging in debate with a researcher or practitioner. The nature of the 'alternative' views available may however be problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2005
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Learning How to Learn: parental ethnotheories and young children's preparation for school.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
EARLY childhood education , *EDUCATIONAL anthropology - Abstract
This paper discusses one aspect of the findings from an ethnographic study of the ways in which four-year-old children learn, and are taught, at home and in their Reception class. The children were from two distinctive cultural backgrounds within the same urban neighbourhood: one-half belonged to UK ('Anglo') families, and one-half to families from Bangladesh. They were observed and assessed throughout their first school year, and additional data were collected from interviews with parents, practitioners and the children themselves. Analysis of the data suggested that one way of understanding the variation in the children's experiences was through the ethnotheories, or cultural belief systems, of their home communities--such as their parents' concepts of childhood, and their theories of intelligence and instruction. The paper argues that such differences in children's home preparation have consequences for their school experience, and carry implications for their school providers. The study of parental ethnotheories, therefore, may help to explain, and alleviate, the differences in school achievement of children from diverse backgrounds. However, accessing respondents' personal theories presents both ethical and methodological problems, particularly when the researcher is working with socially disadvantaged groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. Editorial.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
EARLY childhood education , *EARLY childhood educators - Abstract
An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses several reports published within the issue on topics related to early childhood education including need of change in practice, educators' beliefs and values, and children's activities and behaviors.
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. 'Why Do Children Go To School?’ Consulting Children in the Reception Class.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Published
- 1996
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Editorial.
- Author
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Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
DAY care centers , *PHYSICAL activity , *PLAY , *CHILDREN , *EARLY childhood education - Abstract
The article provides and introduction in which the editor discusses various articles in the issue on topics including mealtimes in Swedish day care centers, the physical activities and aptitudes of children in day care, and play in Hong Kong and German kindergartens.
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Early Years: An International Research Journal.
- Author
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Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
EARLY childhood education , *EARLY childhood educators , *TRAINING of kindergarten teachers - Abstract
The article discusses papers included in the March 2013 issue of "Early Years: An International Research Journal," including a cross-country study of the understanding of professionalism among early childhood educators, a study of a new module in the training of kindergarten teachers and papers about inclusive education.
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Untitled.
- Author
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Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
EARLY childhood education , *LEARNING , *PLAY - Abstract
The article discusses papers which appeared in the March 2012 issue of "Early Years" journal, including a paper on the relationship between learning and play, and another which explored the influence of the play-learning relationship kindergarten practice in China.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. EDITORIAL.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
EARLY childhood education , *EARLY childhood educators , *FATHERS - Abstract
The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including an article on the powerful impact of adult-child relationships on children's experiences of playful learning, a report on the dilemmas faced by fathers of young children, and another on the ways in which early childhood practitioners may be helped to work constructively together.
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Editorial.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
PRESCHOOL teachers , *LEARNING - Abstract
The article discusses various papers published within the issue including an article on the views of preschool practitioners on their professional practice, a study on how teachers in Finnish schools and preschools urge participation among children, and another article on learning environment.
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Editorial.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
CHILDREN'S plays , *CHILD psychology - Abstract
The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Pat Broadhead on social relationships that are constructed through young children's play, one by Cath Arnold on a study of an individual child, and one by Julie Fisher on children's feelings.
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Editorial.
- Author
-
Stephen, Christine, Ang, Lynn, and Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
PRESCHOOL education ,COGNITION in children ,RACE awareness in children - Abstract
An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented, including one by Kathy Silva on the relationship between children's preschool experiences and their later cognitive and behavioral development, another by Priscilla Anderson on a research on children's health, illness and well-being, and another by Paul Connolly on ethnic awareness and social attitudes in early childhood.
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Book reviews.
- Author
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Ang, Lyn, Waite, Sue, Goouch, Kathleen, Brooker, Liz, and Montgomery, Heather
- Subjects
NONFICTION - Abstract
The article reviews several books including "Evolving Creativity: New Pedagogies for Young Children in China," by Keang-leng Vong, "Creative Learning in the Primary School," by Bob Jeffrey and Peter Woods and "Doing Action Research in Early Childhood Studies," by Glenda MacNaughton and Patrick Hughes.
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. BOOK REVIEWS.
- Author
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Brooker, Liz and Woods, Philip
- Subjects
- *
NONFICTION - Abstract
The article reviews several books about educational policy including "The Urban Primary School," by M. Maguire, T. Wooldridge, and S. Pratt-Adams, "Improving School Through External Intervention," by Christopher Chapman, and "School Improvement: An Unofficial Approach," by Martin Thrupp.
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Reviews.
- Author
-
Peters, Michael A., Stanfield, James, Nicholls, Gill, Brooks, Judith, Lawton, Denis, Holden, Cathie, Morgan, Debbie, Brooker, Liz, Lambirth, Andrew, Collins, Janet, Thompson, Linda, Hall, Christine, and Blandford, Sonia
- Subjects
- BEYOND All Reason: Living With Ideology in the University (Book), UNIVERSITIES in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of Higher Education (Book), QUALITY & Power in Higher Education (Book), LEARNING Autonomy in Post-16 Education (Book)
- Abstract
Books reviewed: Ronald Barnett, Beyond All Reason: Living with Ideology in the University Derek Bok, Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of Higher Education Louise Morley, Quality and Power in Higher Education Kathryn Ecclestone, Learning Autonomy in Post-16 Education. The Politics and Practice of Formative Assessment Clive Griggs, The TUC and Education Reform 1926–1970 A. Osler and K. Vincent, Citizenship and the Challenge of Global Education Hilary Claire, Not Aliens: Primary School Children and the Citizenship/PSHE Curriculum Larry Cuban, Oversold & Underused. Computers in the Classroom David Buckingham and Margaret Scanlon, Education, Entertainment and Learning in the Home K.A. Riley and E. Rustique-Forrester, Working with Disaffected Students: Why students lose interest in school and what we can do about it Cathy Nutbrown, Research Studies in Early Childhood Education Bernice E. Cullinan and Diane G. Person (eds), The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature Margaret Preedy, Ron Blacker and Christine Wise (eds), Strategic Leadership and Educational Improvement Nigel Bennett, Megan Crawford and Marion Cartwright (eds), Effective Educational Leadership Lesley Kidd, Lesley Anderson and Wendy Newton (eds), Leading People and Teams in Education [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Book Reviews.
- Author
-
Paschou, Louiza, Brooker, Liz, Williamson, Caroline, Gorard, Stephen, Gaine, Chris, Trigwell, Keith, and Walker, Melanie
- Subjects
- ASSESSING Children's Mathematical Knowledge: Social Class, Sex & Problem Solving (Book), RESEARCHING Children's Perspectives (Book), RACE & Higher Education (Book)
- Abstract
Reviews several books on educational research. 'Assessing Children's Mathematical Knowledge: Social class, Sex, and Problem Solving,' edited by Barry Copper and Mairead Dunne; 'Researching Children's Perspectives,' edited by Ann Lewis and Geoff Lindsay; 'Race and Higher Education,' edited by Tariq Modood and Tony Acland.
- Published
- 2001
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Letters.
- Author
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Brookes, Mick, Brooker, Liz, Hicks, Bruce, Dwyer, Joanne, and Gilbey, Julian
- Subjects
- *
LETTERS to the editor , *DISEASES , *TEACHING , *FLUTE players , *EDUCATION - Abstract
Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in the previous issues including "I Contracted a Terminal Disease Through Teaching" in the September 3, 2010 issue, "Why Being a Fancy Flautist Won't Help Win a Place at Oxford" and "Ode to the Joy of Being Read To," by Gerald Haigh, which both appeared in the August 27, 2010 issue.
- Published
- 2010
48. Children, power and schooling: how childhood is structured in the primary school.
- Author
-
Brooker, Liz
- Subjects
- *
EDUCATIONAL psychology , *CHILD psychology , *SCHOOL children , *CHILD development , *NONFICTION - Abstract
Children, power and schooling: how childhood is structured in the primary schoolDympna Devine, 2003Stoke on Trent, Trentham Books£17.99, 166 pp.ISBN 1-8585-6271-6Devine’s study is built around a compelling and often entertaining account of the lives of children in Dublin primary classrooms in the 1990s. The account is framed by a combination of theoretical perspectives—from earlier sociologies of the classroom, and more recent theories from the sociology of childhood—brought together to construct a coherent overview of the structural positioning of children as pupils. This hybrid theorizing generates a range of interesting interpretations and conclusions: about the status of children in classrooms; about the ways that structure and agency interact in the lives of individual teachers and children, and of whole groups; and about the complex contribution of social class, sex, academic ability and peer group culture to children’s perceptions of their role and position.The analysis derives from data collected from 133 children, aged around six to 10, and their teachers and head teachers, during a single school year. The children are observed in five classrooms in three different schools, selected for their varied social class intake, and much of the data presented consists of quotations from children’s interviews. The very disparate views offered by younger and older children, boys and girls, from differing socio-economic backgrounds, together present a complicated mosaic of beliefs and practices, in which the underlying structural and power issues can be hard to identify. This rich jumble of evidence however has been carefully categorized, and is presented as chapters focused on the separate themes of curriculum, pedagogy, evaluation and social relationships, so as to present an integrated overall analysis.This overall argument is a familiar one by now: that children and childhood, though socially constructed in particular ways by different societies, always constitute a minority social group, whose scholastic ‘work’ is not valued as a social contribution, and whose rights are over-ridden by adult views of their best interests. Schooling, of course, is one of the key ways in which individual children’s wishes are subjugated to societal ends. Society’s ‘interests’, on the whole internalized by the children, relate to their future status as adults in employment, rather than to their present status as individuals with rights to a say in their own daily lives. In the present, they are generally voiceless—and this study is one of many attempting to allow them to be heard.All these arguments are supported by the data presented, most tellingly by the children’s own blunt but pragmatic reflections on the way things are in schools. Like children everywhere, these Irish children know where power is located in schools, and can identify a subtle hierarchy of authority and control, in which they themselves participate. This participation is not merely acceptance or resistance of adult power: the children themselves organize their own oppressive power structures, in which classmates who are viewed as clever or stupid, popular or pretty, socially adept or diffident, make each others’ lives bearable or unbearable. At the same time, the relationships between teachers and their classes is not at all one of simple dominance: like the teachers depicted in earlier studies, Devine’s teachers are engaged in a constant struggle, attempting to sustain their idealistic, vocational and caring intentions in the face of daily demands and pressures, from government and other sources, as well as from children. The children, in their turn, recognize the teachers’ dilemma, and are generally supportive of the negotiated power-sharing arrangements that enable the classroom to function from day to day. Most children in the study feel teachers treat them well, and are positive about school; while a surprisingly large number of them (72%) identified a child, rather than an adult, as ‘having the most power in school’ (p. 26).The Irish Republic, of course, is not only a foreign country but a postcolonial one; like many postcolonial nations, it appears to retain—at the time of this study—some colonial educational practices that are unusual in the UK. These include the predominance of whole-class teaching; the classrooms with desks in rows; the teacher’s desk placed at the front of the classroom for full surveillance, or worse, at the back, so that surveillance is carried out undetected; and the evident lack of autonomy experienced by most children in the matter of their own learning and working habits. So UK teachers and researchers may feel this is a somewhat alien world, and the children somewhat old-fashioned in their acceptance of structural rigidity and inequality. The theoretical models, nevertheless, transcend the actual evidence and remain a pressing reminder of continuing, and universal, concerns. The recommendations for policy—for increases in pupil representation, and improved work on citizenship—have to some extent already achieved New Labour orthodoxy.A minor, but depressing, query: don’t publishers employ copy-editors any more? One glance at the references had me reaching for my pencil as if this were student work for correction. I spotted over 30 errors or inconsistencies in a quick read-through: authors (when names like Althusser are mis-spelt, you wonder if the author actually consulted them), punctuation (apostrophes), chronology, variant referencing forms, repetitions. The main text itself, though written in a forceful and clear style, also had its share of mis-spellings and misplaced apostrophes. I couldn’t help wondering what those strict Irish teachers would have thought of it.Liz Brooker, Institute of Education, University of London, Bedford Way, London WCIH ONT, UKA new deal for children? Re-forming education and care in England, Scotland and SwedenBronwen Cohen, Peter Moss, Pat Petrie and Jennifer Wallace, 2004Bristol, Policy Press£19.99, xii?+?241pp.ISBN 1-8613-4528-3With children’s centres expected to become an election issue in the UK, this is a very timely book because it examines early years education and care policy in three European countries. The book is a comparative research study of England, Scotland and Sweden, which all brought early childhood education and care services, schools and school age childcare under the same government department in the mid to late 1990s. It looks at the nature of the reforms, explores the relationships between children’s education and care as well as how they intersect with family life and employment. Although devolution has given Scotland some control over childcare and education policy, there is still some policy overlap with England and so Scotland emerges as a bridge between the situation in England and Sweden.One of the most striking differences between Sweden and England/Scotland is the way in which the child is seen in public policy. In Sweden, this period has seen what the authors describe as ‘a paradigm shift in how the child is understood’ (p. 39). There is less emphasis on the ‘poor’ child or the child as victim than in England/Scotland. Another difference is the concept of ‘pedagogy’ that is central to Swedish childcare and education practice. In England/Scotland childcare and education are seen as separate, although as one interviewer said, we ‘can’t educate without caring and a good carer can’t care without offering some developmental potential’ (p. 41) suggesting that caring and education need not be so polarized.Another difference between Sweden and England/Scotland is the balance of public and private provision of childcare that has developed over the past three decades. The largely public provision in Sweden is contrasted with the marketization of childcare in England and Scotland where private provision dominates. In this sense, although there were major reorganizations at national government level in all three countries, there were also continuities in policies in relation to public or private provision.Each national study examines the condition of workers within the childcare and education sectors. Women make up the majority of the labour force in all three countries. In Scotland and England there are many different levels of pay, training and qualifications. There have been some predictions that with the integration of childcare and education services differences within the workforce would breakdown. However, it is still a fragmented and poorly paid workforce. There have been attempts to introduce training, which would enable childcare workers to move into the education sector. In Sweden, a much greater degree of integration of the workforce has been achieved. The merger of trade unions, which helped to strengthen their bargaining power at municipal level, led this integration. One of the questions posed by the book is whether liberal welfare regimes (e.g., England and Scotland) with significant private provision of childcare can undertake a major revaluation and reform of the workforce.Sweden is presented as the third case study. Although the profile of Sweden is not uncritical, it still emerges as a vision of what can be done. In Sweden there was a clear move of welfare childcare functions/services into the education sector both at national government level and local level. The reforms signified the move from having achieved a provision of childcare for parents in employment to a greater focus on the child and pedagogy, which also had strong political support. The concept of lifelong learning starts with the young child. In this sense, Sweden can be seen as an example of universal coverage evolving from targeted services. In Scotland/England, child policy is ‘targeted and welfarist in nature’ (p. 190) with great emphasis on joined up working and the reduction of poverty and social exclusion. Sweden has a longer history of providing integrated parental leave, childcare and employment but in Scotland and England these issues are only now being addressed.Each country case study begins with a profile of a child in that country which is a vivid way of illustrating the complexity of service delivery. Interview material provides some insights into the reality of policy implementation, especially the problems of achieving ‘joined up’ government in England and Scotland. This provides valuable evidence of some of the problems facing public policy implementation that are relevant to many aspects of social policy.Local authorities are seen as playing an important role in shaping service developments. In Sweden there is a much greater degree of decentralization and so communes are able to make extensive decisions about services. In Scotland, local authorities have greater scope for service planning and development than in England. The modernization of public services, with an increasing emphasis on local control, has a potential role to play in changes in childcare and education.National political commitment is seen as central to the reforms. A Minister who is willing to champion and promote policies from the top was considered as essential to the success of any reforms.There is a major unresolved issue in all three countries about whether childcare should be treated as a facet of education and what the influence of ‘schoolification’ or being in one form of institution from age one will have on childhood. The book calls for more time to think about and analyze the changes.Jane Lethbridge, Senior Research Fellow, Public Services International Research Unit, Business School, University of Greenwich, London, SE10 9LS.Strategies for inclusive practiceChristine Tilstone and Richard Rose (Eds), 2003London, RoutledgeFalmer£75.00 (hbk), £19.99 (pbk), xiii?+?234 pp.ISBN 0-415-25485-XThis edited book is about the making and interpretation of policies relating to inclusive education in the classroom. It provides a useful overview of government policy in England relating to special educational needs and inclusive education since the beginning of the sea-change ushered in by the 1981 Education Act. While the complexities and contradictions involved in policy making and the ideological struggles which take place around different interpretations of inclusion and exclusion provide a backdrop to the contributions, the main purpose of the book is to explore current policy issues relating to classroom, school and LEA practices in different contexts. It is essentially concerned with placing ‘practice at the forefront’ and relates specifically to the ‘teaching and learning of pupils with special educational needs’ (p. 3), indicating a particular interpretation of inclusive education as being primarily concerned with pupils labeled as having special educational needs. The range of alternative interpretations are acknowledged in a number of chapters in the book. In the opening chapter, ‘Ideology, reality and pragmatics: towards an informed policy for inclusion’, Rose evokes the different ideological strands and starting points in recent debates which he sees as divided between those ‘promoting full inclusion’ who, he argues, ‘have largely written from a moral or humanistic perspective’ and those who ‘perceive major obstacles in the path of developing inclusive schools’ (p. 13). Discussion in which ideology, the interpretation of policy and the conditions necessary for inclusive education to develop, must be joined with a critical exploration of teaching and learning and the need for change at the level of professional practice. This chapter provides a framework for subsequent contributions written by teachers, researchers and policy-makers which, while adopting broadly similar principles, engage with a range of different perspectives and issues.The book is divided into three sections. Part 1, ‘Responding to diversity: the development of policies and strategies’, is made up of seven chapters which are intended to support professionals in developing policies and strategies to enhance the learning of all pupils and, in particular, those who experience difficulties in learning. This section, headed by Rose’s chapter, has contributions in the following areas: strategies for responding to individual learning needs in an inclusive context (Marie Howely and Sue Kime); overcoming discriminatory practices with reference to pupils identified as having severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties who belong to minority ethnic groups (Ann Ferguson and Trudy Duffield); an exploration of issues relating to inclusion and gender, ethnicity and special educational needs (Liz Gershel), which draws on Corbett’s notion of connective pedagogy (2001) and argues powerfully for ‘a holistic educational philosophy for equity and achievement’ (p. 63); school policies for positive behaviour management which stresses the importance of creating ‘time and space for talking and listening to pupils’ (Ted Cole); collaborative multi-agency work with particular reference to pre-school education (Penny Lacey); the development of approaches to ‘inclusive therapy’ in a chapter which raises the issue of ‘invisible forms of exclusion’ in settings in which ‘needs are met superficially in mainstream schools’ (p. 111) and, refreshingly, stresses the importance of the role of professionals in empowering children with learning difficulties, rather than managing them (Christopher Robertson).The second section of the book, ‘Policies into practice through two core subjects’, explores issues and possible tensions in teaching and learning in maths and English in relation to pupils who have special educational needs. Jill Porter’s clear, closely analytical and well-illustrated chapter argues that it is essential for teachers and learning support assistants to understand the wider concepts of mathematics and how learning takes place, as well as having positive attitudes and expectations. Porter observes that maths is a subject ‘in which pupils included into mainstream have been found to make greater gains owing to its pivotal place within the curriculum’ (p. 120).The following chapter by Richard Byers and Linda Ferguson addresses important issues on literacy in relation to children from identified as having severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties. The final section of the book covers a range of wider policy issues and contexts ranging from inclusion in early years (Rob Ashdown); the development of inclusive practices in the 16–19 sector (Caroline Broomhead), the role of the LEA in developing inclusive policies (Sue Fagg), a case study of one LEA (Jim Wolger) which is used to explore some of the tensions and possibilities presented by the development of inclusive policies, and the role of the educational psychologist in developing inclusive education (Sue Sanderson). The book ends with a useful chapter by Christine Tilstone which draws the main strands of the book together and outlines some ways forward for developing inclusive education and the role of professional development.The main strengths of this book lie in its serious engagement with the multiple interfaces between policies as they are made by government, LEA and school, and policies as they are enacted by professionals in the daily practices of management, teaching and learning. There is a clear commitment to reducing barriers to participation and an affirmation that developing inclusive practice is the responsibility of schools, teachers and policy makers at all levels. Some chapters are particularly effective in probing and illuminating areas of policy and practice which can be challenged and reconceptualized in order to reduce barriers to inclusion, many providing useful and detailed examples. The book makes a powerful statement about the right of all learners to full participation in all aspects of the curriculum and challenges by example the common assumption that there are subject areas which are ‘too difficult’ for some learners. Less appealing is the slippage into a deficit view of some pupils which occurs in a few chapters. One way of challenging problems of representation and language is to undertake a critical engagement with labeling and its effects. In addition, a fuller discussion of the need for a wider transformation in the cultures and practices of education systems and schools as an essential part of achieving inclusive education, would have further strengthened this edited collection.Strategies to promote inclusive practice follows on from Promoting inclusive practice (Tilstone et al., 1998) which was joint winner of the 1999 TES/NASEN Academic Book Award. This accessible and well-organized book makes important connections between professional practice and the wider policy context. It will undoubtedly be very useful for practitioners and others interested in developing inclusive practices, and for students on diploma and masters courses relating to special education needs and inclusive education.Felicity Armstrong, School of Educational Foundations and Policy Studies, Institute of Education, 59 Gordon Square, London WCIH ONT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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