Forthcoming Events
- IoI Forum
- IoI Education Forum
- Venue: London
- Date: Ongoing
NEWS
Education Forum Opinion and Podcasts
Our excellent series of Opinion pieces and our monthly post-Forum Podcasts are available on-line: educationopinion.blogspot.com
IoI Education Forum Facebook Group
There is an Education Forum Facebook Group for all those who wish to join. It will eventually have discussion boards and, of course, a ‘wall’. It is a ‘closed’ group but if you are on Facebook, simply ask to join the group and the adminstrator will give you access.
ABOUT
The Institute of Ideas Education Forum was established in 2004 and is now in its fourth successful year. Through encouraging open and informal debate the Education Forum has created something unique, a true conversation between teachers and education professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. We have done this by offering all participants ample opportunity to examine an important issue through the free flow of argument.
The original aim of the forum was to bring together professionals who work in the area of education who seriously wanted to understand what is happening to education in our schools and further education colleges. We have achieved more than we expected and now have over two hundred people on our mailing list.
During 2007--2008 we will be continuing our meetings in London, but in the spirit of experimentation we are inviting outside speakers to present and discuss their research and publications.
The Education Forum is an exciting enterprise that we hope will make a positive contribution towards creating a real debate about education in the UK.
The Education Forum is free, but places are strictly limited and registration is required. For further details or to register contact Dennis Hayes on 07862 712 742 or email education@instituteofideas.com, giving your contact details and brief information about your professional role and interests in education.
Next Forum:
Monday 22 September
The Therapeutic Turn in Education: Replies to our critics - Kathryn Ecclestone & Dennis Hayes. to include a ‘launch’, with drinks, of The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education
Previous forum topics:
Monday 16 June
Stab Schools?
Are children today more threatening than previous generations or are they terrified into knife carrying? Is the problem of blades in schools exaggerated? Don’t most pupils just want to get on with learning? Is the phenomenon encouraged by schools inadvertently celebrating knife carrying in workshops and drama sessions aimed to warn children against carrying knives? Will a harsher line make it more of a rebellious act to carry knives, or are should schools adopt metal detectors and a zero tolerance approach?
A discussion led by Mark Taylor
Monday 19 May
Should we uphold the Ten Commandments of ‘pedagogy’?
The original Ten Commandments were not evidence-based, whereas, these commandments (the ten principles of pedagogy) publicised by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) are ‘evidence-informed principles’ which are ‘the product of an iterative process of consultation and debate between researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and the TLRP Directors’ Team’. Does the clamour for an ‘evidence-base’ and these complex ‘iterative’ processes offer any real support to any of the principles?
A discussion introduced by Kathryn Ecclestone – who worked on the TRLP programme - with a response by Toby Marshall.
The TLRP ten principles can be accessed here:
http://www.tlrp.org/themes/themes/tenprinciples.html
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which funds the TLRP, is a headline sponsor of The Battle of Ideas 2008.
Monday 14 April
Cultural education
The government recently announced that it wanted every school child to have five hours of culture a week and is funding more cultural education programmes. The government's belief is that more cultural education will help children develop their creative talents.
Is there anything wrong with this idea? Or is Howard Jacobson right in arguing, in response to the government’s announcement that culture is just education, and should not be seen as something to be bolted on as an afterthought?
Has education become so impoverished that it needs an extra dose of culture? Are the government's proposals going to help redress the balance or further confuse people about the role of education in society?
A discussion led by Wendy Earle
Monday 18 February
The paradox of family learning
All parents want to help their children learn and research shows that parental involvement is a key factor in children's success in learning. However, does that justify the increasing involvement of government, local authorities, quangos and third sector charities in determining the 'family curriculum'? Shouldn't they leave family learning to families?
A discussion led by Toby Marshall
Monday 21 January
Helping children to be happy: can the Children's Plan succeed?
The government wants to help parents bring up their children to cope with a changing world. Many critics see the Children’s Plan as more government meddling in the lives of children and parents. Others think it's not all bad. Have they got it all wrong again or is this initiative different?
Discussion led by Mark Taylor
Monday 19 November 2007
Early-years education - held jointly with the IoI Parents Forum
Does the Early Years Curriculum presage a new ‘Jesuit’ maxim: "Give me a child from birth to five and they will be the State's forever"?
Speakers: Jo Sedley and Jenny Payne
Monday 24 September 2007
Subjects or Skills?
Robert Whelan, Deputy Director of CIVITAS and editor of The Corruption of the Curriculum, and Martin Johnson, Acting Deputy General Secretary, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and the lead author of Subject to Change: New Thinking on the Curriculum, will introduce a discussion on the opposing theses of their recent books.
Chair: Dennis Hayes
Information about the CIVITAS book can be found here: www.civitas.org.uk
Information about the ATL book can be found here: http://www.atl.org.uk/atl_en/news/Media_office/releases/curriculum_launch.asp
Short reviews of both books are on Education Opinion:
CITIVAS book
ATL book
Several members of the Education Forum were guests on Claire Fox News on 18 Doughty Street discussing the criticisms made of new curricula in the recent CIVITAS publication The Corruption of the Curriculum.
Monday 9 July
What Training Do Teachers Need?
Speaker: Hanke Dilley
Chair: Shirley Lawes
Monday 18 June
Pseudo-Science and Education
Speaker: Helene Guldberg
Chair: Wendy Earle
Monday 14 May
School Leadership
Speaker: Kevin Rooney
Chair: Michele Ledda
Monday 26 March
14-19 Education: The New Qualifications
Speaker: Toby Marshall
Chair: Alec Turner
Monday 26 February
14-19 Education: ROSLA to 18 and Social Inclusion
Speaker: Joanna Williams
Chair: Kevin Rooney
Monday 22 January
What is personalised Learning?
Speaker: Mark Taylor
Chair: Wendy Earle
2007 looks like being the ‘Year of Personalised Learning’. The recent report of the Teaching and Learning in 2020 Review Group proposed a radical restructuring of English schooling as a solution to the persistent problems of the ‘one size fits all’ model of education does not meet ‘individual needs’. Instead of traditional grades or marks in an inflexible national curriculum, pupils would be able to choose what they study, be assessed when ‘ready’ instead of by age, mark their own work through ‘feedback’, and grade their teacher’s performance. They also propose a ‘learning guide’ to help pupils make progress at their own pace instead of being teacher-led.
The report has been positively received and the few critics seem to see it as describing what good teachers do already. But what really is personalised learning and is it really the way forward for education? Is there more in the report than has been discussed in the media? Is personalisation just an empty, politically expedient phrase, or is it likely to radically change education, as is claimed? What sort of young people will a personalised learning system turn out?
Monday 27 November
Teachers Richard Stubbs (Thomas Tallis School, South London) and Richard Swan (Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone, Kent), whose schools are stalwarts of the Debating Matters Competition, will debate ‘Selection in State Schools’.
Monday 18 October
Jill Kirby introduced themes from her latest book, 'The Nationalisation of Childhood' (Centre for Policy Studies 2006).
Monday 25 September
'Understanding Inclusion' introduced by John Cornwall (Canterbury Christ Church University). John's latest book (with Craig Walter) is 'Therapeutic Education: Working alongside troubled and troublesome children', (Routledge, 2006)
Monday 17 July
An ‘In Conversation’ Event
Richard Bailey (Professor of Pedagogy at Roehampton University) was ‘in conversation' with Patrick Hayes (TES) about the educational philosophy of Karl Popper. Richard is the author of many books including Education for the Open Society – Karl Popper and Schooling (Ashgate)
Monday 19 June
'Why bother to teach modern foreign languages?'
A debate between Dr Lynn Erler (University of Oxford) and Dr Shirley Lawes (Institute of Education, University of London)
Friday 21 April
Special Event:Global Ethics and Citizenship Education
How has the rise of global citizenship education in the US and UK geography curriculum since the early 1990s changed the teaching of geography? Has geography's embrace of global ethics profoundly altered the subject in ways that undermine its intellectual potential? Are global citizenship’s claims radicalism, anti-elitism and language of empowerment nothing more than a misanthropic programme informed by the prevailing demoralised western political culture? The discussion will be led by Dr Alex Standish (visiting from Rutgers University, USA) and Dr Vanessa Pupavac (University of Nottingham)
Monday 24 April 2006
'Professor Stephen Rowland in conversation with Dr Dennis Hayes'
This is the second in our 'in conversation' series. Stephen Rowland, the Professor of Higher Education at University College London is the author of many books, including The Enquiring Classroom and The Enquiring University Teacher. His latest book is The Enquiring University (forthcoming).
Wednesday 10 May
Joint Education Forum and Health Forum event
"Raking over old bones: Darwinism on trial" Introduced by Dave Perks
Darwin's theory of evolution, probably the most far reaching scientific breakthrough of the nineteenth century seems to be under attack now almost more than when Darwin first proposed it. From Islamic scholars to the Intelligent Design movement in the US, there seems to be a concerted attack on Darwinism.
But is this really the return of God? Are the gaps in the fossil record big enough to let religion back into nature? Is there anything new in the modern creationists' argument? Or does the replaying of a 150 year old argument tell us more about a collapse of faith in science?
Why after all in Britain, where creationism is at best a minor preoccupation, does the merest mention of creationism create such a panic amongst the proponents of science? What is science really scared of?
Monday 20 March 2006
'Reflections on the art of teaching'
New teacher Jacob Kestner opposes the cynical 'how to survive' and 'get me out of here' approaches to teaching and celebrates teaching as an art.
Monday 20 February 2006
'Standing up to the bullying panic'
Teacher Mark Taylor explores why government, teachers and parents don't believe children can deal with school bullies!
Monday 23 January 2006
'The Phonics Controversy', introduced by Michele Ledda
Monday 12 December 2005
Professor Richard Pring in conversation with Dr. Shirley Lawes.
The first of a new 'In Conversation' series of open dialogues with noted educational thinkers about their work and ideas.
Monday 14 November 2005
‘Youth, Apathy and Activity’ - A discussion, introduced by Kevin Rooney and Patrick Turner.
Background Reading:
Kevin Rooney’s chapter ‘Citizenship Education: reflecting a political malaise’, in Hayes, D. (ed.) The RoutledgeFalmer Guide to Key Debates in Education (2004).
Patrick Turner’s response to the government’s green paper Youth Matters is available on this website.
Monday 19 September 2005
'Examinations do you good' introduced by Bene’t Steinberg
Monday 4 July 2005
'Multiculturalism and the promotion of faith schools – steps backwards in education?' introduced by Munira Mirza
Monday 6 June 2005
'Why the fuss about ‘vocationalism’?' introduced by Alec Turner
Monday 9 May 2005
'Sick of school dinners?' introduced by Rob Lyons
Monday 4 April 2005
'Literacies or Literacy?' introduced by Wendy Earle
Monday 14 March 2005
'Too Scared to Teach?' introduced by Joanna Williams
Monday 7 February 2005
'What is a subject?' introduced by Louise Fahey
Monday 17 January 2005
'Learning Styles: snake oil, sacred cow or holy grail?' introduced by Kathryn Ecclestone
Key Reading: Coffield, F., Moseley, D., Hall, E. and Ecclestone, K. (2004) Should we be using learning styles? What research has to say to practice, London: LSDA.
Transcripts
For Content, Against Choice by Toby Marshall
Multiculturalism and the promotion of faith schools by Munira Mirza
Literacy or literacies? by Wendy Earle
IoI Education Forum comment: compulsory parenting by Kate Abley
Modern Vocationalism by Alec Turner
IoI Policy Watch: 'Skills: Getting On In Business, Getting On At Work' by Dennis Hayes, Alec Turner and Toby Marshall