Palgrave Studies in Alternative Education

This book presents a selection of case studies of pioneers in arts education who were working in the United Kingdom in the period 1890 to 1950. Focusing on music, drama, and visual arts and crafts, the editors and contributors examine the impact these individuals had on developing innovative approaches to these subject areas and how they drew on perspectives that emphasised the need for children’s self-expression. The chapters offer an analysis of the pioneers’ beliefs and values, with a particular emphasis on their ideological positions about identity, nation, and what constituted ‘good taste’. The book further examines how their ideas were disseminated, in so doing interrogating the concept of ‘influence’ in educational theory and practice.

This book questions the consensus that contemporary formal schooling is of clear cut and undoubted benefit to pupils. During lockdowns caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, governments and various other actors have been trying to get children and young people back into school as quickly as possible. While there are any numerous beneficial aspects of schooling, the book asks whether accepted models and practices of schools should change in a post-COVID world. By critically examining the everyday nature of 'normal' schooling, the book demonstrates that many aspects of schooling are not necessarily beneficial to pupils, and can be directly harmful: in doing so, the author imagines a future of schooling that could better support and benefit its students.

This book explores the phenomenon of outdoor education, an approach that permits children from all backgrounds to explore environmental, sustainability, and other issues facing them and their communities. Organized around both the conceptual and the practical issues facing school leaders interested in outdoor education, the book provides a wealth of resources for those interested in implementing outdoor education in their schools or classrooms. Infinitely flexible, outdoor education provides a lens through which teachers may explore any content area with any age group of children. Providing readers with both the theoretical underpinnings that support place-based curriculum as well as practical ways to implement an outdoor education program, the book also provides seven case studies that examine the issues facing school leaders desiring to make such a change. Outdoor Education: A Pathway to Experiential, Environmental, and Sustainable Learning guides those interested in exploring outdoor education through the curricular, instructional, and policy considerations needed to accomplish this goal.  

This book provides a unique critical perspective on the importance of values to school culture. Drawing on research in Quaker schools in England, and the perspectives of students, it challenges the idea that school evaluation should be primarily based on measurable outcomes and argues that values matter more to learning than is often acknowledged. Furthermore, the book provides important insights on how to research schools that claim to hold similar values, from multi-academy chains to other so-called faith schools. Throughout the text, the author underscores the importance of values to students’ dispositions, in order to engage with the learning opportunities their schools provide. He argues for seeing schools as places where equality, inclusiveness and mutual respect should be central, not only to help students understand our fragile, multicultural democracy, but also because these values open up the possibility of learners’ increased engagement with curriculum knowledge.