Social capital and lifelong learning. We know very little about the way that people’s networks affect their access to learning. John Field examines the evidence concerning links between social capital and lifelong learning. Contents: introduction · social capital and human capital and lifelong learning · lifelong learning and social capital – exploring possibilities · conclusion …
Category archives: Social action, social change and social reform
Social pedagogy: the development of theory and practice
Social pedagogy: the development of theory and practice. The term social pedagogy has been used to describe a range of work straddling social work and education. Often more holistic and group-oriented than dominant forms of social work and schooling, social pedagogy (sozial pädagogik) has its roots in German progressive education – and is sometimes translated …
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Henry Solly and the Working Men’s Club and Institute Union
Founder of the Working Men’s Club and Institute Union and a great propagandist for clubs, Henry Solly provided a much needed conceptual clarity to the notion of club work. He also was an important advocate for the extension of working-class political rights and helped to set up the Charity Organization Society. contents: introduction · involvement …
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Henry Solly: The origin and nature of Working Men’s Clubs and Institutes
Picture by Graeme Douglas. Flickr ccbysa2 licence In this piece Henry Solly reviews the early development of working men’s clubs and establishes their central characteristics and principles. First published as Chapter 1 of Henry Solly (1867; 1904) Working Men’s Social Clubs and Educational Institutes. Founder of the Club and Institute Union and a great propagandist …
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Space for the people
This article by Octavia Hill, included in Homes of the London Poor (1883), outlines her case for the need for all people to be able to access space: places to sit in, places to play in, places to stroll in, and places to spend a day in. Octavia Hill (1838-1912) is remembered, chiefly, for her …
Maude Stanley, girls’ clubs and district visiting
Maude Stanley, girls’ clubs and district visiting. A youth work pioneer who produced an early comprehensive youth work text – and helped to found the London Union of Girls Clubs. Contents: introduction · work around the Five Dials · the Soho Club · clubs for girls · conclusion · further reading and references · how …
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Maude Stanley: Night schools
Maude Stanley 2862 by Camille Silvy. Wikipedia pd. This piece provides an insight into the way in which parish visitors approached their tasks – in particular, how they related schooling and club work to outreach. Taken from Chapter IX of Maude Stanley’s (1878) Work About The Five Dials, London: Macmillan. Maude Stanley, the third daughter …
John Stansfeld (“the Doctor”) and ‘Oxford in Bermondsey’
John Stansfeld (“the Doctor”) and ‘Oxford in Bermondsey’. John Stansfeld (“The Doctor”) gathered together a remarkable group to work with boys and young men in Bermondsey. Their work and subsequent contribution helped to define the shape of modern boys’ club work and social policy more widely. They were also a significant force in the Church …
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Frances Herbert Stead, Robert Browning Hall and the fight for old age pensions
Frances Herbert Stead, Robert Browning Hall and the fight for old age pensions. Herbert Stead (1857-1928) – the Congregationalist minister who established and ran Robert Browning Hall (a settlement in Walworth, London) – was a key figure in the fight for old age pensions in Britain. We explore his contribution both to the development of …
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Arthur Sweatman and the idea of the club
Arthur Sweatman and the idea of the club. Known as an early advocate of specific youth provision, the Most Rev. Arthur Sweatman also contributed to thinking around the development of working men’s clubs. Arthur Sweatman (1834-1909) was the son of a doctor on the staff of the Middlesex Hospital, and was educated at University College …
Rabindranath Tagore on education
Rabindranath Tagore on education. As one of the earliest educators to think in terms of the global village, Rabindranath Tagore’s educational model has a unique sensitivity and aptness for education within multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural situations, amidst conditions of acknowledged economic discrepancy and political imbalance. Kathleen M. O’Connell explores Rabindranath Tagore’s contribution. contents: background · …
Richard Henry Tawney, fellowship and adult education
Richard Henry Tawney was a noted economic historian, democratic socialist and educator. Here we make a brief assessment of his contribution as an adult educationalist – and his strong belief in fellowship. contents: introduction and life · equality· association and the dispersion of power · social function · democratic citizenship · fellowship · adult education …
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Toynbee Hall, adult education and association
Toynbee Hall, adult education and association. The setting up of the Worker’s Educational Association is often portrayed as Toynbee Hall’s key contribution to adult education. Mark K. Smith suggests it is something else – developing the learning that arises out of the life of an association. Contents: introduction · settlements of university men · on clubs …
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Toynbee Hall, adult education and association
Toynbee Hall, adult education and association. The setting up of the Worker’s Educational Association is often portrayed as Toynbee Hall’s key contribution to adult education. Mark K. Smith suggests it is something else – developing the learning that arises out of the life of an association. Contents: introduction · settlements of university men · on …
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Viewing Impington – Henry Morris and the idea of the village college
Viewing Impington – Henry Morris and the idea of the village college. Henry Morris’ championship of the village college has been a significant feature of, and inspiration for, discussions about the worth of community schooling. On this page we explore Henry Morris’s vision of the village college (for more see Henry Morris) though the design …
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Mary Ward and the Passmore Edwards Settlement
Mary Ward – Wikipedia pd An innovative settlement founded by Mary Ward that developed play centres, special education and a range of other programmes. Mary Ward and the Passmore Edwards Settlement (now Mary Ward House), 9 Tavistock Place WC1. The original settlement began as University Hall in Gordon Square in 1890. Soon Marchmont Hall in …
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William Foote Whyte, street society, organizations and learning from the field
William Foote Whyte, street society, organizations and learning from the field. William Foote Whyte made a seminal contribution to our appreciation of local community life and the possibilities of participant observation. He also explored organizational behavior and became an expert in employee-owned firms. We explore his work and his continuing significance for informal and community …
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George Williams and the YMCA
George Williams and the YMCA. George Williams and the small group of other young men who set up the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) had a great belief in what they were doing – but they probably have been amazed at the scale and scope of the worldwide movement that emerged. Here we examine the …
Peter Willmott – community, family and public policy
Peter Willmott – community, family and public policy. Peter Willmott (1923-2000) played an important role in deepening appreciation of the experiences of people in families and local communities. As a sociologist, researcher and communicator he was able to speak to some of the most important concerns of his time. We assess his work and contribution. …
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Mary Wollstonecraft on national education
Being chapter XII of Mary Wollstonecraft’s (1792) A Vindication of the Rights of Women. This classic piece ‘On National Education’ by Mary Wollstonecraft sets out some of the key elements of her view of education and schooling. Mary Wollstonecraft had written earlier pieces on the education of girls and young women, but this was significant …
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Mary Wollstonecraft on education
Mary Wollstonecraft has long been appreciated as a major political thinker – but she also made important contributions to educational theory and practice. Barry Burke investigates. contents: introduction · Mary Wollstonecraft on education · conclusion · bibliography · how to cite this article. See, also in the archives Mary Wollstonecraft on national education from A …
Robert A. Woods: Settlements, neighbourhoods and associations
Robert A. Woods: Settlements, neighbourhoods and associations. Robert Archey Woods played a pivotal role in the introduction and development of university and social settlements in the United States of America. In this brief assessment we outline his contribution. contents: introduction · conclusion · bibliography · how to cite this article Robert Archey Woods (1865-1925) was …
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Robert A. Woods: The recovery of the parish
South End, Boston by Thomas Julin. Wikimedia ccby3 licence Robert A. Woods (1912) states, and argues for, the fostering of association, co-operation and common welfare. Robert Archey Woods (1965-1925) was a key figure in the introduction and development of university and social settlements in the United States. Founder and Head of South End House, Boston …
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Robert A. Woods: University settlements: their point and drift
South End, Boston by Thomas Julin. Wikimedia ccby3 licence Robert A. Woods states, and argues for, the fostering of association, co-operation and common welfare. Robert Archey Woods (1965-1925) was a key figure in the introduction and development of university and social settlements in the United States. Founder and Head of South End House, Boston (1895-1925) …
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Working with young people in difficult times
Support page for the forthcoming book Acknowledgement: Students by Gisella Klein. Sourced from Flickr and reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) licence. https://www.flickr.com/photos/katzarella/6881053210/
Writing up research and evaluation
Writing up research and evaluation. What is involved in writing a research report or study? Here we explore ‘writing up’ as an integral and ongoing element of the research process – and explore what some of the implications for practitioners may be. Contents: introduction · writing and theorizing · who, what why? · readers’ experiences …
Basil Yeaxlee, lifelong learning and informal education
A key, but overlooked figure, Basil Yeaxlee wrote the first book on lifelong education; argued that informal education was as significant as formal; and explored the spiritual nature of education contents: introduction and life · the YMCA and the huts · the 1919 report · spiritual values in adult education · Basil Yeaxlee, lifelong education and …
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Michael Young: community, change and social innovation
Michael Young: community, change and social innovation. Michael Young made a profound contribution to social reform in Britain during the second half of the twentieth century. The innovative organizations he helped establish in the fields of education, consumer rights and health services have touched the lives of many people. Some of Michael Young’s proposals such …
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