Whatever Happened to Progressivism?: The Demise of Child Centred Education in Modern Britain

In this Professorial Lecture Roy Lowe highlights important recent research on the debate on teaching in Britain in the post-Second World War era. He begins by reflecting on recent trends in the study of history of education and goes on to argue the need for research which is socially aware and sensitive to the political and social trends which underlie classroom practice. He also suggests that historians of education have something to say about the wider issues confronting the global community at this time. Whatever Happened to Progressivism? shows how stereotypes have developed around the ways we perceive developments in teaching since 1944 and then suggests the need for a new look at the debate on the school curriculum. Important new research evidence is used to provide fresh insights into the debate on how children should be taught and what they should be taught in the years following the Second World War.