In this post here I noted that E.D. Hirsch often cites Antonio Gramsci’s work in defence of his ideas. The quotation he (and others) often refer to is this one: The new concept of schooling is in its romantic phase, in which the replacement of “mechanical” by “natural” methods has become unhealthily exaggerated. Previously pupils… Read more »
Read more
On BBC Radio 4 Analysis just now I quoted Robert Tressell to explain why important knowledge belongs to all of us. “What we call civilization–the accumulation of knowledge which has come down to us from our forefathers–is the fruit of thousands of years of human thought and toil. It is not the result of the… Read more »
Read more
On Monday evening BBC Radio 4 are broadcasting this documentary on E.D. Hirsch and Core Knowledge. It will feature an interview with Hirsch himself, as well as with Nick Gibb, Sir Michael Barber and Andrew Pollard. As you can see from the blurb they also interviewed me and one of my colleagues for the programme, and recorded… Read more »
Read more
On Tuesday, the Guardian published an article about E.D. Hirsch and his Core Knowledge Curriculum. The article stated that after Hirsch published his work on the importance of knowledge in the curriculum, he ‘was greeted by the American right as a prophet and a saviour, and by the left as a scion of the empire… Read more »
Read more
Last night I spoke at the Battle of Ideas on the Defence of Subjects. I spoke in favour of subjects, and my main points were as follows. Subjects work. They are the most efficient and effective way of ensuring pupils learn. All the best education systems in the world use subjects, and generally what we… Read more »
Read more
On Thursday night I am speaking at the Battle of Ideas on the topic In Defence of Subjects. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I will of course be defending subjects. I am planning to speak about my experiences of teaching subjects and their alternatives, and the pragmatic… Read more »
Read more