Vocabularies – Structures of Pedagogical Theory
——-
Friedrich Fröbel and Modern Pedagogy
Over the last few years, a string of publications seems to suggest a persistent interest in Friedrich Fröbel, who is by most considered to be the inventor of the kindergarten, and whose seminal work Die Menschenerziehung (The Education of Man) (1826) will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its publication in 2026. The Bloomsbury Handbook to Friedrich Froebel, the Critical Introduction to key Themes and Debates or a new Fröbel biography from 2023 give the impression that a continued examination of Friedrich Fröbel remains academically justified. There might be different reasons for such ongoing efforts: on one hand, not nearly all works of Fröbel have yet been catalogued or explored; on the other hand, the international exchange remains limited or even problematic, e.g. considering missing modern translations of Fröbel’s texts which in their original form are not an easy read even for those who understand German. In light of those efforts, it has to be asked not only what Fröbel still can offer to those trying to solve modern pedagogical problems, but also how much of what is actually presented theoretically and practically as Fröbel-Pedagogy or Froebelian Pedagogy is indeed based on Fröbel, or how often it just repeats stereotypical assumptions that have been perpetuated over the centuries.
To mark the occasion of the anniversary of Die Menschenerziehung and to discuss the relevance of Fröbel for modern educational reflections, we plan for two different events:
1. Workshop “This recognition of the divine […] is now also the reason, the starting point, the source of all my educational endeavours” (Fröbel, 1846) – Friedrich Fröbel and Modern Pedagogy? in March 2025 at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow/ Scotland. Please find the more details and the call for papers here.
2. Publication of an edited collection in 2026 that includes a translation of one of Fröbel’s seminal letters and some academic papers discussing the work of Fröbel and its modern significance.
——-
THE NATURE OF EDUCATION
Asking for The Nature of Education means asking to walk on a high wire over a bottomless abyss for the simple reason that neither of the two relevant notions in this question is sufficiently clear. And in most cases, binding obscurities together in one phrase does not result in greater clarity but in even more serious disorientation. Having said that, the individual obscurity of either notion consists in something quite different: the notion of nature awakens associations not only of mountains and trees and rolling meadows, but also of essence, authenticity, realness, nativeness, simplicity, unselfconsciousness, unceremoniousness – and many more, usually positive, features; the notion of education, on the other hand, seems to be so clear that hardly anyone feels the necessity to define it before presenting long and winding arguments about it, leaving its actual meaning somewhat in the dark. Being blinded by the light of the sheer vastness of possibilities on one side, and the black hole of ignorance on the other, it is then exactly the binding of both together that creates the high wire on which to balance we are now inviting. Using the light of nature to enlighten the darkness of education, while taking advantage of the confines of education to reign in the exuberance of nature, we wish to explore ways of relating both notions in mutually inspiring ways in two events:
1. Workshop on The Nature of Education on 20th November 2023 at the University of Strathclyde/ Glasgow. The programme can be found here.
2. Publication of an edited collection of essays on The Nature of Education in 2024/2025.
—-
The Theatricality of Pedagogy – An exploration of the open and hidden connections between theatre and pedagogy
The theories and practices surrounding the formation of people – i.e. pedagogies – are inextricably bound to changing fashions in ontology and epistemology. And with it, they are inevitably theatrical, bound to the cosmos of the theatre, to its language and tropes. From the earliest days, theatre was at least partially performed for educational reasons: whether as ritual or ceremonial dance, as Greek tragedy, Japanese Noh performance, or Brechtian play – theatre was conceived to be transformative for performer or audience, or both. The other-world created in such performances has for some always been related to the other-world that emerges in the deliberate attempts to create an educational space and time. In this respect there are at least some strands of educational theorising that have never been shy to adopt theatrical notions to describe educational practices
—-
Re-framing Educational Equity
Across the world, nations aspire towards educational equity. Very often this aspiration involves efforts to close what is called the ‘education gap’ or the ‘attainment gap’. Many of these efforts stem from concerns to increase attainment on national, standardised tests so that students might better position themselves in the job market. Such efforts are not without success and many countries can point to a reduction in the gaps between certain groups with regard to such educational attainment. However, it has to be noted that not every nation focuses their efforts on attainment alone; indeed, some would point to other measures for equity in education such as access to higher education or general health and wellbeing.
——-
Beyond Virtue and Vice: Education for a Darker Age. A Special Issue of the Journal of Philosophy of Education (2022)
Hardly any other subject draws quite the same degree of public scrutiny as education, in the media, in the private and the political sphere. Specific preferences with regard to education are an important part of the identity not only of individuals, but also of social groups: Being conservative, liberal or left-wing is related to what kind of education one would advocate. It therefore does not come as a surprise when much of the political agenda of any existing political party concerns itself with education, its forms, purposes organisational structures, and finances.
——-
Schleiermacher’s ‘outlines of the art of education’: a translation
Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768-1834) is widely regarded not only as the founder of modern hermeneutics and liberal Protestant theology, but also as the co-founder of the modern German university in Berlin (with Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose name the university sub sequentially adopted). However, he is also known—at least among students and scholars in Central & Northern Europe—as the founder of “pedagogy” as a modern academic discipline. But while Schleiermacher’s achievements in hermeneutics, theology and the formation of the research university are increasingly well-documented in English, his contributions to education and pedagogy remain all but unknown. This book, which contains both a (partial) translation of his introductory lecture on education of 1826 and five chapters by recent and contemporary scholars on Schleiermacher and his lecture, represents an initial contribution in correcting this oversight. Translated and edited by Norm Friesen and Karsten Kenklies, the volume can be found HERE.
——-
Paul Feyerabend – Education for a Free Society
In 2024, we will celebrate the centennial birthday of one of the most controversial thinkers of the 20th century: Paul Feyerabend. Grounded in his extensive knowledge of the history and philosophy of science, of philosophy in general, and of other areas of human creativity like the arts, music, poetry, Feyerabend set out to question the contemporary notions of knowledge and science, of philosophy and education and their assumed benefits for social life. In acknowledgement of his important contributions and in collaboration with Dr. Sebastian Engelmann from University of Tübingen/ Germany, we plan to renew the discussions around Feyerabend and his controversial theses in two events:
Workshop on Feyerabend’s philosophy of education in March 2021 at Strathclyde University/ Glasgow
Publication of an edited collection of essays on Feyerabend’s philosophy of education in 2024
——-
Aesthetics and Education
There can be no doubt that aesthetics and education are inextricably linked to each other. Not only are educational acts always performed as acts of mediation, using media which are governed and shaped by rules and insights of aesthetics and aesthetic considerations, but also genuine aesthetic expressions, e.g. in the arts, usually are presented to the public with a more or less overt educational agenda. One a much deeper level, it can even be shown that edcuational thinking is in itself aesthetic in the way it has to build on certain ideas of space and time, the two foundational aesthetic categories. The research that is done with regard to this complex of questions aims to explore further the relations of education and aesthetics in an interdisciplinary and intercultural perspective.
——-