In Praise of the Essay
(Essais, de Montaigne, 1595) The essay is a unique way of approaching education. It can be part science in that it means ‘to test’ or ‘to experiment’. Conversely, it can be part art in that in that it is an…
Category Teaching & Learning
The inevitable growth of standardised curricula: from acorns to Oaks
A recent report identified a growth in the use of standardised curricula in both primary and secondary schools in England. These resourced schemes of work are considered ready for teacher use and often take the form of PowerPoint presentations. They…
Is Philosophy just making stuff up? PESGB Annual Conference 2025
One of the most awkward parts of attending conferences, or indeed any work related event, is the requirement to explain what I do. On the train from Sheffield to Oxford for the PESGB annual conference, I was still unsure how…
Existentialism in the Classroom: The Necessity of Philosophy in Further Education
Having taught Philosophy A Level in Further Education for two years now, I still find it so striking, and perhaps frightening, the expectations and pressures that our society bestows upon our young people. It hits me every time on enrolment…
Phronesis and Virtue: Reflections from Gdańsk
An allegory of wisdom, attributed to Giovanni Domenico Cerrini (1609–1681) Phronesis and Virtue: Reflections from Gdańsk I am a full-time maths teacher at an inner-city comprehensive school in Coventry, UK. For the past three years, I’ve also been doing a…
Freedom in the classroom
Practitioners face questions relating to freedom each day when teaching and planning curricula. How will students engage with the material? How should students be in the learning environment? Do students have the freedom to choose tasks or are they subject…
The Beautiful Twist in Education
In times such as these, it is difficult to ignore the prevailing practice of attempting to measure the success of (formal) educational endeavours using all manner of qualitative and quantitative instruments. These measurements, in turn, intend to inform research into…
Uncovering Education
Book cover for Wrońska & Stern (eds.) (2024). Taken from the Routledge catalogue. Routledge, 2024. ISBN: 9781032471693, Hbk. ISBN: 9781003386100, eBook. RRP: £145.00 / £39.99, 238pp. (This article is part of a series of blog posts from authors in a collection,…
Book Review: A Philosophical Inquiry into Subject English and Creative Writing
A Philosophical Inquiry into Subject English and Creative Writing by Oli Belas Book cover for Belas (2023). Taken from the Routledge catalogue. Routledge, 2023. ISBN: 9780367487362, Hbk. ISBN: 9781032374581, Pbk. ISBN: 9781003042617, eBook. RRP: £125.00 / £38.99 / £35.09, 156pp.…
Care. What is it good for?
I’m going to ask you a question. I want you to answer the question quickly and without thinking about it. Please be honest, it’s only for yourself. Here goes: Can you teach someone without caring about them? Did you have…
Addressing Higher Education student engagement through humanistic approaches
If I was asked to name a pressing issue in Higher Education (HE) student education it would be engagement – lowering or lack thereof. Speaking to colleagues both internally and externally it became clear that the issue of engagement was…
Book Review: Pedagogies of Taking Care by Dennis Atkinson
Pedagogies of Taking Care by Dennis Atkinson Bloomsbury, 2022 ISBN: 9781350288324, Hbk. RRP: £85.50, 272pp This article is available to download as a PDF here. Can we design schools whose central…