1st Edition
Educating for Democracy in England and Finland Principles and culture
With the growth of terrorism, instability in the EU following recession, and the acceleration of support for right-wing political parties in Europe, discussions on the nature of democracy and democratic citizenship have never been more important. Exploring the relationship between democratic values, classroom practices and neo-liberalist ideology in England and in Finland, Educating for Democracy argues that it is the role of governments and the education systems they support to create teachers and students who can voice critically appraised judgements to guide their citizenship.
With chapters co-written by English and Finnish authors, this book analyses the history and current state of education systems in England and Finland, with reference to other European countries, in order to establish whether they are effective in creating democratically-minded citizens. Recent years have seen decreasing control of educator professionalism as governments have become more concerned about economic growth, and in some cases, survival. The contributors to this volume question whether educators are becoming less effectual as a result, exploring the idea that democracy is a dying concept, and asking whether educators are now simply creating cogs for the neo-liberalistic/capitalist machine.
This book will be essential reading for academics and researchers in the fields of teacher education, education studies and comparative education. It will also be of great interest to those concerned with issues surrounding citizenship, democracy and the role of the government in education.
1. Education for democracy in England and Finland: insights for consideration beyond the two nations, Andrea Raiker and Matti Rautiainen 2. Living between two educational systems Josephine Moate 3. The role of the teacher in educating for democracy, Andrea Raiker, Marja Mäensivu and Tiina Nikkola 4. Democracy, classroom practices and pre-service teachers’ conceptions of excellence, Andrea Raiker and Matti Rautiainen 5. Searching the roots of democracy: collaborative intervention in teacher education, Emma Kostiainen, Ulla Klemola and Uvanney Maylor 6. Democracy and the Curriculum: English and Finnish Perspectives, Neil Hopkins and Mirja Tarnanen 7. Power, democracy and progressive schools, Sakari Saukkonen, Pentti Moilanen, David Mathew and Eve Rapley 8. Perspectives on accountability in education: local democracy versus national regulation, Jenny Gilbert, Pentti Moilanen and Sakari Saukkonen 9. Inclusion and democracy in England and Finland, Cathal Butler and Aimo Naukkarinen 10. Educational research for democracy, Josephine Moate, Sarah Cousins, Wendy Cunnah and Maria Ruohotie-Lyhty 11. Fighting against the flow in theorising education, Olli-Pekka Moisio, Andrea Raiker and Matti Rautiainen 12. Towards the future, Matti Rautiainen and Andrea Raiker
Biography
Andrea Raiker is an independent consultant and researcher in Higher Education, in the UK and internationally.
Matti Rautiainen is Vice Head of the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
‘The authors illustrate the multiple dimensions of democracy in education, from classroom practices and classroom interactions to ideologies underlying the curriculum and educational policy. This book combines in an excellent way reflection and practice, and not least therefore it is relevant reading for teachers and prospective teachers. This volume is based on shared expertise of scholars from two countries, discussing intensively and systematically the opportunities and significance, but also the challenges, of democratic education.’
Arja Virta, Professor of History and Social Science Education, Department of Teacher Education, the University of Turku, Finland
