Culture and Pedagogy

Book excerpt: Against the background of globalization and campaigns to provide basic education for all the world’s children, Culture and Pedagogy compares primary and elementary schooling in England, France, India, Russia and the United States. It explores the ways in which children’s educational experiences are shaped not just by classroom circumstances and the decisions of the teacher, but also by school values and organization, by local pressures, national policies and political control and – suffusing all these – by culture and history. Culture and Pedagogy combines comparative and historical enquiry with intensive analysis of school and classroom life to present a novel and illuminating account of pedagogy. The book also transfers into the international arena themes for which the author’s earlier work is well known: the interplay of policy, politics and practice; the quest for resilient models of teaching and learning the subtle dynamics of schools and classrooms; and the rich learning potential of talk between teachers and children; and the challenge of judging 'good' and 'effective' educational practice. Culture and Pedagogy is clearly structured around three levels of analysis: systems, school and classrooms. Extensively illustrated with figures, table s, photographs, lesson summaries and teaching extracts, the book is an essential resource for those who are committed to understanding pedagogy, exploring culture, and improving primary education.