Abstract
Expansive Education is a timely reminder to teaching practitioners that, as a new national curriculum in England becomes embedded in schools, we must continue to look beyond the traditional expectations and outcomes of existing models of education to find ‘goals for education that are at a deeper, more generic level’ (p. 4). The book is presented in five chapters, collectively providing the reader with a sense of the historical and philosophical background to expansive pedagogy and proposing a new model for contemporary adoption of expansive principles.
There is a sense in which this book has serendipitously arrived at a time of curricular flux in England. At no point do the authors place their work within the current national context; their aims are broader and less confined by geographical and temporal concerns. In setting out a clear definition of what is meant by expansive education (pp. 4−7) and systematically working through the historical and epistemological background to expansive education, the authors construct a coherent and convincing rationale focusing on dispositions in learners and drawing on the work of Rogers, Freire and Dewey, amongst others. An interesting range of international case studies exemplify contrasting applications of expansive education, all sharing an imaginative approach to promoting positive qualities, attitudes and dispositions towards learning.
The result is a thought-provoking text of as much interest to teachers new to the profession as it is to school leaders. For emergent teachers developing their skills and widening their experience the book offers a useful ‘road map’ to developing their skills ‘beyond reflective practice [and to] adopt a more scientific and rigorous mindset with respect to all of their teaching’ (p. 6). It encourages teachers to challenge the relationship between teacher and learner without losing the structure required in a modern classroom, all with the aim of encouraging positive dispositions towards learning (p. 129). Equally, for school leaders the book suggests ways in which the habits of teachers may be changed to adapt to a ‘culture in which teachers are empowered to experiment with active encouragement from senior leaders’ (p. 184). A ‘frequently aired doubts’ section (pp. 187−191) helps allay the fears of school leaders questioning the relevance of such an approach, convincing prospective adopters that if expansive education can work for learners of all ages in diverse educational contexts, it can work in their school.
And this is the key strength of the book: it goes beyond a treatise on the hypothetical benefits of expansive education as the range and scope of the case studies presented ensure that many practitioners will recognize something within the book applicable to them and the context in which they work. It challenges many of the assumptions of the ‘conventional’ education system, thereby challenging the practice of many of the teachers who work within it. By presenting a flexible and accessible approach, Expansive Education provides a manageable template for turning expansive principles into practice.
At times the tone becomes quite evangelical; for example, the introductory chapter suggests that ‘school teaches you to think about quite specific things, in very specific ways – the ways that will get you a good grade’ (p. 14), while the ‘call to action’ that concludes the book proposes that, ‘expansive education is critically important for all children and all schools today, wherever they are in the world’ (p. 191). This polarization of the differing approaches, along with the requirement to ‘make [expansive education] the core of what you do’ (p. 193), may represent too significant a risk for educators for whom the approach might mean a fundamental shift in their practice.
Expansive Education provides us with both an opportunity and a challenge in changing times; the reminder that ‘the unit of work in the real world is a day, not an hour-long lesson’, for example (p. 146), reminds us to question many of the assumptions that shape what we do and to consider expansive solutions.