The sociologist and philosopher Jürgen Habermas has had a wide-ranging and significant impact on understandings of social change and social conflict. However, there has been no concerted and focused attempt to introduce his ideas to the field of education broadly. This book rectifies this omission and delivers a definitive contribution to the understanding of Habermas's oeuvre as it applies to the field. The authors examine the contribution Habermas's theory has and can make to: pedagogy, ...

This book explores the access and participation issues present within Higher Education in Ireland. It examines policy, pedagogy and practices in relation to widening participation and documents the progress and challenges encountered in furthering the ‘access agenda’ over the past two decades. Access has become an integral part of how Higher Education understands itself and how it explains the value of what it does for society as a whole. Improving access to education strengthens social co...

This book offers a concise and comprehensive exploration of the theory of transformative learning by European researchers. Exploring Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning as a ‘living theory’, the editors and contributors ask whether there a uniquely European perspective on this theory that reflects Europe’s traditions and contexts. What is the nature of that perspective, and how is it similar or different to those espoused in the USA? This book outlines how the theory of transformat...

Why are some people able to climb the corporate ladder easily while others get stuck? How can you set yourself on a rewarding career path and avoid job frustration?In Develop: 7 Practical Tools to Take Charge of Your Career, Ted Fleming, head of talent development for CVS Health, shares simple, powerful advice for finding the right job or growing in an existing role. Fleming offers actionable tools and step-by-step techniques that anyone can apply to cryst...

Social Policy: Themes and approaches is a fully revised, updated and extended edition of a bestselling social policy textbook, extensively reworked and adapted to meet the needs of its international readership. The book lays out the architecture of social policy as a field of study, providing a sense of the scope, range and purpose of the subject while developing critical awareness of problems, issues and common fallacies.

Public education, once considered a dogmatic institution in the 20th century, now finds itself challenged at almost every level in todays sociopolitical environment. New realities, as evidenced by the political complexities of the global village, widespread technological advances that undermine established educational practices, and ever mounting pressures on the curriculum to appease corporate interests have altered the face of public education forever, leaving educators seemingly strande...

The teaching of young children has long been dominated by women. This global phenomenon is firmly rooted in issues related to economic development, urbanization, the position of women in society, cultural definitions of masculinity and the values of children and childcare. Yet, amongst the media scare stories and moral panics about underachieving boys, there are surprisingly few empirically-supported answers to vital questions such as:Is the feminisation of teaching really a ...

This popular text provides a clear, succinct explanation of how reflection is integral to teachers’ understandings of themselves, their practice, and their context, and elaborates how various conceptions of reflective teaching differ from one another. The emphasis on the importance of both self and context is embedded within distinct and varied educational traditions (conservative, progressive, radical, and spiritual). Throughout the text the reader is encouraged to examine his/her assumpt...

This insightful book is ideal for students, researchers and policy makers wanting a sound overview of the critical issues of gender in lifelong learning. Asking pertinent questions relating to discourses on policy, the authors offer the reader a rare view of lifelong learning from a gender-focused perspective, filling a gap in the literature and moving current debate on into new areas. Questions addressed include:To what extent can the policy discourses and institutional cont...

Eminent moral philosopher Michael Slote argues that care ethics presents an important challenge to other ethical traditions and that a philosophically developed care ethics should, and can, offer its own comprehensive view of the whole of morality. Taking inspiration from British moral sentimentalism and drawing on recent psychological literature on empathy, he shows that the use of that notion allows care ethics to develop its own sentimentalist account of respect, autonomy, social justic...

Building on Richard Sennetts recent work this books tries to clarify the ethical significance of craftsmanship. According to Sennett, `learning to work well is a deep source of personal meaning and of fruitful cooperation. Moreover provides the foundation of citizenship. Learning to master a craft is learning to be curious and patient, to focus on relationships and learn the skills of anticipation and revision, in a continual dialogue with material that resists `quick fixes and turns the c...

With the rapid change experienced by the Early Years Workforce over recent times, this book considers what constitutes professionalization in the sector, and what this means in practice. Bringing a critical perspective to the developing knowledge and understanding of early years practitioners at various stages of their professional development, it draws attention to key themes and issues.Chapters are written by leading authorities, and provide case studies, question and discussion ...