History Of Education In Europe

Out Of Print... To the American or Russian educator the underlying philosophy, as well as the structure and content of education in the various countries of Europe, seems remarkably similar. There is indeed a common tradition in European education going back to the Middle Ages which long played a part in providing the curriculum of schools which catered both for the wealthy and for able sons of less well-to-do families. Set against this is the relationship between education and society in the different countries of Europe from which differences in tradition and practice may emerge. The implications of these aspects of European education have been explored in these six papers, originally delivered at the History of Education Societys conference in December 1973. In the first paper, James Lynch uses thc techniques of the social scientist to investigate those cultural traditions which together with social conditions join in placing the educational system of France in its context in French society. William Rowlinson discusses the deep influence of classical and medieval scholasticism on German education and its effect on Germany's slow progression to a comprehensive system of education. Janusz Tomiak examines the evolution of the principal features of Soviet education against the wider background of the social, political and economic context and also indicates that in communist education there have always been important elements taken from the radical European educational tradition. Poland in the eighteenth century, as Richard Szreter explains, sought to reconstruct its society through its educational system. Leon Boucher shows how Sweden has provided a strong source of educational innovation. In the concluding paper, Professor W.H.G. Armytage finds links between the educational principles common to all five papers, and draws attention to 'the startle effect'-the way in which educational developments in one country affect another. He sees this connection in terms not just of educational systems but of the technologies of the different societies.