Margaret Walshaw

Working with Foucault in Education Margaret Walshaw

Education has a long tradition of opening itself up to new ideas and new ideas are what Working with Foucault in Education is all about. The book introduces readers to the scholarly work of Michel Foucault at a level that it neither too demanding not too superficial. It demonstrates to students, educators, scholars and policy makers, alike, how those ideas might be useful in understanding people and processes in education. This new line of investigation creates an awareness of the merits and weaknesses of contemporary theoretical frameworks and the impact these have on the production of educational knowledge. Working with Foucault in Education engages readers in selected aspects of education. Its ten chapters take a thematic approach and include vignettes that explore issues relating to curriculum development, learning to teach, classroom learning and teaching, as well as research in contemporary society. These explorations allow readers to develop a new attitude towards education. The reason this is possible is that Foucault provides a language and the tools to deconstruct as well as shift thinking about familiar concepts. They also provide the means for readers to participate in educational criticism and to play a role in educational change.