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Engaging Education.
Developing Emotional Literacy, Equity And Co-education
Brian Matthews, 2006
Maidenhead, Open University Press/McGraw-Hill
£18.99 (Pbk)
ISBN 0-335-21579-3
This inspirational and thought-provoking book is grounded
in the author's research and experience as an inner
city secondary school science teacher and is fuelled
by his obvious commitment to the principles of equality,
humanity and social inclusion. At its core, this is
a book that reminds us why it is so important to consider
and address pupils' social and emotional development
in schools but this is certainly not just another book
about emotional literacy. As the title suggests, this
book goes much further and offers a fresh perspective
on the complex relationship between emotional literacy,
social interaction and equity. Engaging Education therefore,
refers not only to the learning process (encouraging
active learners as opposed to passive recipients) but
also to emotional engagement and the ability to make
meaningful connections with other people.
Although this is an academic book, it is surprisingly
easy to read and should therefore be accessible to a
wide audience. The author writes authoritatively and
presents his ideas clearly within an interdisciplinary
conceptual framework that draws on philosophical, psychological,
neuro-scientific and sociological theory in a straight-forward
and accessible way. The book is divided into three parts.
Part one introduces the theoretical context by discussing
educational policy, social justice and concepts of power.
Brian Matthews argues for an education that will encourage
pupils to become critical thinkers and equip them with
the social and emotional skills to value diversity,
engage in a deliberative democracy and cope effectively
with adult life in a fast-changing technological world
that brings with it uncertainty and change. Surely,
few teachers would dispute the desirability of that
vision.
Part two describes and reports on the Improving Science
and Emotional Development (ISED) research project that
was conducted by the author. This action research study
is described in detail and illustrates how a range of
teaching and learning strategies were introduced with
the aim of enhancing the development of pupils' emotional
literacy as well as their awareness of gender equity
issues through dialogue and collaborative working in
mixed science lessons.
The final part builds upon this research evidence and
the previous discussions to argue a compelling case
for co-educational schools, the broadening of the emotional
context of education and a more flexible curriculum.
Matthews also reflects on the role of the teacher as
a facilitator and offers some interesting observations
on hierarchical power. The last chapter contains a number
of points for reflection and questions for teachers
to consider in the context of their own schools.
Overall, this is a comprehensive text that covers a
vast amount of information and draws upon a very wide
body of literature. Even though there are diagrams and
overviews to guide the reader through, the structure
of the book is not particularly user-friendly and it
is the kind of book that you need to read more than
once to get to grips with it. End-of-chapter summaries
are variable in length and layout and in some cases
are omitted.
That said, a real sense of optimism and positivity permeates
this book. Some may find it rather ideological, but
for me this book is exactly what is needed to challenge
and progress the way we think about the curriculum,
behaviour and relationships in the classroom. As with
any new educational initiative, there is an inherent
danger that emotional literacy may be insufficiently
understood and therefore superficially ‘bolted-on’
to the curriculum by some teachers or, as Matthews points
out, it could even be used to exert more control over
pupils rather than liberate them. This book really unpacks
the concept and shows how emotional literacy can be
a collective activity (as well as an individual development)
that involves connections between people, an appreciation
of differences and similarities and a challenging of
power differentials. I will certainly be recommending
it to trainees and colleagues.
Chris Derrington, University of Northampton, UK ©
2007, Chris Derrington
Educational Review Vol. 59, No.3, August 2007
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