School of Education
The Laboratory for Educational Theory
Welcome to the webpages of The Laboratory for Educational Theory. The Laboratory is a new initiative at the School of Education. Below you will find background information about this initiative and an overview of our activities during this academic year.
Professor Gert Biesta
July 2009
Deadline for Receipt of Abstracts: Friday 25th November 2011
A 600 word abstract should be submitted by Friday 25th November 2011 to let.conference@stir.ac.uk Contributors will be notified of the outcome of refereeing by Friday 16th December 2011. Full papers should be submitted by Friday 30th March 2012.
To complete the electronic application form please click here and return to let.conference@stir.ac.uk.
The Laboratory for Educational Theory at the School of Education was established in 2008. The Laboratory is a space for the exploration of the roles of theory in educational research and educational practice. Its focus is on experimentation, engagement and capacity building.
Experimentation: The Laboratory for Educational Theory aims to be a space where things can be tried out, where new theory can be developed, and where existing theory can be critically explored and examined.
Engagement: The Laboratory for Educational Theory aims to be a space for interaction, discussion and exchange at national and international level.
Capacity Building: The Laboratory for Educational Theory aims to be a space where educational researchers and educators can engage critically and constructively with theory and theorising in their work.
Why Educational Theory?
Educational research, particularly in the Anglo-American tradition, has a tendency to be under-theorised. When it engages with theory, it often does so by borrowing from other disciplines. This not only raises questions about the role of theory in educational research and educational practice, but also about the specific nature of educational theory, as theory of and for education. In our opinion, the field of education would benefit from a more explicit and systematic engagement with these questions. Over the past decade there has been a drive in the UK to build capacity in the area of methods and methodologies for educational research. We believe that the time has come for a similar effort in relation to theory and theorising. The Laboratory for Educational Theory at the School of Education aims to play a major role in this effort. It does not operate on the basis of old dichotomies such as theory versus practice, theoretical versus empirical, or theoretical versus useful. It starts from the assumption that there are theoretical elements in all practices, that good educational research involves evidence and theory, and that theory can indeed be very useful, both for educational research and for educational practice.
Why the School of Education?
One of the distinctive strengths of the School of Education lies in its work on theory. This covers the whole range of educational settings and practices (from pre-school, school, college and university to adult education, work-based learning and lifelong learning), engages with a wide range of theories and philosophies (complexity theory; social capital; educational theory; post-modern and post-structural theory and philosophy; pragmatism; critical realism; feminism; socio-cultural theory), and focuses on a range of educational topics and issues (pedagogy; curriculum; teaching and learning; inclusion; identity; emancipation). At the School of Education we believe in theory. Theory can help to think differently, which often is a crucial condition for being able to think at all. It can help to ask new, different and critical questions. Theory is important in its own right and for the conduct of empirical research.
The Laboratory for Educational Theory is co-ordinated by Professors Gert Biesta (gert.biesta@stir.ac.uk) and Julie Allan (julie.allan@stir.ac.uk) in collaboration with colleagues from the School of Education.
The Story So Far
The Laboratory for Educational Theory has focused on the following activities:
- A series of monthly seminars to explore and map existing work within the School of Education, and develop the concept and agenda for the Laboratory for Educational Theory. (October 2008 – May 2009)
- An invitational international two-day seminar (March 2009): THE THEORY QUESTION IN EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATION QUESTION IN THEORY
- A one-day conference (June 2009): EDUCATIONAL THEORY AND LIFELONG LEARNING: SETTING AGENDAS? in conjunction with bi-annual conference of the Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning (CRLL).
- A keynote symposium at the Annual Meeting of the British Educational Research Association: THE THEORY QUESTION IN EDUCATION (with contributions from Maggie MacLure, Gary Thomas, Harry Torrance, Gert Biesta, Richard Edwards and Julie Allan)
- Monthly seminars on the role of theory in educational research and educational practice (October 2009- June 2010)
- An international invitational seminar “Whatever Happened to Curriculum Theory…?” in collaboration with the journal Pedagogy, Culture and Society (January 2010)
- The first international biennial ‘THEORISING EDUCATION’ conference (June 2010)
- The first international doctoral summer school on educational theory (June 2010)
- The second international doctoral summer school on educational theory (July 2011)
- The second international biennial 'THEORISING EDUCATION' conference (7-9 June 2012)
- The third international doctoral summer school on educational theory (10-14 June 2012)
Do you want to be kept informed?
Please send an e-mail to Janet McCurdie (j.h.f.mccurdie@stir.ac.uk) so that we can add your contact details to our mailing list.
More information?
Please contact Prof Gert Biesta (gert.biesta@stir.ac.uk)
last updated: September 2011