ESRC SEMINARS
THINKING THE YET TO BE THOUGHT
AUTONOMY AND
FREEDOM IN EDUCATION
Thursday 12th March 2015
Oxford Brookes University
Delegates are invited to attend both key note sessions plus two optional
workshops.
Please confirm which session(s) you will be attending by ticking one box in
each of sections (2) and (3). Completed forms should be returned
c.m.mckinlay@hull.ac.uk by Monday 9th March 2015.
(1)
(2)
(3)
Time
Presentation
Speaker
Keynote Pedagogy and Curriculum: Perspectives from Denmark
Professor Martin
Roskilde University: A Critical Edge
Bayer
University
12.30pm
Mr Jørn West
Hellerup School: An Open Space School
Larsen
Three decades of Vibrant Curriculum
Mike Davies,
Innovation
Jacquie Thomas,
Dr Joanna Haynes,
Dialogue Learning Spaces
Dr Paul Warwick
2.00pm
The Impact of National Policy and
Professor Rachel
(Please
Institutional practices on Educational
Brooks
select one
Inequalities: Evidence from the Higher
only)
Education Sectors in England and
Denmark
Student as Producer: From Student
Professor Mike
Engagement to Radical Participation
Neary
Three decades of Vibrant Curriculum
Mike Davies,
Innovation
Jacquie Thomas,
Dr Joanna Haynes,
Dialogue Learning Spaces
Dr Paul Warwick
3.15pm
The Impact of National Policy and
Professor Rachel
(Please
Institutional practices on Educational
Brooks
select one
Inequalities: Evidence from the Higher
only)
Education Sectors in England and
Denmark
Student as Producer: From Student
Professor Mike
Engagement to Radical Participation
Neary
Please tick


Keynote session
(12.30 – 2.00pm)
Pedagogy and Curriculum: Perspectives from Denmark
 Roskilde University – a critical edge university (All delegates)
Prof Martin Bayer, Head of Department, Culture and Identity
Since its inception in 1972, Roskilde University, 30km from Copenhagen, has evolved from
being a key innovative creation in the higher education system, in many ways ahead of its
time, to become a research university that today is recognized as an important educational
alternative in the university world. The university has developed over the years and has
always been a centre of critical pedagogy and education. The educational philosophy of
Roskilde University is based in the core concepts of problem oriented, interdisciplinary and
participant-directed project work.
This keynote session will outline the core model of Roskilde University and its
development over time. It will also highlight key challenges of maintaining this creative way
of working, including: conservatism regarding single academics subjects; the emphasis from
politicians and business managers on meeting the immediate needs of society and the
labour market; and the continual challenges of addressing different needs and requirements
of students.
 Hellerup School – an open-space school (All delegates)
Jørn West Larsen, Head Teacher
Hellerup School, a new public school in Gentofte Municipality near Copenhagen, was
planned and designed in a close cooperation between students, parents and staff. It
describes itself as an open-space school, based on a coherent thinking of pedagogy and
learning environment. The environment creates space for learners’ autonomy, and the daily
learning processes are based on a broad fan of learning strategies, according to the different
ways that students learn.
This keynote session will discuss pedagogy and curriculum including: visible aims for
learning for the individual student and for the group; academic, social and personal skills;
using students’ voices and the role of trust. This will be placed against the backdrop of the
new Danish School Reform which was introduced in August 2014.
Workshops - Delegates should choose two from the four below
Three decades of vibrant curriculum innovation …
Mike Davis (Human Scale Education) and Jacquie Thomas (Stanley Park High School)
This workshop will continue the theme of Denmark by showcasing the extraordinary The National
Innovative Centre for General Education (SPF). This radical pedagogic centre, now closed, followed a
tradition of small schools working with the rhythm of youth on a democratic model. The curriculum
was co-constructed, parents were partners, the community was a resource and network. The school
was a place for the community to access resources and engage in intergenerational working. From
SPF in 1995 we can move some of the above themes and explore them at Bishops Park College,
Clacton-on-Sea, UK in 2005 and finally see them thrive in 2015 in Stanley Park High School, Sutton …
where the candle of student centred learning is burning brightly with real hope of sustainable
renewal.
Dialogic Learning Spaces
Dr Joanna Haynes (Plymouth University) and Dr Paul Warwick (Plymouth University)
Dialogue is a contested idea and a demanding practice as it requires listening, criticality,
collaboration and disagreement. This workshop offers participants the opportunity to explore ways
that educators can work with students to create open spaces for dialogue to flourish. Drawing from
their practice and research with schools, young people, teachers and university students, Joanna and
Paul will share some ideas on working with learners to establish favourable conditions and relations
for dialogue. Their work has focused on creating space for students to take part in philosophical
enquiry and to learn through critical and imaginative deliberation on contested concepts and
controversial issues. Following Joanna and Paul’s brief introductory conversation participants will be
invited to join in an enquiry into dialogic pedagogies, drawing on experiences and ideas.
The impact of national policy and institutional practices on educational
inequalities: evidence from the higher education sectors in England and
Denmark
Prof Rachel Brooks (University of Surrey)
Making links to the keynote address, this presentation-based workshop will explore the extent to
which differences by nation-state affect the nature and magnitude of educational inequalities. It will
draw on a cross-national comparison of the experiences of higher education students with
dependent children in England and Denmark, and consider the impact of, inter alia, differing
‘welfare regimes’, mechanisms for funding higher education, and gender norms on the way in which
inequalities are played out.
Student as Producer: From Student Engagement to Radical Participation
Prof Mike Neary (University of Lincoln)
This interactive workshop will involve a critical discussion of the concepts of student engagement
and partnerships, as well as discovering more radical approaches to teaching and learning in higher
education. These more radical approaches will include Student as Producer, which will be presented
to participants as a way of radicalising the higher education curriculum and institutions of higher
learning.