Table of Contents

Part 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1. Theories of Child Development 2. Education: Perceptions of Purpose and their Results 3. Who Are the Children in Primary Schools? 4. The Role of Metaphor in Deepening Reflection 5. Learning Foundations: Symbols, Brain Hemispheres and Archetypal Images Part 2: CLASSROOM WORK 6. People via Symbols and Metaphors 7. Treasure Seeking and Shepherds 8. Images: Rocks and Stones 9. More Metaphors and Biblical Symbols: Drama and Drawings 10. Education – From Past and Present to the Future?

About the Author

Elizabeth Ashton became Lecturer in Religious and Moral Education at School of Education, Durham University, UK, following a teaching career in primary school classrooms of over nineteen years. She is now retired.

Reviews

"What the author shows so wonderfully and skilfully, is that when we really listen to children and their experiences we discover in them an immense ability to handle abstract ideas which is far greater than previous generations led us to believe was possible. This has significant implications for many - not least churches - in their work with children. I know I just want to Listen, Listen Listen." The Rt Revd Mark Bryant, Assistant Bishop Diocese of Newcastle, Acting Area Dean Bedlington Deanery, UK."Ashton’s book is a very readable account by an experienced RE teacher of how 10-year olds can be encouraged to search for meaning in diverse forms of literary expression – drama, poetry and Biblical narratives that are often assumed to be beyond their comprehension. Readers of the book may find many useful tips for stimulating and broadening children’s classroom experience of RE."Dr Olivera Petrovich, Research Fellow, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, UK."This is an important book which challenges much faulty thinking influencing education historically and up to the present day. It argues that the close relationship between chronological age and capacity for learning has been based on misplaced emphasis especially on Positivism and its latest progeny Scientism. In particular, children have been assumed to be literalists unable to appreciate other uses of language.Moreover, the attempt to reach objective knowledge of child development has from the beginning ignored what is essential, namely the unique experience and talents of each child. Instead of pursuing theories which satisfy adult enquiry, children themselves should be listened to. Ashton shares her experience of teaching in an area of great deprivation to refute those who deny the capacity of 10 year-old children to think abstractly and to understand metaphor. The evidence she presents cannot be lightly dismissed..."Dr Brenda Watson, Retired Educational Consultant and former Director of the Farmington Institute, Oxford, UK.“Elizabeth Ashton has provided us with a thought-provoking, interesting and innovative work which merits close reading and wide dissemination. […] This engaging and thought-provoking book challenges traditional educational theories and theories of child development and provides considerable food for thought for educators. It does this through analysis of key orthodoxies and insightful commentary of theoretical perspectives. The real strength of the book lies in its strong focus on the ways in which actual children develop and think. […]The fact that the book is so strongly linked to classroom practice while being underpinned by established and original research strengthens the arguments and promotes the kind of reflection about good primary practice which we should all engage in. The book will appeal to educators, including trainee teachers and researchers, who wish to promote discussion about the nature of childhood and children’s potential for thought.”Professor David Waugh, Director of Primary Programmes and Course Leader for Primary English, Durham University School of Education, UK.

"What the author shows so wonderfully and skilfully, is that when we really listen to children and their experiences we discover in them an immense ability to handle abstract ideas which is far greater than previous generations led us to believe was possible. This has significant implications for many - not least churches - in their work with children. I know I just want to Listen, Listen Listen." The Rt Revd Mark Bryant, Assistant Bishop Diocese of Newcastle, Acting Area Dean Bedlington Deanery, UK."Ashton’s book is a very readable account by an experienced RE teacher of how 10-year olds can be encouraged to search for meaning in diverse forms of literary expression – drama, poetry and Biblical narratives that are often assumed to be beyond their comprehension. Readers of the book may find many useful tips for stimulating and broadening children’s classroom experience of RE."Dr Olivera Petrovich, Research Fellow, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, UK."This is an important book which challenges much faulty thinking influencing education historically and up to the present day. It argues that the close relationship between chronological age and capacity for learning has been based on misplaced emphasis especially on Positivism and its latest progeny Scientism. In particular, children have been assumed to be literalists unable to appreciate other uses of language.Moreover, the attempt to reach objective knowledge of child development has from the beginning ignored what is essential, namely the unique experience and talents of each child. Instead of pursuing theories which satisfy adult enquiry, children themselves should be listened to. Ashton shares her experience of teaching in an area of great deprivation to refute those who deny the capacity of 10 year-old children to think abstractly and to understand metaphor. The evidence she presents cannot be lightly dismissed..."Dr Brenda Watson, Retired Educational Consultant and former Director of the Farmington Institute, Oxford, UK.“Elizabeth Ashton has provided us with a thought-provoking, interesting and innovative work which merits close reading and wide dissemination. […] This engaging and thought-provoking book challenges traditional educational theories and theories of child development and provides considerable food for thought for educators. It does this through analysis of key orthodoxies and insightful commentary of theoretical perspectives. The real strength of the book lies in its strong focus on the ways in which actual children develop and think. […]The fact that the book is so strongly linked to classroom practice while being underpinned by established and original research strengthens the arguments and promotes the kind of reflection about good primary practice which we should all engage in. The book will appeal to educators, including trainee teachers and researchers, who wish to promote discussion about the nature of childhood and children’s potential for thought.”Professor David Waugh, Director of Primary Programmes and Course Leader for Primary English, Durham University School of Education, UK.