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Stables, Andy

Contact Details

Email: A.W.G.Stables@bath.ac.uk
Tel: +44 1225 385186
Fax: +44 1225 386113
Location: 1W 4.27

Staff Profiles

Professor Andrew Stables

Professor of Education and Philosophy

Research Interests

Teaching Programmes

Activities & Links

Key Publications

childhood-philosophy-edu

  

'Too often, in recent years, there has been a propensity for academics writing about childhood, children’s voice
and growing up to offer a totalising constructionist account on the basis of too little evidence and a too unsubtle
analysis. Here, Andrew Stables offers an antidote to the easy bon mot. His account of childhood relies on a
careful reading of a range of historical and philosophical sources. Moreover he carefully explores the
educational implications of his analysis of childhood; an analysis that avoids the twin perils of a crass
essentialism on the one hand and a rootless deconstructed account on the other. To do so he draws on
semiotic work to look at children as sign makers in their own right. Not everyone will agree with everything in
Stables’ book, but for those interested in thinking about childhood and education, it is a must read.' Professor
James C Conroy, Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow, UK

Philosophical accounts of childhood have tended to derive from Plato and Aristotle, who portrayed children (like
women, animals, slaves, and the mob) as unreasonable and incomplete in terms of lacking formal and final
causes and ends. Despite much rhetoric concerning either the sinfulness or purity of children (as in Puritanism
and Romanticism respectively), the assumption that children are marginal has endured. Modern theories,
including recent interpretations of neuroscience, have re-enforced this sense of children’s incompleteness.

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Book/s

Stables, A., 2011. Childhood and the Philosophy of Education: An Anti-Aristotelian Perspective (Revised paperback edition). London: Continuum.

Stables, A., 2008. Childhood and the Philosophy of Education: An Anti-Aristotelian Perspective. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Gough, S. and Stables, A., eds., 2008. Sustainability and Security within Liberal Societies: Learning to Live with the Future. London: Routledge.

Stables, A., 2005. Living and Learning as Semiotic Engagement: A New Theory of Education. Lewiston, NY/Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press.

Stables, A., 2003. Education for Diversity: making differences. Aldershot/New York: Ashgate.

Book Sections

Stables, A., 2010. Forthcoming. Relativism, research and social responsibility: some remarks inspired by Smeyers, Wittgenstein and Lyotard. In: Reid, A., Hart, P., Peters, M. and Russell, C., eds. Companion to Research in Education. Dordrecht: Springer.

Stables, A., 2010. Semiosis and the collapse of mind-body dualism: implications for education. In: Semetsky, I., ed. Semiosis, Experience, Education. Rotterdam: Sense, pp. 21-36.

Stables, A., 2009. School as imagined community in discursive space: a perspective on the school effectiveness debate. In: Daniels, H., Lauder, H. and Porter, J., eds. Knowledge, Values and Educational Policy: A Critical Perspective. London: Routledge, pp. 253-261.

Stables, A., 2009. Should the debate about compulsory schooling be reopened? A fully semiotic perspective. In: Kerdeman, D., ed. Philosophy of Education Yearbook 2009. Urbana, Ill: Philosophy of Education Society, pp. 153-162.

Gough, I. and Stables, A., 2008. Sustainability, security, liberalism, learning: framing the issues. In: Gough, S. and Stables, A., eds. Sustainability and Security within Liberal Societies: Learning to Live with the Future. London: Routledge, pp. 127-142.

Stables, A., 2008. Language and Meaning in Environmental Education: an overview. In: Researching Education and Environment. London: Routledge.

Gough, S. and Stables, A., 2008. Liberalism, Sustainability, Security, Learning: framing the issues. In: Gough, S. and Stables, A., eds. Sustainability and Security within Liberal Societies: Learning to Live with the Future. New York: Routledge, pp. 127-142.

Stables, A., 2006. On Teaching and Learning the Book of the World. In: Mayer, S. and Wilson, G., eds. Ecodidactic Perspectives in English Language, Literatures and Cultures. Trier: WVT, pp. 145-162.

Stables, A., 2003. Environmental Education and the Arts-Science Divide: the case for a disciplined environmental literacy. In: Winnett, A. and Warhurst, A., eds. Towards an Environmental Research Agenda: a second selection of papers. Basingstoke/New York: Palgrave.

Stables, A., 2003. Who Drew the Sky? Conflicting assumptions in environmental education. In: Scott, W..A.H. and Gough, S..R., eds. Key Issues in Sustainable Development and Learning: a critical review. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

Articles

Murakami, K., Stables, A., McIntosh, S. and Martin, S., 2012. Conceptions of effort among year 8 students, their teachers and parents within a school: a case study. Submitted to: Journal of Curriculum Studies

Hung, R. and Stables, A., 2011. Lost in Space? Located in place: Geo-phenomenological exploration and school. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43 (2), pp. 193-203.

Gough, S. and Stables, A., 2011. Forthcoming. Interpretation as adaptation: education for survival in uncertain times. Curriculum Inquiry

Stables, A., 2010. Response to Gert Biesta's review of 'Childhood and the Philosophy of Education: An Anti-Aristotelian Perspective'. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 29 (6), pp. 587-589.

Stables, A., 2010. The Song of the Earth: A pragmatic rejoinder. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 42 (7), pp. 796-807.

Stables, A., 2010. Making meaning and using natural resources: education and sustainability. Journal Of Philosophy Of Education, 44 (1), pp. 137-151.

Stables, A., 2010. New worlds rising? Policy Futures in Education, 8 (5), pp. 593-601.

Stables, A., 2009. Environmental concern and the transformation of knowledge: Introduction. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 28 (1), pp. 1-2.

Stables, A., 2009. The unnatural nature of nature and nurture: questioning the romantic heritage. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 28 (1), pp. 3-14.

Stables, A., 2008. Can 'sensibility' be re-'associated'? Reflections on T.S. Eliot and the possibility of educating for a sustainable environment. Ethics and Education, 3 (2), pp. 161-170.

Stables, A., 2008. Semiosis, Dewey and difference: implications for pragmatic philosophy of education. Contemporary Pragmatism, 5 (1), pp. 147-162.

Hung, R. and Stables, A., 2008. Can we experience nature in the Lifeworld? An interrogation of Husserl’s notion of Lifeworld and its implication for environmental and educational thinking. The Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, 8, pp. 1-8.

Stables, A., 2008. Can humanism be an environmentalism? The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy, 24 (3), pp. 86-95.

Stables, A., 2007. Is Nature Immaterial? The possibility of environmental education without an environment. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 12, pp. 55-67.

Stables, A. and Gough, S., 2006. Towards a Semiotic theory of choice and of learning. Educational Theory, 56 (3), p. 271.

Stables, A., 2006. From Semiosis to Social Policy: the less trodden path. Signs Systems Studies, 34 (1), 121--134.

Stables, A., 2006. Sign(al)s: Living and Learning as Semiotic Engagement (text of inaugural lecture delivered 30/11/2005). Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38 (4), pp. 373-387.

Stables, A., 2005. Multiculturalism and Moral Education: individual positioning, dialogue and cultural practice. Journal of Moral Education, 34 (2), 185--197.

Stables, A., 2005. Essay Review: Rethinking the School Curriculum: Values, Aims and Purposes (ed. J. White: London, RoutledgeFalmer, 2004). Journal of Curriculum Studies, 37 (1), pp. 117-128.

Martin, S., Arnhold, G. and Stables, A., 2005. Literacy at Key Stage 3: a movable feast? The Use of English, 56 (2), 141--147.

Pigrum, D. and Stables, A., 2005. Qualitative Inquiry as Gegenwerk: connections between art and research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 4 (4), Article 2.

Stables, A., 2005. Schools' Views on Proposed Admissions Procedures. The Use of English, 56 (3), pp. 230-247.

Stables, A., Martin, S. and Arnhold, G., 2004. Student Teachers' Concepts of Literacy and Numeracy. Research Papers in Education, 19 (3), 345--364.

Stables, A., 2004. Can Education Save the World? A response to David A. Gruenewald. Curriculum Inquiry, 34 (2), pp. 233-240.

Stables, A., 2004. Responsibility beyond Rationality: the case for rhizomatic consequentialism. International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 9 (2), pp. 219-226.

Stables, A., 2003. From Discrimination to Deconstruction: four modulations of criticality in the humanities and social sciences. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 28 (6), 655--672.

Stables, A., 2003. Learning, Identity and Classroom Dialogue. Journal of Educational Enquiry, 4 (1), pp. 1-18.

Stables, A., 2003. Reading the Teacher; Writing the Lesson. Language and Education, 17 (6), pp. 440-460.

Stables, A., 2003. Target Language Teaching and the ISS: why Robert Young was wrong about questioning genres. Westminster Studies in Education, 26 (2), pp. 99-105.

Sahin, C., Bullock, K. and Stables, A., 2002. Teachers' Beliefs and Practices in Relation to their Beliefs about Questioning at Key Stage 2. Educational Studies, 28 (4), 371--384.

Stables, A., 2002. Diachronic and Synchronic Analysis of Education: taking account of the life-history. Westminster Studies in Education, 25 (1), pp. 59-66.

Stables, A., 2002. On the Making and Breaking of Frames in Pursuit of Sustainability. The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy, 18 (1), pp. 49-58.

Stables, A., 2002. Poetic Experience: found or made? English in Education, 36 (3), pp. 28-36.

Stables, A.W.G. and Scott, W.A.H., 2002. The Quest for Holism in Education for Sustainable Development. Environmental Education Research, 8 (1), pp. 53-60.

Stables, A. G. and Scott, W.A.H., 2001. Post-Humanist Liberal Pragmatism: Environmental Education out of Modernity. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 35 (2), 269--280.

Stables, A., 2001. Who Drew the Sky? Conflicting assumptions in environmental education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 33 (2), 245--256.

Stables, A. and Bishop, K. N., 2001. Weak and Strong Conceptions of Environmental Literacy : implications for environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 7, 89--97.

Stables, A.W.G. and Scott, W.A.H., 2001. Disciplined Environmental Literacies. Environmental Education, 68, pp. 14-16.

Stables, A., 2001. The Cat Sat on the Prickly Brown Mat. Literacy and Learning, 19 (13-15).

Bishop, K., Reid, A., Stables, A., Lencastre, M., Stoer, S. and Soetaert, R., 2000. Developing environmental awareness through literature and media education. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 5 (1), pp. 268-286.

Reports/Papers

Stables, A., Murakami, K. and McIntosh, S., 2010. Conceptions of effort among Year 8 students, their teachers and parents at a school in Somerset. Research Report. British Academy.

Conference or Workshop Items

Murakami, K., Stables, A., McIntosh, S. and Martin, S., 2011. Conceptions of effort. In: Syposium on Explorations of Scaffolding (Part 2), International Society for Culture and Activity Research (ISCAR) Conference, 5-10 September 2011, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.

Stables, A., 2006. Semiosis and the Myth of Learning. In: Proceedings of International Network of Philosophers of Education10th Biennial Conference: Philosophical Perspectives on Educational Practice in the 21st Century.. Allied Newspapers.

This list was generated on Wed May 23 17:35:51 2012 IST.

 

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