イギリス新教育運動における両義的可能性とパースペクティヴ : 「共同体」と「学級」へのアプローチにもとづいて

Abstract

Using a broad perspective based on educational ethos in this paper I examine characteristics of the historical continuity of education during the New Education Movement from around the turn of the century. I also examine New Schools such as Summerhill School (1921-) and Frenscham Heights School (1925-) up to the open plan education of the 1960s, for example Eveline Lowe Primary School, represented by the term 'open plan' or 'like cluster' in Britain, and which focused on the new sense of community and individualism, which modernized the social system earlier than any other country, facing various social problems to be solved. The characteristics of New Schools in Britain can be classified into three ; (a) schools based on the view of children as fundamental nature, which sought to return to primitive

communal schools in an old style's home and emphasized arts and crafts and storytelling, (b) schools based on the creed of spirituality of soul or spirit of human beings, which drove to unite with God, respecting services for people and to express dramatic instincts, (c) schools based on the philosophy of social democratic ideas, which tried to develop character as social reformers and an citizens. The schools which had all three characters above were Summerhill School, founded by A. S. Neill (1883-1973) and Frenscham Heights School, founded by B. Ensor (1885-1974), who were founders of New Education Fellowship (1921-). The former was called a self-governing community by Neill, in which school meetings and tribunal as subjects of civics had some educational meanings such as counter-suggestion and counter-persuasion in the democratic form, and the latter was called a Family School by Ensor, where school meetings tried to maintain harmony, co-operation, and unforced self-discipline. In there background, nevertheless, very paradoxical ideas for education were hidden, because Neill as a social democrat emphasized that the school must be free and Ensor as a theosophist respected being a natural social unit or the contrary of colony. We can consider, however, that these are not negative sides but naturally create some possibilities of developing as social human beings which try to have balance of the wholeness in modern society. This article consists of following four sections ; 1. Introduction : the questions and the stance of this article 2. The consciousness of 'community' and 'individuals' in the New Education Movement in Britain 3. Two aspects of characteristics of Summerhill School and Frensham Heights 4. The perspectives of philosophy in the New Education Movement-instead of a conclusion