The British Sociological Association

Beyond the binary of freedom and discipline: Mobilising Basil Bernstein to examine ‘no-excuses’ pedagogies in English schools
Dr Konstanze Spohrer (Senior lecturer in Education at Liverpool Hope University)

Recent years have seen a renewed interest in behaviour management and discipline in English schools. A number of academies have adopted so-called ‘no-excuses’ policies and practices, often borrowing from approaches used in US charter schools. In these schools, strict regulation of pupils’ movements, verbal and emotional expression is justified as necessary for boosting educational success and social mobility. Authors, such as Kulz (2014), have argued that the motto that ‘structure liberates’ is underpinned by classed and racialised deficit assumptions of families and communities served by these schools. Similarly, research in the US has highlighted how the various forms of violence students experience in ‘no excuses schools’ perpetuate racialised, classed and gendered injustices (Lamboy and Lu; Dishon and Goodman, 2017; Sondel, 2022)

This paper seeks to add to existing research on no-excuses pedagogies by drawing on the work of Basil Bernstein. Using examples from a documentary analysis, it will be shown how no-excuses schools adopt ‘visible pedagogies’, characterised by a strongly framed instructional and regulative discourse. While these might offer pupils’ opportunities to decode academic expectations and experience themselves as academically successful, they might also restrict access to others ways of thinking, being and doing. It will be argued that thinking with Bernstein allows for more nuanced descriptions of pedagogical approaches in schools, as well as their relationship with wider social structures. Using Bernstein’s concepts troubles the dichotomy between freedom and discipline and invites us to ask questions about the relationship between pedagogy, power/control, and identity.

Dialogic Pedagogy as Peace Education Pedagogy for Youth: With Lessons from Post-Civil War Sri Lanka
Dr Janith Perara (Peacebuilder and higher education Lecturer)

Peace Education targeting the youth population has been recognised as a contemporary need worldwide, particularly in conflict-affected societies. Researchers highlight that Peace Education empowers and encourages young learners to adopt peace as a way of life and to actively oppose all forms of injustice in society.

For teaching Peace Education effectively, appropriate instructional delivery or pedagogy must be utilised. In this presentation, I argue that among the various pedagogical approaches to Peace Education, dialogic pedagogy is particularly significant and effective for engaging youth.

Based on secondary research findings, I argue that dialogic pedagogy, which is based on dialogue, transforms the traditional vertical student-teacher relationship into a horizontal one, thereby fostering greater student engagement. Furthermore, I contend that Peace Education, as a discipline promoting critical reflection, social justice, and humanization, necessitates the use of critical pedagogy, pedagogy of resistance, and humanist pedagogy. Dialogic pedagogy meets all these requirements.

To support my theoretical arguments, I draw on a case study from post-conflict Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Unites, a youth-led non-governmental organization, employs dialogic pedagogy in its annual flagship event promoting peace and reconciliation. This, I argue, exemplifies the use of dialogic pedagogy for Peace Education, fostering intercultural friendships and understanding, and addressing the root causes of civil conflict in Sri Lanka: lack of intercultural understanding and respect. This research elucidates why dialogic pedagogy is effective in delivering Peace Education to youth, providing both theoretical analysis and practical enumeration.