Apologies for cross posting. This has previously gone out under the wrong title. 



	Dear Colleagues

	 

	You may find this of interest:

	 

	http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQremo4jrVdUKFxwc4G_UeuWwVKQ

	 

	Book slams 'therapeutic education'

	7 hours ago

	Schools and universities are being undermined by a craze for encouraging students to talk about their feelings at the expense of intellectual rigour, the authors of a new book claim.

	Times Higher Education reports that the book says a "therapy culture" is creating a generation of "hapless" students and lecturers.

	In The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education, published next month, Dennis Hayes and Kathryn Ecclestone of Oxford Brookes University argue that institutions presume that students and staff are at emotional risk.

	The book says "infantilised" students are declaring themselves dyslexic so they can get more support and that expressions of emotion are valued as highly as expressions of ideas.

	Dr Hayes told Times Higher Education: "Turning teaching into therapy is destroying the minds of children, young people and adults.

	"Therapeutic education promotes the idea that we are emotional, vulnerable and hapless individuals. It is an attack on human potential."

	The book says: "The infantilisation of students reveals itself in the increased presence of parents on campus.

	"Everyone looks for a difficulty to declare, like the hundreds of students who register themselves as 'dyslexic'."

	The book describes a situation where a primary school pupil was asked by an emotional learning assistant why he was so happy. When he replied that he was excited about a forthcoming trip to McDonald's, she asked: "Are you sure there is nothing worrying you?"

	Primary schools are increasingly introducing "circle time", which is described on teachers' website Teachernet as individuals "sitting down together with the purpose of furthering understanding of themselves and of one another". 

		-----Original Message----- 

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		Do take a look at the following NEWS page on their website………………..

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		Dr John S Conway FGS FRGS MNADP FHEA

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