Educational Theory in British Children's Literary Classics: Teaching and Learning Down the Rabbit Hole

The author of this book has combined his love of children's literature and education to analyze popular children's books from a pedagogical perspective. He explores images of teaching and learning in Lewis Carroll's Alice novels, Beatrix Potter's tales, Peter Pan, Kenneth Graham's The Wind in the Willows, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter. He finds traces of Plato, Rousseau, Dewey, and Vygotsky, portrayals of growth mindset and high-stakes testing, and evidence of the pedagogical power of inquiry, teacher personality, and project-based learning.

Format: Hardback
Length: 154 pages
Publication date: 17 June 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

Drawing on a wealth of over thirty years of experience in teaching children's literature and education, encompassing specialized courses on pedagogical imagery in popular media, the author has seamlessly merged these two fields of expertise to offer an educational lens to a selection of iconic works in children's literature. In his comprehensive exploration, Albritton uncovers and examines captivating images of teaching and learning within Lewis Carroll's two Alice novels, a diverse collection of tales by Beatrix Potter, both play and novel adaptations of Peter Pan, Kenneth Graham's The Wind in the Willows, selected stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Hobbit, and the initial three novels by J.K. Rowling, centered around the young wizard-in-training, Harry Potter. Through these diverse literary tapestries, the author reveals insightful traces of Plato, Rousseau, Dewey, and Vygotsky, portrays representations of a growth mindset and high-stakes testing, and provides evidence of the profound pedagogical impact of inquiry, teacher personality, and project-based learning. Albritton's overarching objective is to accord equal importance to each analytical focus, thereby fostering a deeper appreciation for the literature and a more profound understanding of the theoretical frameworks at play.

Weight: 413g
Dimension: 228 x 161 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793616319