Freedom, differentialism and the partnership method: the progressive education of Norman MacMunn

Howlett, John

doi:10.1080/0046760X.2022.2065538

Freedom, differentialism and the partnership method: the progressive education of Norman MacMunn

Howlett, John

Authors

John Howlett j.howlett@keele.ac.uk

Abstract

This article has as its focus the life and thinking of the practitioner and theorist Norman MacMunn (1877–1925), whose experimental work in a number of schools outlined a new conception of freedom and one that drew initially upon the thinking and practice of Maria Montessori. It explores how MacMunn used these new psychological ideas to develop innovatory practice, which included techniques he christened ‘differentialism’ and ‘the partnership method’. The relationship of these to future educational developments is explored. The article also examines MacMunn’s later work, which began to broaden his thinking into a wider theory of human relations, and which stemmed from taking charge of his own school as well as his disillusion with the First World War. It situates MacMunn within the broader development of progressivism and makes the case for him as being an important figure in the emergence of progressive thinking.

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 5, 2022
Publication Date	Jan 2, 2023
Publicly Available Date	May 30, 2023
Journal	HISTORY OF EDUCATION
Print ISSN	0046-760X
Publisher	Routledge
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	52
Issue	1
Pages	56-75
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/0046760X.2022.2065538
Keywords	Progressivism, freedom, play, Montessori, experimental schooling
Publisher URL	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0046760X.2022.2065538?scroll=top&needAccess=true