The work ethic, the school curriculum and education for democracy

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to explore some of the ways we need to think about work if we are to teach it as a •‘good’ for the self and society. The social, cultural, technological and economic developments of •‘new times’ have led to enormous changes in the kind of work people do and this has given rise to opportunities for a new relationship between the self, work and society, which can be culturally enriching for self and community, but which also carries with it certain dangers. To begin with, the work ethic and some of the ideas associated with it will be explicated with a brief reference to its historical origins and the interpretations of various social analysts, in particular those of John Dewey. The author then goes on to examine the ways in which these ideas might be applied to teaching and learning about work in a school context. This will involve looking at the informal and the formal level of the curriculum, and addressing questions to do with the way we expose pupils to various meanings of work, what it means to do •‘good’ work and what alternative teaching approaches might be envisaged.