Social pedagogy and the teacher: England and Norway compared

Abstract

Social pedagogy as practice refers to actions on the part of adults to promote the personal development, social education and general well‐being of the child alongside or in place of parents in a range of educational and social care settings (e.g. pre‐school play groups, residential care homes, youth clubs). This paper focuses how the notion of social pedagogy as practice has been applied in England and Norway in the context of recent developments in policy and practice regarding the interface between education services and childcare and welfare services. In Norway, the notion of social pedagogy reflects many aspects of the way the term is often understood in continental Europe. In England, the term is only just beginning to be used in this way following a major policy development, ‘Every Child Matters’, which has led to a review of the role of the teacher in the context of integrating education and child welfare services. The paper considers the implications of such recent developments for changes in the role of the teacher.

Keywords:

• social pedagogy
• child welfare