Dr Dorothy Helen Rayner FGS (1912-2003): vertebrate palaeontologist and academic

Dorothy Rayner was one of the first women to be appointed to a tenured academic post in any English university geology department, joining the Leeds Department in 1939, serving for 38 years to her retirement in 1977. She had two very important early influences inher life. The first was her family, with its tradition through several generations of doctors, scientists, engineers, mathematicians, radical politics and social activism. The other was her earlier education, particularly her seven years at the very influential Bedales School, the first of what were to become known in the 20th century as “progressive” schools. After gaining a First at Girton College in the Cambridge Natural Sciences Tripos, she undertook ground-breaking research on the taxonomy and neural systems of Jurassic fishes, for which she was awarded a Cambridge PhD in 1938, soon after which she was appointed Assistant Lecturer in Geology at Leeds. In addition to an always very heavy teaching load she continued with a broad range of research, including further work on fossil vertebrates, and the stratigraphy of first the North of England and then the whole of the British Isles. She was also an outstanding Editor, and then President, of the Yorkshire Geological Society.

The study of the credit and financial system of the Russian Empire (1861–1914) in pre-revolutionary historiography: university schools of Ukraine

The article is devoted to the study of the university schools of Ukraine that developed issues of credit and finance of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century in the pre-revolutionary period. Its purpose is to determine the main scientific achievements of the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa schools of financial law in studying the credit and financial system of the Russian Empire (1861–1914) by establishing the features of pre-revolutionary Ukrainian historiography, identifying the characteristics of each of these scientific schools, and identifying their representatives. The relevance of the article is determined by studying the scientific heritage of the most progressive schools of financial law, whose representatives not only participated in legislative activities (preparation of draft legislative acts on the implementation of the foreclosure operation, financial reform of 1895–1897, in the field of small loans), were part of the collegial management bodies largest banks, but also put forward original ideas of both practical and theoretical nature. Many proposals of Ukrainian economists formed the basis for new areas of economic thought (M. I. Tugan-Baranovsky is one of the founder of institutionalism). Their legacy can be applied in solving modern strategic tasks of the state. The novelty of the study is determined by the fact that for the first time systematized the ideas of Ukrainian schools of economists regarding credit and finance of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. The characteristic features of the Kyiv scientific school (status representatives, progressive ideas, contribution to the development of institutionalism), Kharkiv school (popularization of the ideas of credit cooperation, conducting scientific seminars on pressing economic issues) and Odessa school (criticism of banks, their classification) are determined. The most common topics for research are noted, prominent representatives are listed.

The Renewal of the Old: Lionel Murphy’s Progressive-Relational Conception of Property

As we approach Justice Lionel Murphy’s 100th birthday on 30 August 2022, this article explores and renews a significant aspect in the jurisprudence of this truly radical judge: the social relations or progressive view of property. Justice Murphy both identified and judicially expounded this view well before the American social relations or progressive schools. And rather than merely identifying it as some intellectual museum piece, the article also builds on it. The article contains five parts. Part I contextualises the jurisprudential debates surrounding property. Part II recounts Justice Murphy’s judicial radicalism. Part III explores the elements of Murphy’s progressive-relational view of property. Part IV applies the elements of Murphy’s progressive-relational property to the High Court’s recent native title decision in Northern Territory v Griffiths. Part V offers some concluding reflections on the bright future for property found in Murphy’s conception.

Space and Time in the Creative Curriculum: Drama and education in two island nations in the early twentieth century

This article aims to reflect on space, time and education in two distinct but related ways: space and time as components of pedagogy, focusing on drama in the curriculum, where space and time frame language and gesture in a complex mode of communication; and as dimensions of historiographical analysis of the evolution of educational policies and practices. Considering progressive innovations of teaching through drama in Britain and Japan, we explore relationships across space and time, drawing on documentary and mainly published evidence. For primary sources we draw on the writing of individuals such as Shoyo Tsubouchi and Kuniyoshi Obara in Japan, Harriet Finlay-Johnson and Henry Caldwell Cook in Britain. We identify a number of progressive schools, their enterprise and experiments, and consider the role of national and international forums. Sources include professional journals in English and Japanese languages, the New Education Fellowship, its conferences and its journal New Era as vehicles for exchange. Taking a critical approach to historiography, the article refers to more recent pedagogical discourse and historical scholarship by Takeo Fujikura, Manami Yoda, Gavin Bolton, Mary Bowmaker and Helen Nicholson. It concludes by considering lessons for education history, and legacies for drama in education, reflecting on current challenges for school drama in light of its past.

Do Progressive Schools Give Too Much Freedom to the Child?

Winnicott looks at progressive schools in terms of their work with ill children and, sometimes, ill parents. For Winnicott, the diagnosis of children as healthy or maladjusted or deprived is of utmost significance when the place of progressive schools is being discussed. A group of deprived children can be said to both need a progressive school and, at the same time, be most likely to break it up. Winnicott considers that the challenge for progressive schools is that they tend to be used by persons trying to ‘place’ deprived children, which he considers a misuse of their function. He proposes that, under such conditions, any idea of providing opportunity for creative learning will be vitiated by the fact that a large number of the pupils will not be able to learn because they are trying to discover and establish their identities. Winnicott also believes that good progressive school education cannot to be measured in academic terms; it may be that all the school does is not expel a pupil until the time comes for passing him or her on to a wider area of living.

Notes Made in the Train

Winnicott’s notes made while returning from a conference on The Future for Progressive Education, referring to the positive and negative aspects of the idea of ‘forward-reaching’ and ‘forging ahead’ in progressive schools. A discussion on control, destructive and compulsive heterosexual behaviour follows.

Fishing for Quality Learning

In order to prepare children for a world of rapid change New Zealand has developed a new education curriculum. This curriculum emphasises both a new vision and new values for teaching and learning. In order to address these, some progressive schools are trialing new technologies such as learning management systems. One such system which is showing exciting results is KnowledgeNet (KNet), which provides opportunities for students, peers, teachers, parents, and the community to be actively involved in the child’s education. Schools trialing this system are beginning to see extensive positive applications. This chapter will provide visual real-life classroom examples in order to describe how one New Zealand school has successfully introduced KNet.