School Memories

2016

This book reveals how school memories offer not only a tool for accessing the school of the past, but also a key to understanding what people today know (or think they know) about the school of the past. It describes, in fact, how historians’ work does not purely and simply consist in exploring school as it really was, but also in the complex process of defining the memory of school as one developed and revisited over time at both the individual and collective level. Further, it investigates the extent to which what people “know” reflects the reality or is in fact a product of stereotypes that are deeply rooted in common perceptions and thus exceedingly difficult to do away with. The book includes fifteen peer-reviewed contributions that were presented and discussed during the International Symposium “School Memories. New Trends in Historical Research into Education: Heuristic Perspectives and Methodological Issues” (Seville, 22-23 September, 2015).

What do school names tell education and school historians? What do they reveal? This essay analyses the school names engraved on the plates affixed to school buildings, important «spies» of a collective and public memory sedimented into school culture over time. Starting from a case study of the city of Bologna between the 19 th and 20 th centuries, investigated in the archives and press records, particular attention is focused on the reasons behind and changes in the choices of schools names. What emerges is how school names, written on the walls and in the epigraphs, are shown to be the signs and instruments of political pedagogy readily promoted by the ruling classes, throughout the many metamorphoses of civil government between the 19 th and 20 th centuries, penetrating into the folds of school culture of entire generations. EET/TEE

In: Cristina Yanes-Cabrera, Juri Meda & Antonio Viñao (eds.), School Memories: New Trends In The History Of Education Research , 2016

2017

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

2017

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

Summary This contribution sets out to analyse the official names of Italian schools in the 19th and 20th centuries, considering these schools as places of civil, political and scholastic memory. Studying national legislation and based on historical research into specific schools in Italy, the work focuses on the naming of the school buildings found today in the city of Bologna (Italy) during the period from Unification until the Second World War. Examining as-yet unexplored archive sources, the study investigates the motivations underlying the school names, the contexts in which they were debated and decided, the inauguration ceremonies and the relative official speeches given by the authorities, the stones laid or busts displayed in or outside the schools and the complex scenography set up for the local people offering a "pedagogic" and yet political discourse, as an authentic educational heritage of "public memory" and political pedagogy for the generations of the time and those to come. This study also shows some interesting surprises concerning famous and less well-known figures and personalities pointed out in the local school memory but legible on many levels of historical and educational interpretation. This work has confirmed that officially named of Italian school buildings are authentic places of memory assigned from birth to play a civil and public function for national education and cultural memory, as well as the literacy of the new generations.

El Futuro del Pasado, 2016

Esta contribución pretende analizar los nombres oficiales de las escuelas italianas en los siglos XIX y XX, teniendo en cuenta estas escuelas como lugares de memoria civil, política y escolar. Estudiando la legislación nacional y en base a la investigación histórica de escuelas específicas en Italia, el trabajo se centra en la denominación de los edificios escolares que se encuentran hoy en la ciudad de Bolonia (Italia), durante el período comprendido entre la Unificación y la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Examinando fuentes de archivo aún inexploradas, el artículo analiza las motivaciones subyacentes a los nombres de las escuelas, los contextos en los que se debatieron y decidieron, las ceremonias de inauguración y los discursos oficiales relativos dados por las autoridades, las piedras colocadas o bustos expuestos dentro o fuera las escuelas y la compleja escenografía establecida para la población local que ofrecen un discurso «pedagógica» y, sin embargo político, como un auténtico patr...

Applied Psychology in Hungary, 2011

This study is exploring by what means a school as an organization can strengthen national remembrance and national identity. In connection with this we demonstrate the obvious manifestations of a school's organizational culture, supposing with the supposition that school traditions (national holidays, school memorial days) and certain verbal, visual-material manifestations of the organizational culture function as 'lieux de memoire', or as models of 'lieux de memoire'. We are highlighting the organizational duality following from the functional differences of the 'lieux de memoire' of the distant and recent past: that is, the existence of the declared 'lieux de memoire' in regulating school documents and the practice of emphasizing certain segments of national remembrance while ignoring some others. The theoretical and practical concerns of the topic are connected with document analysis, web page analysis and field work in schools. The work is supported by the Abstract: this study is exploring by what means a school as an organization can strengthen national remembrance and national identity. In connection with this we demonstrate the obvious manifestations of a school's organizational culture, supposing with the supposition that school traditions (national holidays, school memorial days) and certain verbal, visual-material manifestations of the organizational culture function as 'lieux de memoire', or as models of 'lieux de memoire'. We are highlighting the organizational duality following from the functional differences of the 'lieux de memoire' of the distant and recent past: that is, the existence of the declared 'lieux de memoire' in regulating school documents and the practice of emphasizing certain segments of national remembrance while ignoring some others. The theoretical and practical concerns of the topic are connected with document analysis, web page analysis and field work in schools.

American Journal of Educational Research, 2016

The current study, based in the autobiographical memory paradigm, was conducted to extend knowledge of academic recollections about school subjects. Undergraduates (N=195) were directed to recall memories about Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Physical Education, and Music/Art. In contrast to prior research where reported memories of school tended to focus on social components, the present study used prompts to provide a framework that focused on academic memories. Positive and Negative Learning Experiences were reported more frequently than Positive and Negative Teacher Behaviors, Interpersonal Experiences, or Recognition. Math was the only content area where Negative Learning Experiences were most often reported. A recency effect was evident for memories of different school subjects. Extremely pleasant recollections were frequently reported in all school subjects. No gender differences were observed.

South Africa is a nation of diverse groups, each with its own characterised ethnicity, cultural heritage, language, history, and beliefs. The various public entities that make up the multicultural landscape of South Africa are marked by toponyms that allude to the above-mentioned characterising sociocultural aspects. Institutions of learning such as public schools are among the many entities which carry toponyms that are reflective of societal structures and shared community values. It is important to consider the historical background, and motivations behind the names of public schools in order to gain insight into the sociocultural factors and power relations at play. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore the significance of public school names and their meanings at Ga-Sekororo. The study was conducted using a qualitative research approach in the interpretive paradigm, with a case study as the research design. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were administered, with 12 participants that included 4 school principals, 4 community leaders, 2 regional circuit officials, and 2 of officials from the Departments of Education from Limpopo province, South Africa. The study's findings revealed that the significance of public school names at Ga-Sekororo is to commemorate persons from royalty and preserve their identity and history. In addition, the data suggest that public school names denote land custodianship to tribal authorities and that the schools named after geographical features are helpful in linking the schools with the environment they are found at. It is recommended that the names of public schools should be expanded to include not only names of members of the royal council, but also names of individuals who have made significant contributions to the community. Names of public schools should draw inspiration from a memorable event in the community regardless of whether persons associated with the event are royalty or not.