Punishment as an Educational Technology: A Form of Pedagogical Inertia in Schools?

In the first section we clarify our reasons for describing punishment as a technology. The polemics surrounding punishment that colour(ed) the educational landscape are dealt with in the second section. The trends of the protection, increasing legalism and problematisation of punishment are discussed, as well as the argument for a more repressive approach that is gradually gathering pace. On the other hand, we look at the national and international debate on the physical punishment of pupils, as well as the different opinions on possible changes, shifts or reversals in the educational treatment of children. In section three we give a summary presentation of a number of our research findings on the history of classroom practice in the twentieth century. We relate our findings to the context of the dominant discourse in educational journals of the time. On the basis of these findings, a number of widespread misconceptions are rebutted and adapted in section four, after which a number of conclusions are drawn in the final section.