Roland Meighan

 

Roland Meighan is an acknowledged “educational heretic” for his view that mass compulsory schooling is now an obsolete, counterproductive learning system which abuses human rights and should be phased out as soon as possible. Dr. Meighan believes that schools should be recycled as part of a flexible learning system that is invitational and learner-directed. He is author of more than ten books and has been translated into several languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Director of Educational Heretics Press , Director/Trustee of the Centre for Personalised Education Trust Ltd. and formerly Special Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Roland Meighan D.Soc.Sc, Ph.D., B.Sc.(Soc)., L.C.P., Cert. Ed.

                                                                                                     

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

Writer, publisher, and consultant/researcher on learning systems, past present and future. His work on ‘The Next Learning System’ has been translated into more than twelve languages.

Director of Educational Heretics Press,

Director/Trustee of the Centre for Personalised Education Trust Ltd.

Formerly Special Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham.

Formerly Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Birmingham.

Author of several books including:

Comparing Learning Systems; Natural Learning and the Natural Curriculum; Learning Unlimited; John Holt: personalised education instead of ‘uninvited teaching’; Flexischooling; Theory and Practice of Regressive Education; The Next Learning System;

and the classic text - A Sociology of Educating (now in its 5th edition);

Monthly columnist in Natural Parent magazine until its demise.


Roland began researching home-based education in 1977, appearing as an expert witness in key legal hearings. He continued as a ‘double agent’ by training teachers for the school system at the same time. This gave him a unique comparative perspective on the two learning systems.

               

 


“Perhaps when we have achieved a humane, transformational education system, at home, in learning centres and a host of other settings, we will think we have done it ourselves – but it will really be because we learnt from Roland Meighan and a few other ‘heretics’.”

               Professor Tricia David


"I first came across Roland in the autumn of 1997 when we were launching Natural Parent. I was looking for a regular column that would debunk and question conventional education, and the name of Roland Meighan quickly came to the lips of virtually everyone I asked. His first column, which was published in November 1997, was just what I wanted. It was bold, challenging, and laced with both erudition and wit. And so it has been over the months, and now the years, since then. The standard has not flagged at all, and each column has shown another aspect of Roland's learning and compassion."

Bryan Hubbard, editor, Natural Parent