John Howlett

Dr. John Howlett is a Lecturer in Education at the School of Social Sciences, Keele University. He joined the institution in September 2011 and commenced his role in January 2012. As BA Education Programme Director and Editor of the War Poetry Review journal, he bridges educational history with literary scholarship.

• Education: MA (History), M.Phil (Educational History), PhD (Educational History) from University of Cambridge
• Professional Affiliations: Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Fellow of the HE Academy, member of BERA, History of Education Society (UK), Historical Association

His research spans two major domains: history of education (progressive and comparative education, Victorian and 20th-century pedagogy) and poetic scholarship as editor of Victorian and 20th-century poetry. Recent publications emphasize intentionality in historical analysis, progressive education philosophies, and war poetry's cultural legacy.

Teaching focuses on modules like Back to the Future: Issues in the History of Schooling, Progressive Education and its Discontents, and Comparative Issues in British and US Education. He has led postgraduate modules on research methods, critical theories, and thesis preparation.

Key publications include:

• Books: Progressive Education: A Critical Introduction (2013), Edmond Holmes and Progressive Education (2016), and the forthcoming Challenging the Orthodox: The Development of Progressive Education in the UK 1850–1950 (2023)
• Edited Poetry Collections: Works by Henry Newbolt, W.E. Henley, Paul Dehn, and others

Scientific contributions recognized through peer-review roles for journals like History of Education, Oxford Review of Education, and publishers like SAGE and Routledge.

Supervision includes 19 current and completed EdD, PhD, and MPhil students on topics spanning creativity in education, clinical supervision, professional identity, and curriculum theory. Funders include Keele University, Thai Government, and ESRC.

Media engagements include BBC Stoke, LBC Radio, BBC Three Counties Radio appearances discussing education policy, and interviews in BBC History Magazine on grammar schools and historical educational debates.