Joan Simon
Encyclopedia
Joan Simon was an English historian, specializing in education, the wife and close collaborator of the educationist and historian Brian Simon
.
Joan Peel was born in 1915, a direct descendant of the 19th-century prime minister, Robert Peel
.
She met her future husband Brian Simon while he was studying at Trinity College, Cambridge
.
They married in 1941, and had two sons, Alan and Martin.
They entered into a close partnership in their work, which continued until Brian's death in January 2002.
It was said of Brian that " his partnership with Joan Simon cannot be extracted from Brian’s work as a whole".
In the 1950s, she and her husband Brian investigated, described and publicized the views of A. R. Luria
and L. S. Vygotskii
, founders of cultural-historical psychology
in the then Soviet Union.
In the Autumn of 1958 Brian was one of the founders of FORUM, a journal devoted to educational issues.
She published articles in FORUM in 1964 and 1965 describing developments in comprehensive education in Bradford
, Sheffield
, Liverpool and Manchester
.
In 1973 the magazine published a pamphlet written by Joan titled Indictment of Margaret Thatcher
, Secretary of State 1970–1973.
In 1986 she published a biography of her mother in law, Shena Simon
, who had been active in education reform in England in the 1930s and 1940s.
Joan Simon continued to work until a few months before her death in 2005.
In 2007 the journal History of Education posthumously published her last article: An 'energetic and controversial' historian of education yesterday and today: A. F. Leach
(1851–1915).
Brian Simon
Professor the Hon. Brian Simon , was an English educationist and historian.-Background and early life:The younger son of Ernest Darwin Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe and Shena, Lady Simon, he was the brother of the second Baron Simon of Wythenshawe, Roger Simon, the solicitor and writer on...
.
Joan Peel was born in 1915, a direct descendant of the 19th-century prime minister, Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
.
She met her future husband Brian Simon while he was studying at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
They married in 1941, and had two sons, Alan and Martin.
They entered into a close partnership in their work, which continued until Brian's death in January 2002.
It was said of Brian that " his partnership with Joan Simon cannot be extracted from Brian’s work as a whole".
In the 1950s, she and her husband Brian investigated, described and publicized the views of A. R. Luria
Alexander Luria
Alexander Romanovich Luria was a famous Soviet neuropsychologist and developmental psychologist. He was one of the founders of neuropsychology and the jointly led the Vygotsky Circle.- Biography :...
and L. S. Vygotskii
Lev Vygotsky
Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist, the founder of cultural-historical psychology, and the leader of the Vygotsky Circle.-Biography:...
, founders of cultural-historical psychology
Cultural-historical psychology
Cultural-historical psychology is a theory of psychology founded by Lev Vygotsky at the end of the 1920s and developed by his students and followers in...
in the then Soviet Union.
In the Autumn of 1958 Brian was one of the founders of FORUM, a journal devoted to educational issues.
She published articles in FORUM in 1964 and 1965 describing developments in comprehensive education in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Liverpool and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
In 1973 the magazine published a pamphlet written by Joan titled Indictment of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, Secretary of State 1970–1973.
In 1986 she published a biography of her mother in law, Shena Simon
Shena Simon
Shena Dorothy Simon was a politician and educational reformer in Manchester, England.-Early years:Shena Dorothy Potter was born on 21 October 1883, daughter of John Wilson Potter and Jane Boyd Potter....
, who had been active in education reform in England in the 1930s and 1940s.
Joan Simon continued to work until a few months before her death in 2005.
In 2007 the journal History of Education posthumously published her last article: An 'energetic and controversial' historian of education yesterday and today: A. F. Leach
Arthur Francis Leach
Arthur Francis Leach was an English historian who wrote a number of books on the development of education in England.He has been called "the father of the history of education in England".-Life:...
(1851–1915).