The Mechanics’ Institute Movement and its Contribution to both British and American 19th Century Adult Education

Glasgow MI was opened on July 5 1823 some 192 years ago, with Dr George Birkbeck as its first President, In the same month and year, the Liverpool Mechanics’ Institute and Apprentices’ Library was also opened, The London Mechanics’ Institution were opened later in 1823….and then the Movement spread across Britai

For the last many years in England everybody has been educating the people, but they have forgotten to find them any books

The origins of the Mechanics’ Institute Movement can be traced back to 1799 when George Birkbeck was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Anderson Institution in Glasgow, The aim of the Institution was to provide lectures to ‘men whose situation in early life has precluded the possibility of acquiring even the smallest portion of scientific knowledge’, Glasgow MI was opened on July 5 1823 with Birkbeck as its first president, The London Mechanics’ Institution was established in the same year

The Development of the Mechanics’ Institute Movement in Britain and Beyond: Supporting further education for the adult working classes

The Development of the Mechanics’ Institute Movement in Britain and Beyond questions the prevailing view that mechanics’ institutes made little contribution to adult working-class education from their foundation in the 1820s to 1890. The book traces the historical development of several mechanics’ institutes across Britain and reveals that many institutes supported both male and female working-class membership before state intervention at the end of the nineteenth century resulted in the development of further education for all

175th Anniversary Lecture - The Class of 1841

The Huddersfield Mechanics Institution ‌THE roots of the University of Huddersfield can be traced to an institution founded 175 years ago. A leading educationalist of the period described it as “a model for Yorkshire and England”. This was the Huddersfield Mechanics’ Institution, and its origins, its progress and its place in Victorian educational culture were described at the opening lecture of a special series

Book Launch: The Development of the Mechanics' Institute in Britain and Beyond

The Development of the Mechanics’ Institute Movement in Britain and Beyond questions the prevailing view that mechanics’ institutes made little contribution to adult working-class education from their foundation in the 1820s to 1890. The book traces the historical development of several mechanics’ institutes across Britain and reveals that many institutes supported both male and female working-class membership before state intervention at the end of the nineteenth century resulted in the development of further education for al

Restricted Unilateral Ankle Dorsiflexion Movement Increases Interlimb Vertical Force Asymmetries in Bilateral Bodyweight Squatting

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of unilateral restrictions in ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion (DF-ROM) on interlimb vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) asymmetries. Twenty healthy and physically active volunteers (age 23 ± 3 years; height 1.72 ± 0.1 m; mass 74.9 ± 20.3 kg) performed 3 barefoot bodyweight squats (control condition) and with a 10° custom-built forefoot wedge under the right foot to artificially imitate ankle DF-ROM restriction (wedge condition). Force data were used to calculate the mean asymmetry index score for the upper descent phase, lower descent phase, lower ascent phase, and upper ascent phase during the bilateral squat. Significant differences were found for comparisons for each phase between conditions, with effect sizes ranging between 0.7 and 1.1. Asymmetry index scores indicated that for all phases, the unrestricted limb in the wedge condition produced greater vGRF. Therefore, interlimb differences in ankle DF-ROM can cause interlimb asymmetries in vGRF during bilateral squatting. As such, athletes with asymmetrical squat mechanics should be screened for interlimb differences in ankle DF-ROM to ascertain whether it is a contributing factor