Philosophy of Education

"An outstanding contribution.... This is the best overview of the field available today." Nicholas Burbules Editor, Educational Quarterly

Making Sense of Education provides a contemporary introduction to the key issues in educational philosophy and theory. Exploring major past and present conceptions of education, teaching and learning, this book aims to make philosophy of education relevant to the professional practice of teachers and student teachers, as well of interest to those studying education as an academic subject. The book is divided into three parts: * Education, teaching and professional practice : issues concerning education, the role of the teacher, the relationship of educational theory to practice and the wider moral dimensions of pedagogy. * Learning, knowledge and curriculum : issues concerning behaviourist and cognitive theories of learning, knowledge and meaning, curriculum aims and content, and evaluation and assessment. * Schooling, society and culture : issues of the wider social and political context of education concerning liberalism and communitarianism, justice and equality, differentiation, authority and discipline. This timely and up-to-date introduction should assist all those studying and/or working in education to appreciate the main philosophical sources of and influences on present day thinking about education, teaching and learning

An introductory book in philosophy of education produced for the beginning student in the discipline. No previous experience in formal studies in either philosophy or education is a requirement for a full comprehension of the text.

Linking theoretical methods in the philosophy of education with their application in the real world of educating children, this collection of writings focuses on the topical area of children's rights as a basis for investigation.

Kaminsky provides a new intellectual history of educational philosophy in the context of a comparative review of educational philosophy in the United States, Britain, and Australasia. Throughout his work he challenges those involved with educational philosophy to take a different view of the discipline and its intellectual mission. Kaminsky argues that the intellectual mission of education is different from that of philosophy. Professional educators, he believes, make up the legitimate audience of educational philosophy.

This text provides a brief, yet comprehensive, overview of a number of non-Western approaches to educational thought and practice. The history of education, as it has been conceived and taught in the United States (and generally in the West), has focused almost entirely on the ways in which our own educational tradition emerged, developed, and changed over the course of the centuries. Although understandable, this means the many ways that other societies have sought to meet many of the same challenges have been ignored. This book seeks to redress this omission. Its premise is that gaining an understanding of the ways that other peoples educate their children--as well as what counts for them as "education"--may help us to think more clearly about some of our own assumptions and values, as well as to become more open to alternative viewpoints about important educational matters. Because it is not traditionally included in the training of educators, very few have had any real exposure to non-Western educational traditions. Thus, the audience for this book is broad and diverse. Intended as a text for both preservice and in-service teachers, each chapter includes pedagogically helpful "Questions for Discussion and Reflection" and "Recommended Further Readings." The book is equally appropriate for advanced students in graduate programs as well as faculty members. New in the Second Edition: The text has been thoroughly revised to expand and clarify points, update chapters as needed, and improve the pedagogical usefulness of the text. A section on Mayan education has been added to the chapter on the Mesoamerican educational experience. One entirely new chapter "'Familiar Strangers': The Case of the Rom" has been included.

In this volume, international philosophers of education explore and question diverse strains of the liberal tradition, discussing autonomy and other key issues including social justice, national-identity, curriculum, critical thinking and social practices.

In this unique work some of today's greatest educators present concise, accessible summaries of the great educators of the past. Covering a time-span from 500 BC to the early twentieth century each essay gives key biographical information, an outline of the individual's principal achievements and activities, an assessment of their impact and influence, a list of their major writings and suggested further reading. Together with Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education , this book provides a unique reference guide for all students of education.

Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education looks at fifty of the twentieth century's most significant contributors to the debate on education. Together with Fifty Major Thinkers on Education this book provides a unique history of educational thinking. Each essay gives key biographical information, an outline of the individual's principal achievements and activities, an assessment of his or her impact and influence and a list of their major writings and suggested further reading.

Four eminent educators of 20th-century America are profiled in this book: John Dewey, Howard Gardner, Carol Gilligan, and John Ogbu, all of whom caused a major paradigm shift in American education. For each one there is biographical information and analysis of his or her intellectual contributions.