This concise, digestible book shows how the cultivation of reason became the defining aim of western education, and critiques how this aim has been eclipsed in recent decades by the neoliberal system of mass schooling imposed by the state. Chapters outline succinctly the history of western education and its origins in Ancient Greece, demonstrating…

How do dancers, drummers, and singers cultivate connections, collaborations, and co-becoming through dance-making and staging African dances in higher education? This critical question provoked inquiry into processes and experiences of creating and staging African dances in higher education contexts. Taking the philosophy of Ubuntu and the…

This reference book charts the influence of philosophical ideas that have had the greatest influence on education from ancient Greece to the present. The book covers such classical thinkers as Plato, Augustine, Hypatia, Locke, and Rousseau, as well as such recent figures as Montessori, Heidegger, Du Bois, and Dewey. The encyclopedia consists of…

This narrative chronicles the life of the nationally-known but controversial teacher educator, historian, and philosopher of education William E. Drake. Drake was the author of "American Education in Transition"; "The Intellectual Foundations of Modern Education"; and numerous articles and monographs. He taught for 50 years at…

The author starts from a historical viewpoint to suggest that, at primary level, we have tended to perpetuate a nineteenth-century notion of music education. This is evident in the selection and organisation of musical content in curriculum documents, the scope of the teacher-pupil transaction implicit in these and the assumptions about music…

This paper explores the notion of philosophic-mindedness as it relates to the conceptions of educational leadership and democracy. Three essential questions are treated: (1) Ought educational leaders to be philosophic in their work? (2) Need educational leaders be democratic? and (3) How do these conceptions of leadership, democracy, and…

The very existence of pluralism and democratic societies is based on a commitment to certain values, since they do not keep their members in line by sheer force. Theoretically this means that antidemocratic values choices of large numbers of people would lead to the end of such societies. Thus a problem encountered by these societies is how to…

In response to the broad question of what is needed to ensure quality instruction into the next century, this paper addresses three related issues. First, it is suggested that radically different inquiry and research perspectives, based on the quasi-anthropological concept of schools as culture systems, need to be subsumed into educators'…

This study reveals that John Dewey and his theory of education had an influence on the beginning of progressive education in Eretz Israel in the first and second decades of this century, even before it had influenced the kibbutz educational system--the communal way of life, and other schools in the Jewish labor movement in Israel. This influence…

In the West, science is assumed to be an integral part of Western culture. What interests Western educators and policy makers is achievement in science, particularly the comparative achievement in science among students of different Western nations plus Japan. Americans are constantly asking whether or not our students know as much science as…

This study was undertaken to determine the value and belief patterns of Catholic elementary school principals and teachers in the context of the school as a faith community. It was believed that some educators, particularly lay teachers, would value secular and noncommunitarian purposes and characteristics more than religious and communitarian…

Provides an overview based on personal experiences, recollections, viewpoints and anecdotal records. Discusses the general philosophy of education in the Soviet Union, the selection of students, graduate study and the chemistry curriculum. Compares and contrasts the educational systems of the Soviet Union and the United States. (CW)

Provides an overview and an examination of educational didactics in Sweden. In this context, didactics refers to the study of what content is chosen and how it is taught. Some theorists have extended this to include how students conceptualize what they are taught. Discusses the conflicting schools of thought. (MJP)

Criticizes New Zealand's adoption of market-oriented higher education--universities as "knowledge businesses" and students as "consumers." Argues that the competitive capitalist economic model advocated by the state replicates societal structural inequalities and is wholly inappropriate for a university. Recommends a return to…

Reiterates the need for an understanding of the concepts of continuity and change, not simply in the representation of historical events, but in the writing and study of history. Uses Thomas Hobbes's riddle of Theseus to illustrate the need for multiple readings and critical analysis in history instruction. (MJP)