In the context of the recent revival of virtue ethics, the notion of character formation under the rational guidance of Aristotle's notion of "phronesis," or practical wisdom, has been exalted as the principal aim of moral education. However, this is not unproblematic insofar as the promotion of Aristotelian "phronesis" seems…

One of the central problems in curriculum design is to find a rational basis for the selection of subject content and the assessment of student progression. Without good reasoning, decisions about the selection of content according to various levels of complexity would be left to personal opinion of the faculty members and a reasoned debate among…

In the literature on citizenship education, frequent references are made to Dewey. However, educationalists do not always interpret him correctly. To provide some counterbalance, I explain Dewey's views on education and democracy. I base this, not only on "Democracy and Education", but also on 17 articles that Dewey wrote after…

Cognitive enhancement--augmenting normal cognitive capacities--is not new. Literacy, numeracy, computers, and the practices of science are all cognitive enhancements. Science is now making new cognitive enhancements possible. Biomedical cognitive enhancements (BCEs) include the administration of drugs, implants of genetically engineered or…

The function of aesthetic education in the life of the individual and society is examined. (CK)

The goals of social studies--defined as thinking, understanding, attitudes, and skills--are considered within the framework of a cognitive and an affective taxonomy of educational goals. The first lesson in this series of lessons on social studies instructional strategies deals with modes of inquiry and with the value of responsible consent and…

Author explained her objective of teaching a workshop stressing the developmental nature of morality as well as acquainting a group of teachers with Kohlberg's dilemmas and their own. (Author/RK)

Good thinking can be placed within a descriptive framework which includes a state of doubt about what to do or believe; goal, possibilities, and evidence seeking; and evidence use. The framework is useful in describing all types of thinking, although the search process may differ in the degree of control the thinker has over his search. Examples…

A working definition of the humanities and characteristics of a liberally educated person are specified. The humanities embrace areas of human knowledge that possess these elements: central concern for human beings rather than for the processes of nature or the structures of society; primary focus on the individual rather than on the group;…

Education in many countries is used to initiate children and young people into publicly accepted forms of knowledge and to further a common identity among members and citizens of the nation-state. This study discusses both an uncritical initiation to such knowledge and the value of criticality as an educational goal in terms of critical thinking,…

Many of the objectives in environmental continuing education are established using Bloom's and Krathwohl's taxonomies (values). This case study was undertaken to examine quantitatively the relationships among the conceptual categories within each domain. There were major concentrations of responses within each of the domains which helped establish…

This paper comments on the thesis that cognitive style and affective reaction variables ought to be taken into account in the evaluation of instruction. Observations are expressed as questions relating to cognitive style: Which style is it better for an individual to have? Can cognitive style be adapted to fit a particular learning task? Can it be…

Looks at the notion made popular in the 1960's by Paul Hirst and Richard Peters that knowledge is intrinsic to the educational enterprise. Suggests that the acquisition of knowledge remains the primary justification for educational experiences, and proposes a concept of knowledge as "rationality's database". (Contains 16 references.) (NB)

Cognitive styles--defined as information processing habits--should be considered as a criterion variable in the evaluation of instruction. Research findings identify the characteristics of different cognitive stles. Used in educational practice and evaluation, cognitive styles would be new process variables extending the assessment of mental…