Recent philosophy and theory of education have witnessed considerable attention to the notion of flourishing as a benchmark or guiding principle for educational practice. There can also be little doubt that -- while not all recent advocates of flourishing have drawn explicitly on Aristotle -- a focus on flourishing has emerged in the wake of…

If we reject sentimentalist accounts of the nature of moral motivation and education, then we may regard some form of reason as intrinsic to any genuine moral response. The large question for moral education is therefore that of the nature of such reason--perhaps more especially of its status as knowledge. In this regard, there is evidence of some…

This article has three broad aims. The first is to draw attention what is probably the largest empirical study of moral, values and character education in the United Kingdom to the present date. The second is to outline--sufficient for present purposes--a plausible conceptual or theoretical case for placing a particular virtue-ethical concept of…

Recent reflection on the professional knowledge of teachers has been marked by a shift away from more reductive competence and skill-focused models of teaching towards a view of teacher expertise as involving complex context-sensitive deliberation and judgement. Much of this shift has been inspired by an Aristotelian conception of practical wisdom…

In the contemporary literature of educational philosophy and theory, it is almost routinely assumed or claimed that "education" is a "contested" concept: that is, it is held that education is invested--as it were, "all the way down"--with socially constructed interests and values that are liable to diverge in different contexts to the point of…

Perhaps the most pressing issue concerning teacher education and training since the end of the Second World War has been that of the role of theory--or principled reflection--in professional expertise. Here, although the main post-war architects of a new educational professionalism clearly envisaged a key role for theory--considering such…

Moral philosophy seems well placed to claim the key role in theorizing about moral education. Indeed, moral philosophers have from antiquity had much to say about psychological and other processes of moral formation. Given this history, it may seem ironic that much systematic latter-day theorizing about moral education has been social scientific,…

Reconsiders the educational value of practical activity and practical knowledge. Argues that a current influential curriculum theory, which implies that practical activities only merit educational justification in so far as they relate to forms of theoretical knowledge, is mistaken. Comments on the work of G.H. Bantock and D.H. Lawrence. For…

Addresses issues in relation to educational theories focusing on traditionalism and progressivism as examples of two main theories and considers the relationship between educational theories and teaching methods. Believes that it is a mistake to intermingle the differences in educational theories with issues about teaching methods. (CMK)

The difference between Homer Lane's and A. S. Neill's progressive approach and R. S. Peter's traditional approach to moral education is examined. For Lane and Neill the sources of morality are in positive feeling upon which a rational moral principle is superimposed; for Peters altruistic sentiment is directed by intellect and understanding. (RM)

Discusses the proper balance between theory and practice in the professional preparation of teachers. Contents that the argument between educational theory and school-based practice is based mistakenly on the premise that practical training is opposed to theory. Concludes that teacher education must be based on the moral and evaluative…