This paper is an indirect critique of the practice of American liberal education. I show that the liberal, integrative model that American colleges and universities have adopted, with one key exception, is essentially an approach to education proposed some 2400 years ago by Stoic philosophers. To this end, I focus on a critical sketch of the Stoic…

This article provides a critical examination of a variety of approaches to induction focusing especially upon Australia and other Pacific Rim countries. The question of the purposes induction serves for graduate teachers, experienced teachers and education systems is addressed in terms of whether it is a technical exercise which preserves the…

It is well documented that the application of business models to the higher education sector has precipitated a managerialistic approach to organisational structures (Preston, 2001). Less well documented is the impact of this business ideal on the student-teacher encounter. It is argued that this age-old relation is now being configured…

Education is considered to be a crucial element of social development, but, in the global society, the legitimising principle of educational equality is altered by the neoliberal view that competition will improve the quality of any service made available in a society, which in turn will have a positive effect on the general welfare. The…

There is conflicting empirical evidence regarding the learning potential of the workplace. Some studies conclude that workplaces should be seen as strong learning environments, whereas others show evidence of the ineffectiveness of the workplace as a learning environment. In this article, we argue that this disagreement might be caused by…

Humanity delights in spinning conceptual models of the world. These models, in turn, mirror their respective root metaphors. Three root metaphors--spiritual, organic, and mechanical--have dominated western thought. The spiritual metaphor runs from Plato, through Hegel, and connects with Montessori. The organic metaphor extends from Aristotle,…

Although most educators agree that the primary goal of education is student achievement, many believe that this goal has become incongruent with the way that educational institutions function. Community college professionals, in particular, have taken the lead in proposing a new paradigm of learning for the educational process. This digest will…

Advocates a shift in vocational education goals to be more like those of liberal education. Proposes a new model that assumes the central focus of vocational education to be the student, its purpose to prepare people for a working life, and its subject matter to be work. (96 references) (SK)

This article examines the plight of liberal education in research-oriented institutions of higher education and proposes a model for undergraduate liberal/integrative studies that is nonindoctrinative, politically feasible, and relevant for revamping institutional life in North American culture (IAH)

Identifies features of junior high schools that are undergoing change and those that are enduring; reviews four characteristics that have been sought, and to varying degrees attained, and whether they should continue. Describes three other characteristics that many professionals seek. Concludes with a tentative model of the new middle school that…

Society is becoming increasingly aware of the need for education to play a key role in integrating knowledge and understanding about sustainability into practical, vocational skills which can be used in the workplace. Education for sustainability is now a widely accepted concept which seeks to promote and develop sustainability skills and…

Management in universities has had to change, as the demands on universities have demanded different skills. One consequence has been a backlash against what is perceived to be an emerging culture of managerialism. This conceptual article argues that a balance is needed between collegial and more corporate style management if a university is to…

This book reviews the history of the University of Chicago Laboratory School established by John Dewey in light of the current resurgent interest in the ideas and work of this educator. Chapter 1 deals with two lessons: the social nature of learning and developmentally appropriate practice. Chapter 2 examines the laboratory school idea as…

This chapter argues that liberal learning can be transformative and foster students' intellectual and ethical development only if we consider its development underpinnings and pedagogic strategies that illustrate that the skills of academic inquiry are the skills of personal development. (Contains 1 note.)

The purpose of this article is to bring to light and celebrate the richness of the environmental education field, thereby paying homage to the pedagogical creativity of its architects over the course of the last thirty years, as well as to their contribution in reflecting on the meaning, problems and possibilities of our relationship to the…