In a dehumanized world in which meanings derived from dominant liberal world views are tacitly assumed to exist objectively and to impose themselves on discourses and on minds quite independently of who expresses them, this paper endorses what Immanuel Wallerstein calls "unthinking social science" and then rethinking social science in…

In this paper, the author describes philosophical concepts of adult learning and their application as integrated with creative problem solving within the context of social justice and human rights. The context is framed by the work of the United Nations (1992) which emphasizes importance of women's roles and creativity in the process of forming a…

Teaching and teachers have recently become the centre of attention of policy makers and researchers. The general idea here is that teaching matters. Yet the question that is either not asked or is only answered implicitly is why teaching matters. In this article I engage with this question in the context of a wider discussion about the role,…

Drawing on the theoretical constructs of Pierre Bourdieu, this article explores implications of the Australian "My School" website for schools located in disadvantaged communities. These implications flow from the legitimisation of certain cultural practices through the hidden linkages between scholastic aptitude and cultural heritage…

This study aimed to gain an understanding of training and development (T&D) as a philosophy and practice in Jordanian electricity companies and to explore factors that shape T&D. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews, observation and document analysis. Results indicate that T&D was interpreted in terms of learning, was…

While recovering from a serious illness, the author looked for dance classes that would help in regaining flexibility, balance, and core strength. Finding no local dance classes that could accommodate the deconditioning experienced from almost two years of physical inactivity and disuse due to bedrest, the author wondered if there were other…

If a teacher instructs with greater attention to improving students' performance in order to protect her employment rather than solely to advance knowledge or character, is she acting immorally? This question has historical roots in Socrates's famed animosity toward the sophists. Socrates maintained that sophistic teaching was immoral because the…

Current educational discourse is rife with the phrase "critical thinking skills." The term is wielded with such indiscretion among educators, reformers, and education policy makers that is has become commonsensical to believe that imparting critical thinking skills is an indispensable aspect of education. For example, according to the…

In Scandinavian schools, there is a significant tradition for creating a democratic context of experience; this tradition is gradually being challenged by new political and economic movements and increasing focus on tests, assessments, knowledge, and skills. The purpose of this study is to analyze and discuss the status of the current context of…

The paper examines the transfer of the Bologna Process (BP) outside Europe, focusing on its "external dimension" and dynamics in global settings. It argues that the BP impacts on the internationalisation activities of universities, especially with regard to cross-border transparency of qualifications, transnational improvement of quality…

This paper provides a critical exposition and analysis of the work of an acclaimed Italian educator, Lorenzo Milani, and ideas that emerged from his experiences in two Tuscan localities. His work is well known in Italy and many parts of southern Europe. Despite the translations of his works into English and Spanish, in the early 1970s, and their…

The article explores Rabindranath Tagore's ideas on child education, focusing on Tagore's notion of the child, method and nonmethod in education, a deep understanding of education in relation to the child's surroundings, and the ways in which Tagore envisaged the relationship between the child and the teacher--the "guru-shishya"…

One of the questions that Heidegger presents in his paper, "Plato's Doctrine on Truth", is the distortion as he sees it of paideia--that is the loss of the essential elements in education. This loss is characterised according to Heidegger, by a misconception of Plato's concept of teaching and learning. By undertaking an historical…

With increasing adoption of the problem-based learning (PBL) model, creative approaches to enhancing facilitator training and optimizing resources to maintain effective learning in small groups is essential. We describe a theoretical framework for the development of a PBL facilitator training program that uses the constructivist approach as the…

With the corporatization of higher education in Canada and acceptance of the ideology of neo-liberalism as the organizing principle of education, university teacher education programs have seen massive reform. Drawing on the work of Michael Apple, Stephen Ball and others, the author asks how notions that once would have been dismissed as inimical…