This essay argues for a fundamental change in the direction of art, its education and research that draws on Alain Badiou's notion of "inaesthetics" and negative affirmation as well as Deleuze's reorientation of "aesthetics." I draw on the inspiration of Vincent Lanier's critical spirit and Irwin Kaufmann's ideas on art, creativity, and research…

In this article, the author talks about Ted Sizer and describes him as a "schoolman," a Mr. Chips figure with all the romance that surrounded that image. Accustomed to models of brute power, parents, teachers, bureaucrats, and even politicians were attracted to his message of common decency. There's a way of talking about, and to, school people…

The phrase "liberal education" has begun obliterating more precise and meaningful terms. At first the author assumed that in using it, those public intellectuals who regularly gather to redefine higher education or set benchmarks for it had merely found an abbreviated way of describing a liberal-arts education. After Jeffrey Nesteruk took the…

This paper explores the role of deliberation in the context of the capability approach to human well-being from the standpoint of the individual doing the reflecting. The concept of a "strong evaluator" is used develop a concept of the agent of capability. The role of values is discussed in the process of deliberating, particularly the nature of…

What is an artist-teacher (or teaching artist)? Is it someone who practices a dual profession or is it something more, perhaps a philosophy of teaching? George Wallis, a nineteenth-century artist and teacher, introduced the earliest known use of the term when defending his educational practices at the Manchester School of Design in 1845 (Wallis,…

Examining the educational writings of three of the eighteenth-century's most innovative thinkers, the Abbe de Saint-Pierre, Morelly and Helvetius, this article challenges the currently accepted view that it was a belief in human pliability which gave rise to the contemporary groundbreaking faith in the power of education to improve society. The…

This is the second of four essays discussing John Dewey's short essay, "Education as engineering". Dewey's views are remarkably timely against the background of recent discussions about the role of evidence in educational practice and a call for research that tells us "what works". Dewey's view is nuanced and helps one to see what one should and…

The purposes of higher education in general and of university education in particular have long been subject to controversy. Whereas for some, the main role of universities is to provide professional and vocational education and training and their benefits are to be measured in terms of social or economic utility, their value for others is to be…

From the perspective of an African ethic, analytically interpreted as a philosophical principle of right action, what are the proper final ends of a publicly funded university and how should they be ranked? To answer this question, I first provide a brief but inclusive review of the literature on Africanising higher education from the past 50…

This paper attempted to reveal some inadequacies inherent in the Nigerian system of education and, how the pragmatic approach to education can help solve the problems of disfunctionality of the system. It does this by explaining the aims and features of the pragmatic philosophy of education. Furthermore, the paper gave answers to two basic…

This article traces the evolution of kindergarten from its focus on children, to its focus on outcomes, to its current focus on literacy and math. The early childhood parts of kindergarten are losing ground to growing allocation of kindergarten time to academic content. A more ecological approach to kindergarten involves reincorporating play into…

The paper is in four parts. Part 1 considers the justification for including design and technology in the school curriculum. Part 2 suggests the content for the subject at Key Stage 3. Part 3 describes some of the ways the subject might be taught. Part 4 considers ways in which the curriculum can be devised so that it is irresistible and…

This paper examines curriculum debates, particularly those that influence an understanding of the nature and purpose of curriculum, in providing teacher education and in influencing teaching practice. The work of Martin Heidegger provides a framework for questioning the early childhood teacher education curriculum. Central to this analysis are…

In this paper we will look at the pedagogical and didactic concept of Bildung and how Bildung has been used as an important ingredient of European university teaching during the last 200 years. We will also shortly look at the modern university teaching where Bildung in some important respects has been abandoned and even abolished. This, however,…

Today, Montessori infant & toddler programs around the country usually have a similar look and feel--low floor beds, floor space for movement, low shelves, natural materials, tiny wooden chairs and tables for eating, and not a highchair or swing in sight. But Montessori toddler programs seem to fall into two paradigms--one model seeming more…