Popular education movements can be dated back to the religious heresies of the Middle Ages but only become well-formed movements following the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. In this article I outline the scope and nature of some of the most effective of these movements which have come to inform the concept of the "public sphere"…

The recent shift in the helping professions to the implementation of evidenced-based practice (EBP) presents challenges to the field of rehabilitation counseling, most notably in the areas of integrating rehabilitation philosophy, ethics, and the relationship between research and practice. A dichotomy between the history and the future of the…

This postmodern ethnographic study of teacher conceptualization of teaching expanded the findings of other research regarding the disconnect between teacher preparation programs and classroom teaching by exploring how personal and professional knowledge and identities are synthesized for 10 in-service teachers. Teachers in the study filtered…

For a socially just community to occur, decision-making must employ respectful procedures that value input from representatives of all economic contexts. By considering philosophical roots of Western societal development, it is possible to gain insight into the systemic processes underlying these circumstances. By understanding these bases,…

The development of autonomy in children is a central concern of liberal philosophers of education. We endorse the liberal intuition that autonomy matters and that it is an appropriate aim of education. However, we divert from autonomy liberals, who defend a rather limited and demanding conception of autonomy that is closely connected with skills…

This article provides a critical review of popular models for literacy pedagogy with regard for the needs of low-literacy refugee-background students. We argue that in a context of high linguistic diversity there is a need to re-evaluate teaching practices and curriculum in a way that is more responsive to difference and which pays closer…

Social justice is a concept that means equality and fairness. In education, this means equal access and opportunity for all students to maximize their fullest potential to become productive and contributive members of society. Within the last decade, the notion of teaching for social justice has become popularized in teacher education. Most…

This essay brings together two lines of inquiry. Firstly, I revisit research on futures in education conducted during the 1980s and re-examine some of the propositions and principles that this research generated about "the future" as an object of inquiry in education. Secondly, I argue that the language of complexity invites us to…

As a flashpoint for specific instances of conflict, Muslim sartorial practices have at times been seen as being antagonistic to "western" ideas of gender equality, secularity, and communicative practices. In light of this, I seek to highlight the ways in which such moments of antagonism actually might be understood on "cosmopolitical" terms, that…

Contemporary theories of civic education frequently appeal to an ideal of mutual respect in the context of ethical, ethical and religious disagreement. This paper critically examines two recently popular criticisms of this ideal. The first, coming from a postmodern direction, charges that the ideal is hypocritical in its effort to be maximally…

Language is an important way of presenting an identity, either individual or group. This paper explores the language used in the presentation of the identity of academic development. The study is based on an analysis of websites from academic development centres in the UK and Australia and outlines the public ways in which academic developers…

This article explores the philosophy and position of the discipline of computer science within the liberal arts, based upon a discussion of the nature of computer science and a review of the characteristics of the liberal arts. A liberal arts environment provides important opportunities for undergraduate programs, but also presents important…

Contemplative teaching is a third way of teaching. It extends beyond teaching as technique (hand) and teaching as reflection (head) to the inclusion of one's inner teacher or wisdom (heart). Technique emphasizes the "how" of teaching. Reflection interrogates the "what" and the "why," while contemplation focuses on the "who." Contemplative teaching…

In "Moderating the Debate: Rationality and the Promise of American Education", Michael Feuer argues that insights from cognitive science and the theory of bounded rationality can help us understand why educational policy makers overreach in seeking optimal solutions to educational problems. In this essay, Emily Robertson argues that cognitive…

In July 2009, the Council of Australian Governments approved for immediate implementation, "Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia" (EYLF), Australia's first national framework for guiding curriculum and pedagogy in all early childhood settings. In this article, several core members of the…