Educational Ideals Research Articles

Philosophers Without Borders? Toward a Comparative Philosophy of Education

One important element of globalization is the dissemination of western educational ideals and organizational frameworks through educational development projects. While postcolonial theory has long offered a useful critique of this expansion, it is less clear about how educational development that eschews neo-imperialist tendencies might proceed. This problem poses a question that requires philosophical reflection. However, much of comparative and international development education ignores philosophical modes of inquiry. Moreover, as Libbrecht (2007) argues, philosophy all too often sees itself as synonymous with the Euro-American intellectual tradition, thus ignoring indigenous educational thought that might more appropriately guide local educational development. Drawing on John Dewey's (1938) call for deeper and more inclusive plans of operations in response to social conflicts and Jurgen Habermas (2008) call for “reciprocal learning processes” and “cooperative acts of translation,” we will attempt to reach beyond our individual philosophical borders to explore the necessity and possibilities of comparative philosophy of education by sharing three examples of our current efforts to apply philosophical analysis to international educational development. These examples will articulate and embody the necessity and the challenges of applying philosophical analysis to educational development work.

Power-Filled Lessons for Leadership Educators from Paulo Freire

This paper is designed to introduce readers to teacher-philosopher-practitioner, Paulo Freire and to illustrate the power of his educational ideals for the task of teaching leadership. Readers will encounter Freire, understand how one’s definition of leadership needs to match one’s approach to teaching leadership, review a proposed Freirean leadership pedagogy, and consider ways this pedagogy has been used in practice. Finally, I will offer a series of recommendations for getting started with these ideas.

Chomskyan Cognitivism And Linguistic: Irreproachable Ideals For Educational Psychology And Designing Learning

This paper makes an attempt to highlight the significance of Chomskyan concepts of linguistic and cognitivism in restructuring educational ideals and directions regarding learning in Educational Psychology. His specific views on educational aspects are the need of the hour in education scenario especially in the context of globalization. This paper is attempted to: (i). Identify the Contributions of Chomsky in Psychology, Cognitivism and Educational Psychology. (ii). Identify Chomsky's Contributions on Psychology of learning as a theory that opposes the concept of behaviourist approach. (iii). Discuss the specific views of Chomsky in language learning, class room instruction, school running and educational administration. (iv). Suggest Chomskyan psychology as an inevitable part of the curriculum content of Educational Psychology of teacher education of Indian Universities. These reflections and findings of Chomsky supported the restructuring of classroom teaching-learning process not only in language but also in science and humanity subjects. His suggestions scaffold the adoption of innovative pupil centered methods including constructivist approaches in classroom teaching. All his views show clear-cut support for restructuring educational directions and execution of innovative changes in education in the aspects like planning of education, administration, curriculum, methods, organizing text book, classroom teaching and managing school atmosphere.

Bringing up global or local citizens?

The article explores the conditions of entrepreneurship education in Finnish schools from the perspective of the school’s tradition of national and territorial socialization and the new aim of educating European and global citizens. Entrepreneurship education presents a new challenge for the school system with regard to territorial socialization and the construction of the spatial self. The theme is discussed by using data consisting of Finnish pupils’ narratives of entrepreneurship which were produced in the essay writing competition Good Enterprise! in 1986–2006. The analysis focuses on the prize-winning narratives which reflect both the pupils’ possible selves and the ideals of entrepreneurship education. The article explores what kinds of representations of space, place and possible self young people produce in their narratives and what kinds of representations are favoured by school. Narratives representing entrepreneurship as familiar, domestic, rural and local activity constantly succeeded in the competition whereas the ideal of the global self was not so much appreciated. Moreover, the images of entrepreneurial spaces and places reproduced conventional representations of femininity and masculinity. The competition seemed to construct local and national versions of self and citizenship which were gendered, too.

The Common School and Intercultural Education: Failed Ideals and the Parameters of Curricular Possibility

This article assesses two educational ideals: the common school and intercultural education. It considers their implementation and achievement in several states, and concludes this to be far from successful. It then questions whether these two aims are themselves reconcilable. In particular, it examines the curricular overcrowding that would be exacerbated by the implantation of intercultural education. It concludes with questions that itemise the pragmatic difficulties of such implementation.

How school middle leaders in Singapore understand and practise 'innovation in education'

This paper presents the results of a research into how school middle leaders in Singapore understand and practise 'innovation in education'. According to the research findings, these middle leaders felt that while 'innovation in education' was hard to define, it should appeal to the 'common–sense' of educators and have real educational value. They also indicated that the practice of 'innovation in education' should be mainly targeted at curriculum, teaching and learning, and involved them 'leading by example'. The challenges of 'innovation in education' involved a balance between educational ideals and school realities, which was not easy to achieve.

Embedded Values in Reading Primers: The Perceptions of Student Teachers

In contrast to countries where citizenship is taught as a specific subject, Sweden has a curriculum stipulated in the Education Act stating that all school activities must respect fundamental values and that these values should be upheld in all subjects. The values transmitted in reading primers, therefore, constitute an important medium for conveying fundamental values. Twenty-four student teachers working in pairs were given the task of analysing some common reading primers as the object for analysis with the aim of discovering in what way the texts disclosed or embedded values, and how they reflected society's ideals of an individual's moral education. Simultaneously, the students' ability to perform critical analyses was explored through reference to what was interpreted as the ‘ideal citizen’ in such books. The student teachers' findings indicated prototypes of ‘good behaviour’, the predominance of monocultural settings, blurred descriptions revealing an underlying middle-class perspective and conservative gender roles. However, many analyses were based on quantification, absences were not analysed at all and reading methodology frequently overshadowed content. The authors' central conclusion is that text analysis and meaning-making needs further emphasis in Swedish teacher education.

Contending economic perspectives at a liberal arts college: a 25-year retrospective

In 1985 the Department of Economics at Dickinson College USA, a private four year liberal arts college, embarked upon a bold but promising reform of its economics programme placing it on the cutting edge of what is now called ‘pluralist economics education’. This new approach to the philosophy of economics education was and is called ‘contending economic perspectives’. My article ‘Contending perspectives: curricular reform in economics’ published in the Journal of Economics Education (1991) argued for the inclusion of heterodox economic theories and articulated the benefits of the Dickinson contending perspectives programme. After 25 years experience with this programme what have our students learned and what have we learned from this experience? In the face of the new (or renewed) worldwide discussions of a ‘new’ pluralist economics in the wake of the post-autistic movement started by French students in 2000, is the ‘contending perspectives’ model still consistent with the current ideals of pluralist economics education? This paper argues that the answer to that question is a qualified yes.

Determinants of Quality Learning in Rural Community High Schools in Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands has been implementing various education reforms to improve its delivery of quality learning in schools. Among the reforms is the introduction of the Community High Schools mostly in rural areas as a way to increase educational access in rural Solomon Islands. Using a case study approach, this study examines the nature of this reform in rural education with particular reference to how well rural Solomon Islands is faring in terms of quality education ideals. Based on in-depth interviews with the case study school principals and teachers and site visits, the study identifies lack of financial resources, inadequate teaching and learning resources, lack of qualified teachers, low teacher-student ratios, frequent teacher absenteeism and lack of community support as the key issues that are hindering the provision of quality learning. There are number of implications derive from the findings. The study identified that there is a pressing need for the rural day-community high schools to be upgraded to boarding school status to accommodate students recruited from distant villages. The scarcity of land and financial resources are preventing the schools to improve the quality of learning. If education is to be a tool for rural development, policies must be implemented to assess educational inputs and outcomes. The low teacher-student ratio and the on-going problem of lack of resources could be addressed by amalgamating the existing small rural community high schools into regional boarding schools. Finally, in order to regain community support schools need to embrace the concept of a community learning centre as a means of providing community education and skills training to entire the community thus contributing to rural development.

The internationalised university as discourse: institutional self‐presentations, rhetoric and benchmarking in a global market

In the last half century higher education has had to respond to a rapidly accentuated process of globalisation. Consequently, universities worldwide are more concerned with internationalisation than before. Stier identifies three intrinsic internationalisation ideologies (idealism, instrumentalism and educationalism) in higher education. Drawing from these ideologies and using discourse analysis, written documentation on internationalisation from 31 universities in 12 countries has been analysed to explore the self‐presentations that universities project of themselves in discursive space. Focal questions were: (1) what types of rhetorical devices are used in university’s self‐presentations and (2) what are the ideological consequences of this use? Five idealtypical self‐presentations were discussed. One conclusion drawn is that universities must harmonize politically controversial dichotomies, which produces consensus narratives. Yet there are potential tensions between these dichotomies. On the language level these tensions are resolved by harmonising different ideals.

Disrupting the rhetoric of the rings: a critique of olympic idealism in physical education

The Beijing olympics prompted educationalists to develop new curriculum resources. These resources focus on the socio-cultural elements of the games, olympism and olympic values, the moral and ethical aspects of sport and select geographical, historical and social dimensions of traditional and contemporary Chinese culture. Typically produced as glossy brochures, such resources helped to disseminate olympic knowledge. However, analyses and evaluations of these resources are rare. Drawing on Showcase China—Beijing 2008, an online resource published by New Zealand's Ministry of Education and previous olympic education resources published in New Zealand, I encourage scholars to question the comfortable and comforting rhetoric in olympic educational resources that increasingly penetrate physical education curricula. In so doing, I offer an alternative perspective and strategies for teachers to deal with these resources in ways I believe will improve their work and help their students to better understand their worlds.

Students as Learners and Teachers: Taking Responsibility, Transforming Education, and Redefining Accountability

As has been the case throughout the history of education in the United States, the current structures and practices of U.S. schools and colleges are informed by particular ideals regarding the potential of education. Through this comparative descriptive analysis, I argue that a major reason why these ideals have rarely been realized is the way that students are positioned in educational institutions, dialogues, and reform. A preliminary argument for rethinking how we conceptualize student role and responsibility frames my description and comparison of two programs, one that involves secondary students in the preparation of high school teachers and one that involves college students in the professional development of college faculty. I then draw on the perspectives of student participants across these two programs to address a series of educational ideals that span K–12 and college contexts: inspiring lasting learning, celebrating humanity and diversity, and engaging in meaningful assessment. I designed the programs that are the focus of my analysis with the goal of improving teacher preparation and teaching, but as I discuss in this article, they are proving to be promising models for pursuing what may be a more encompassing possibility: fostering in students a sense of and capacity for responsibility in ways that not only address existing educational ideals but that also point to both more transformative and more achievable notions of education and accountability than those currently in place.

International education: trends, ideologies and alternative pedagogical approaches

Globalisation, the internationalisation of academia as a whole, and the Bologna Process have recently placed European higher education in a state of change. By critically reading policies and documents on internationalisation from 16 universities in Australia, Canada, Sweden and the US, three internationalisation ideologies (idealism, instrumentalism and educationalism) in higher education are analysed. Areas of similarities and differences are discussed – especially with regard to desired learning outcomes and the ideological rationales for international education. It is concluded that these policies and documents as well as the Bologna Process largely disregard issues pertaining to the teaching methods and contents of international education.

The impact of Western progressive educational ideas in Japan: 1868–1940

Little is known about the impact of Western educational ideals in Japan during the Meiji (1868–1912), Taisho (1912–1926) and Showa (post‐1926) eras, although, in reality, there was considerable interest among Japanese educators in Western thought and practice and there were numerous attempts to disseminate these ideas widely. This article highlights some of the more significant of these developments and attempts to assess their impact and their interpretation in a Japanese context. Translations of foreign philosophical and educational works on the one hand and the publication of teachers' magazines on the other were the two viaducts for what became little short of a Japanese educational movement that was one of the stepping stones to the modernisation of Japan and which has resonated down to the present. In this article this process is described through its chronological phases, during the period which saw Japan's transition from an intellectually isolated, inward‐looking society into one which developed as a democracy and saw the coming of industrialisation before moving into a period of Fascist supernationalism.

Demography, social structure and learning through life

The modernisation of the Western world during the last two centuries has been a mix of industrialisation/computerisation and urbanisation. Consequently, reports on the future of adult learning and adult education have been a mix on the one hand of the learning requirements that follow from industrialisation/computerisation and on the other hand, learning requirements for the support of social cohesion and individual development in an urbanised society. After an emphasis in the last decades on the relation between industrialisation and learning, the report Learning through Life swings back to a more balanced approach. Unfortunately the report gives not so much attention to broader themes such as social cohesion, individualisation and social exclusion but narrows its focus more on specific ‘demographic’ themes such as the risk of social exclusion for older adults. Moreover, possibly because the authors are eager to formulate policy recommendations, they continue an idealistic tradition. Personally I prefer a more sociological analysis, at a certain distance from high educational purposes and ideals, and instead trying to understand the world as it is.

The Task of Philosophy of Education for Establishing Educational Ideals in Post-ideological Era

The Task of Philosophy of Education for Establishing Educational Ideals in Post-ideological Era

'This Barbarous Habit': Nineteenth Century Reactions to Classical Placenames in Central N. Y.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that a widespread predilection for ancient Greek and Roman culture in 18th and 19th century America resulted in a “culture of classicism” (Winterer 2002; Reinhold 1984, Richard 1994 & 2009, Shalev 2009, and Winterer 2007). In the words of Caroline Winterer, “from the time of the first European settlements in Virginia and Massachusetts to the era of the Civil War, reverence for ancient models helped to structure ethical, political, oratorical, artistic, and educational ideals, sometimes overtly, sometimes subtly” (Winterer 2002:1).On occasion, however, enthusiasts of classical culture could push ancient models too far - to the point of obfuscating the purpose of their analogy or even eliciting a wave of criticism in certain instances. For example, given the overall tone and purpose of Parson Weems’ biographies of George Washington (1800 & 1806), the following analogies may seem humorous, but hardly out of place: “Washington was as pious as Numa, just as Aristides, temperate as Epictetus, and patriotic as Regulus. In giving public trusts, impartial as Severus; in victory, modest as Scipio - prudent as Fabius, rapid as Marcellus, undaunted as Hannibal, as Cincinnatus disinterested, to liberty firm as Cato, and respectful of the laws as Socrates” (cited by Richard 1994:70). Perceived abuses of classical models could meet with severe criticism and ridicule, such as Horatio Greenough’s colossal sculpture of a scantily-clad George Washington, erected in the Capitol’s Rotunda in 1841 (and relocated outside shortly thereafter). Another perceived abuse - termed “this barbarous habit” by one 19th century traveler - is the (over)use of classically-inspired placenames. In this presentation, I will consider one such example: the origins of and 19th century reactions to the classical placenames of central NY, in general, and the Military Tract of Central New York (established in 1782 for Revolutionary War veterans), in particular. The Tract was surveyed in 1789 and the towns were named in 1790. Credit for the primarily classical names, which included Virgil, Ovid, Homer, Cicero, Pompey, Scipio, and Brutus, was (incorrectly) given to Surveyor General Simeon DeWitt (Farrell 2002), who - along with the placenames - became the object of scathing criticism in poetry and prose. Works Cited:Farrell, W. R. 2002. Classical Place Names in New York State: Origins, Histories and Meanings. Pine Grove Press.Reinhold, M. 1984. Classica Americana: The Greek and Roman Heritage in the United States. Detroit.Richard, C. J. 2009. The Golden Age of the Classics in America: Greece, Rome, and the Antebellum United States. Cambridge (MA).Richard, C. J. 1994. The Founders and the Classics: Greece, Rome, and the American Enlightenment. Cambridge (MA).Shalev, E. 2009. Rome Reborn on Western Shores: Historical Imagination and the Creation of the American Republic. Charlottesville.Winterer, C. 2007. The Mirror of Antiquity: American Women and the Classical Tradition, 1750-1900.Winterer, C. 2002. The Culture of Classicism: Ancient Greece and Rome in American Intellectual Life 1780-1910. Baltimore.

E・ホームズの「教育の新理想」としての「自己実現」概念

E・ホームズの「教育の新理想」としての「自己実現」概念

Culture, Poverty, and Effective Social Policy

220 contributions to this volume illustrate some of the ways that culture values, norms, and beliefs affects the actions of people living in poverty. From revealing the influence of educational ideals and expectations on whether poor children attend college to examining the role differing conceptions of good job play in social mobility, these studies illustrate the importance of cultural factors in how people navigate the challenges of poverty. This is an important insight for lawmakers since ignoring such cultural factors can result in ineffective social policy. For example, a study cited in the volume s introduction found that low rates of marriage among the poor might not be caused by a disregard for marriage so much as pessimism about the ability to sustain a marriage while living in poverty. This calls into question efforts by some politicians to reduce out-of-wedlock births among the poor by launching promarriage campaigns since such campaigns, as the editors put it, are simply trying to convince people of what they already believe. Lawmakers need to be aware of cultural

Researching computer‐based collaborative learning in inclusive classrooms in Cyprus: The role of the computer in pupils' interaction

AbstractThis paper discusses the results of a study of the role of the computer in scaffolding pupils' interaction and its effects on the disabled (D) pupils' participation and inclusion in the context of socio‐cultural theories and the ideals of inclusive education. The study investigated the interactions of pairs of D and non‐disabled (ND) pupils working together on computer‐based tasks, in mainstream primary schools in Cyprus. Twenty dyads of pupils (each comprising a D child and an ND peer) were observed and videotaped while working together at the computer. Data analyses were based on the collaborative nature of events for the non‐verbal interaction and the functional–structural approaches for verbal interaction. Through application of video analyses, seven central aspects of interaction were identified: helping behaviours, motivation, self‐confidence, peer‐acceptance, affection, positive and negative socio‐emotional status, and the input of the computer. Results of the study showed that the computer was a mediational scaffolding agent of the other six areas of the participants' interaction as it: (1) was an important interactional agent in initiating and terminating a conversation, (2) facilitated interaction and participation, as an intellectual and physical tool, (3) promoted different styles of interaction (not always positive ones) through the various input and output devices, by differentiating participation. Hence, the computer emerged as the third party in the collaborative activity which provided various opportunities and motivations for interaction.