"Philosophy of Education" is designed to engage readers with a broad range of contemporary perspectives on significant educational issues, including, pluralism and democracy in education, the problem of indoctrination, the nature and value of critical teaching, controversy in the classroom, and educational standards. In this third edition, it remains the intention of the editors to offer a collection of essays in the philosophy of education which will provide students in teacher education programs with a lively and accessible introduction to some (...) of the central debates and issues in the field. In addition, teachers, administrators and graduate students should find this collection a valuable resource. As with the first and second editions, and given the intended readership, the editors have selected discussions which establish a connection between philosophical reflection and pedagogical practice, in the belief that philosophical understanding is a vital aspect of professional development. (shrink)

The concept Curriculum is a complex notion. Various meanings have been attached to it. A careful analysis of Curriculum shows that the notions "plan", "content", "objectives" and "method" are intimately connected to Curriculum which should not be completely identified with any one of these concepts. In this short paper I propose to discuss two questions: Is the teaching method distinct from the Curriculum? and, Can we decide prior to experience which methods ought to be applied in the educational process? Answers (...) to these questions are meant to help clarify the relationship between the Curriculum and teaching method. (shrink)

The English word 'curriculum' is derived from the Latin word curriculum meaning 'a course', 'a race' or 'a running'. This suggests a process, the idea of going through something which has a beginning, a development and an end. The secondary meaning of curriculum was 'career'. Both the primary and the secondary meanings of curriculum referred to temporal space and to non-temporal endeavours or intellectual pursuits. The expression 'curriculum vitae', then referred to both intellectual and non-intellectual pursuits. Today curriculum in the (...) educational context refers primarily, if not solely, to intellectual pursuits. Actually curriculum is related to learning in a broad sense, incorporating more than the "cognitive" aspect. This suggests that the concept curriculum is a complex notion. Various meanings have been attached to it. A careful analysis of curriculum shows that the notions of "plan", "content or subject matter", "objectives" and "method" are intimately connected to curriculum which should not be completely identified with any one of these concepts. In this short paper I propose to discuss the following question: Is the notion of subject matter inherent in that of curriculum, or, does the notion curriculum make sense without that of subject matter? Answers to this question are meant to help clarify the relationship between the curriculum and subject matter. (shrink)

Curriculum theorists are, among other things, engaged in attempts at producing models of curriculum design and/or curriculum development. Such attempts, according to Robin Barrow, aim at establishing "a set of ideal steps that will both lead to coherent proposals for curriculum change and, when incorporated in the curriculum proposal, enable it to be successfully adopted." Establishing such "a set of ideal steps" involves a consideration of needs, practical constraints, curriculum content and curriculum planning. Such projects also include a formulation of (...) curriculum objectives, ways of implementing objectives and methods of evaluating the success or failure of achieving these objectives. In this paper I propose to reflect on the nature of objectives by focusing on the following questions: 1. Are objectives part of the curriculum? 2. What constitutes a meaningful objective? (shrink)

In 1963 James A. Jordan Jr. claimed that "It is not difficult nowadays to run into a claim that such and such teaching method follows the principle implicit in the method of Socrates." Jordan's claim refers particularly to supporters of programmed instruction or the use of teaching machines. He argued that the use or application of such materials cannot lead to genuine immitation of Socrates. Today, although the use and application of computers in schools has increased, the claim of following (...) the Socratic Method is usually made by teachers who allow or encourage "classroom discussions." Some might even claim that this is the only appropriate or suitable method of learning. (shrink)