Synopses & Reviews
This volume gives educational theorists the chance to let rip and say what they really want to say. In doing so it sends a blast of fresh air through the dusty halls of academe. The vast majority of the literature in education theory and philosophy follows the conventions of academic writing, and rightly so. Yet its formal, abstract and objective style, which focuses on the careful presentation of theoretical and philosophical arguments, doesn't always give us insights into what motivates and drives the authors--while for academic neophytes it can be dense and arcane. Here, those same theorists and philosophers have been given the chance to expound at length on the topics that most exercise them. What concerns them, what gets them up in the morning, and what really matters most to them? Readers will discover what happens when these thinkers are explicitly invited to go beyond academic conventions and experiment with form, style and content. Featuring collected essays from leading educationalists from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the USA, Canada, Israel Germany, Belgium and the UK, these essays provide vital insights into their work as well as being a compelling introduction to contemporary attempts to make sense of education through theory and philosophy. All these authors have made key contributions to the field, and their unique 'manifestos' make a fascinating read for any student or practitioner in education.
Synopsis
Preface.- Introduction, Gert J.J. Biesta.- In Pursuit of Respectful Teaching and Intellectually-Dynamic Social Fields, Frank Margonis.- Education: Understanding, Ethics, and the Call of Justice, Clarence W. Joldersma.- Exercising Theory: A Perspective on its Practice, Christiane Thompson.- Lived Relationality as Fulcrum for Pedagogical-Ethical Practice, Tone Saevi.- Edwin & Phyllis, Lynn Fendler.- Philosophy of Education is Bent, Cris Mayo.- Philosophy of Education in a Poor Historical Moment: A Personal Account, Ilan Gur-Zeev.- What I Talk About When I Talk About Teaching and Learning, Carl Anders S fstr m.- Nurturing a Democratic Community in the Classroom, Barbara J. Thayer-Bacon.- The Educational Thing, Thomas Aastrup R mer.- Going to the Heart of the Matter, Sharon Todd.- Two Educational Ideas for 2011 and Beyond, Charles Bingham.- On the Essence of Education, Alexander M. Sidorkin.- Experimentum Scholae: The World Once More ... But Not (Yet) Finished, Jan Masschelein.- Coming Into the World, Uniqueness, and the Beautiful Risk of Education: An Interview with Gert Biesta by Philip Winter.
Synopsis
Much of the literature in educational theory and philosophy follows the conventions of academic writing. This means that the writing is often formal, abstract and objective, focusing on the careful presentation of theoretical and philosophical arguments. Such work is important and can be exciting, but it does not always provide insights in what motivates and drives its authors, nor is it always easy to access, particularly not for those who are still in the process of becoming acquainted with the explicit and implicit conventions of the academic genre. So what would happen if the theorists and philosophers who write such texts get an opportunity to write about what concerns them, what motivates them, and what really matters to then? What would happen if they are explicitly invited to go beyond academic conventions and experiment with forms and styles of writing they find suitable for conveying their insights and ideas? What, in other words, happens if educational theorists and philosophers are invited to write about their theories, insights and ideas in their own words? This is precisely what this book is about. It is
Table of Contents
Preface.-