Comments on the consequences of the death of the rationalist dream, including a loss of nerve in science education that leads some people to doubt the point and the value of teaching science. Argues that the death of this dream is irrelevant. Contains 57 references. (DDR)

Presents a critique of the traditional model of teacher evaluation, arguing that the process is based on an objective view of knowledge and does not recognize or value teachers' personal practical knowledge. Uses the author's experiences of being evaluated (positively) for promotion to develop criticisms and arguments. (35 citations) (MAB)

Argues for proper engagement between educational philosophical inquiry and Maori "ways of knowing the world." Critiques positivism, hermeneutics, critical theory, and Foucault's notion of power/knowledge in this regard. Examines the success of Maori educational initiatives based in "Kaupapa Maori" theory and the need to…

Provides case studies of indigenous pedagogies in native populations in Canada and the Philippines. Suggests that these approaches to pedagogy have created opportunities for the educational development of indigenous groups. Describes an alternative model of education based on the case studies, highlighting the notion of democracy as a daily…

Describes Navajo philosophy and implications for teaching and learning. Explains four branches of knowing that provide a framework for conceptualizing teaching content, as well as interrelationships within the framework providing opportunities for critical analysis and reflection. Advocates inquiry-oriented, experience-based instruction that…

Several different philosophical approaches to general educational development in higher education are discussed and compared, including (1) positivist epistemology, a pragmatic, empirical perspective; (2) development of curricula promoting interpretation based on understanding; and (3) critical theory, which espouses development of people in…

Responds to Bruce Kimball's article, "Professions of Language and Reason," in which he reviews Booth's book, "The Vocation of a Teacher: Rhetorical Occasions." Explains how Kimball missed the point of his book, which was to celebrate teaching, a vocation too often denigrated or twisted to serve the ends of other vocations. Corrects other…

Describes the changes needed in education to improve the nonmajor portion of undergraduate education using a multidisciplinary approach. Discusses the basic premises of nonmajor education, poses questions about those premises, and offers examples of items THAT are not taught but that undergraduates need. Summarizes educational implications that…

Suggests that both critical thinking and obstacles to successful critical thinking are most commonly found in the activities of everyday life. Argues for a connective criticism approach that does not assume critical means adversarial and acknowledges that critical thinking can be used as a means of opening worlds of meaning. (KS)

Discussion of ethics in special education focuses on four challenges: (1) examination of special education's history within an ethical framework; (2) articulation of character morality as well as choice morality in special education ethical dilemmas; (3) examination of special education in a liberal democracy; and (4) development of an ethical…

This paper examines several questions about reflective thinking and its application in education as a way of extending the applications of the concept. An early section offers background on reflection from dictionary definitions and from philosophers such as John Locke and John Dewey. The next section examines educational practice and reflective…

Similarities exist between Paulo Freire's radical approach to teaching and learning and the connected and constructed knowers discussed in "Women's Ways of Knowing" by M. F. Belenky, B. M. Clinchy, N. R. Goldberger, and J. M. Tarule (1986). The most important similarity seems to be their related understandings of the relationship between…

Social epistemology is an effort to combine the philosophical theories of science that have stressed normative approaches to knowledge with sociological theories which are weak on offering guidance on how knowledge policy should be conducted. The practice of multiculturalism provides a useful application of social epistemological intervention,…

This commentary contends that Henry J. Perkinson's arguments in "Teachers without Goals, Students without Purposes" (1993) are, on the whole, a failure. This criticism is based on the following points: (1) terms such as "modernism" and "postmodernism" are used without adequate definitions; (2) the book inadequately…

This bulletin discusses the aspects of curriculum development that relate to environmental education. The first of five sections establishes the need for curriculum development that addresses the emotional, cultural, and sociological factors that influence the curriculum framework in view of the need for educational reform. The second section…