Flourishing as the Aim of Education

Flourishing as the Aim of Education
Author: Kristján Kristjánsson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2019-06-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0429876998

This book develops a conception of student flourishing as the overarching aim of education. Taking as its basis the Aristotelian concept of eudaimonia, it provides a theoretical study of the foundations of flourishing that goes well beyond Aristotle’s approach. Flourishing as the Aim of Education argues that the ‘good life’ of the student, to which education should contribute, must involve engagement with self-transcendent ideals and ignite awe-filled enchantment. It allows for social, individual and educational variance within the concept of flourishing, and it engages with a host of socio-political as well as ‘spiritual’ issues that are often overlooked in literature discussing character education. Each chapter closes with food for thought for practitioners who can directly facilitate student flourishing. An outgrowth of the author’s previous monograph Aristotelian Character Education, this book follows new directions in questioning how to educate young people towards a life of overall flourishing. It will be of great interest to researchers, academics and post-graduate students in the fields of character education, moral education and moral philosophy, as well as to educators and policy-makers.

Flourishing as the Aim of Education

Flourishing as the Aim of Education
Author: Kristján Kristjánsson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2019-06-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0429877005

This book develops a conception of student flourishing as the overarching aim of education. Taking as its basis the Aristotelian concept of eudaimonia, it provides a theoretical study of the foundations of flourishing that goes well beyond Aristotle’s approach. Flourishing as the Aim of Education argues that the ‘good life’ of the student, to which education should contribute, must involve engagement with self-transcendent ideals and ignite awe-filled enchantment. It allows for social, individual and educational variance within the concept of flourishing, and it engages with a host of socio-political as well as ‘spiritual’ issues that are often overlooked in literature discussing character education. Each chapter closes with food for thought for practitioners who can directly facilitate student flourishing. An outgrowth of the author’s previous monograph Aristotelian Character Education, this book follows new directions in questioning how to educate young people towards a life of overall flourishing. It will be of great interest to researchers, academics and post-graduate students in the fields of character education, moral education and moral philosophy, as well as to educators and policy-makers.

An Aims-based Curriculum

An Aims-based Curriculum
Author: Michael Jonathan Reiss
Publisher: UCL Institute of Education Press (University College London Institute of Education Press)
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Curriculum change
ISBN: 9780854739981

'An Aims-based Curriculum' spells out a groundbreaking alternative curriculum based not on subjects, but on what schools should be for. It argues that aims are not to be seen as high-sounding principles that can be easily ignored: they are the lifeblood of everything a school does, equipping learners to lead personally fulfilling lives.

Learning to Flourish

Learning to Flourish
Author: Daniel R. DeNicola
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2012-08-02
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1441111638

Learning to Flourish offers a lucid, penetrating, philosophical exploration of liberal learning: a still-evolving tradition of theory and practice that has dominated and sustained intellectual life and learning in much of the globe for two millennia. Daniel R. DeNicola weighs the views of both advocates and critics of the liberal arts, and interprets liberal education as aimed supremely at understanding and living a good life, as a vital tradition generating five competing but complementary paradigms that transcend theories of curriculum and pedagogy and are manifested in particular social contexts. He examines the transformative power of liberal education and its relation to such values as freedom, autonomy, and democracy, reflecting on the importance of intrinsic value and moral understanding. Finally, he considers age-old obstacles and current threats to liberal education, ultimately asserting its value for and urgent need in a global, pluralistic, technologically advanced society. Offering a bold yet nuanced theory of liberal education, this study will be of great interest to educators as well as those specializing in Philosophy of Education.

Educational Goods

Educational Goods
Author: Harry Brighouse
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2018-01-24
Genre: Education
ISBN: 022651417X

This book, jointly authored by two distinguished philosophers and two prominent social scientists, has an ambitious aim: to improve decision-making in education policy. First they dive into the goals of education policy and explain the terms "educational goods" and "childhood goods," adding precision and clarity to the discussion of the distributive values that are essential for good decision-making about education. Then they provide a framework for individual decision-makers that enables them to combine values and evidence in the evaluation of educational policy options. Finally they delve into the particular policy issues of school finance, school accountability, and school choice, and they show how decision makers might approach them in the light of this decision-making framework. The authors are not advocated particular policy choices, however. The focus instead is a smart framework that will make it easier for policymakers (and readers) to identify and think through what they disagree with others about.

Aristotelian Character Education

Aristotelian Character Education
Author: Kristján Kristjánsson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2015-04-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1317619072

This book provides a reconstruction of Aristotelian character education, shedding new light on what moral character really is, and how it can be highlighted, measured, nurtured and taught in current schooling. Arguing that many recent approaches to character education understand character in exclusively amoral, instrumentalist terms, Kristjánsson proposes a coherent, plausible and up-to-date concept, retaining the overall structure of Aristotelian character education. After discussing and debunking popular myths about Aristotelian character education, subsequent chapters focus on the practical ramifications and methodologies of character education. These include measuring virtue and morality, asking whether Aristotelian character education can salvage the effects of bad upbringing, and considering implications for teacher training and classroom practice. The book rejuvenates time-honoured principles of the development of virtues in young people, at a time when ‘character’ features prominently in educational agendas and parental concerns over school education systems. Offering an interdisciplinary perspective which draws from the disciplines of education, psychology, philosophy and sociology, this book will appeal to researchers, academics and students wanting a greater insight into character education.

On Education

On Education
Author: Harry Brighouse
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2006-05-02
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134336454

What is education for? Should it produce workers or educate future citizens? Is there a place for faith schools - and should patriotism be taught? In this compelling and controversial book, Harry Brighouse takes on all these urgent questions and more. He argues that children share four fundamental interests: the ability to make their own judgements about what values to adopt; acquiring the skills that will enable them to become economically self-sufficient as adults; being exposed to a range of activities and experiences that will enable them to flourish in their personal lives; and developing a sense of justice. He criticises sharply those who place the interests of the economy before those of children, and assesses the arguments for and against the controversial issues of faith schools and the teaching of patriotism. Clearly argued but provocative, On Education draws on recent examples from Britain and North America as well as famous thinkers on education such as Aristotle and John Locke. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the present state of education and its future.

Happiness and Education

Happiness and Education
Author: Nel Noddings
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2003-07-07
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780521807630

This book explores what we might teach if we take happiness seriously as an aim of education.

Human Flourishing, Liberal Theory, and the Arts

Human Flourishing, Liberal Theory, and the Arts
Author: Menachem Mautner
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2018-04-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1351182501

This book claims that in addition to autonomy, liberal tradition recognizes human flourishing as an ideal of the good life. There are two versions of the liberalism of flourishing: for one the good life consists in the ability of an individual to develop her intellectual and moral capabilities, and for the other the good life is one in which an individual succeeds in materializing her varied human capabilities. Both versions expect the state to create the background conditions for flourishing. Combining the history of ideas with analytical political philosophy, Menachem Mautner finds the roots of the liberalism of flourishing in the works of great philosophers, and argues that for individuals to reach flourishing they need to engage with art. Art provides us with wisdom, insight, critical social and political thinking, and moral education. Thus, a state which practices the liberalism of flourishing must play an active role in funding the creation and dissemination of art. Consequently, the liberalism of flourishing is better equipped than autonomy liberalism to compete with religion in the domains of meaning and over the shape of the regime, the political culture and the law in countries in which liberalism is contested. Political theorists and lawyers will enjoy engaging with this version of liberalism, as will students of social democracy and art policy.

The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in the Philosophy of Education

The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in the Philosophy of Education
Author: Wilfred Carr
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2021-04-29
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000446107

This Reader brings together a wide range of material to present an international perspective on topical issues in philosophy of education today. Focusing on the enduring trends in this field, this lively and informative Reader provides broad coverage of the field and includes crucial topics. With an emphasis on contemporary pieces that deal with issues relevant to the immediate real world, this book represents the research and views of some of the most respected authors in the field today. Wilfred Carr also provides a specially written introduction which provides a much-needed context to the role of philosophy in the current educational climate. Students of philosophy and philosophy of education will find this Reader an important route map to further reading and understanding.