Character education,the individual and the political

ABSTRACT

Recent critics have suggested that character education (either in and of itself or certain instantiations of it) is overly individualised and, as a result, fails to engage adequately with the political. In this paper, I offer an account of character education which takes issue with such criticisms, and seeks to make clear connections between the moral and the political necessary for character formation and expression. Drawing on an Aristotelian understanding of the political, I argue that individuals are intimately connected with their social associations, which in contemporary plural, westernised democracies include the sort of engagement with the political advocated by critics of character education. Through a focus on civic virtue and deliberative engagement, it is argued that an Aristotelian-inspired account of character addresses the precise concerns, including recognising and challenging social injustices and deliberative engagement with difference, which critics suggest are lacking from character education.     

In Defence of 'Non–Expansive' Character Education

I first put the notion of non–expansive character education in context by locating its place within recent trends in values education and, in particular, by distinguishing it from more expansive accounts such as civic education and critical postmodernism. I argue that the essential characteristics of non–expansive character education are, on the one hand, moral cosmopolitanism and, on the other, methodological substantivism. In the second part of the essay, I defend this sort of character education against various common criticisms, with special reference to two canonical works of the movement, by Lickona and Kilpatrick. Non–expansive character education stands out, in the end, as a reasonable middle–ground proposal with neither too little nor too much meat on its bones.     

阅读教学中的文学教育反思

面对阅读教育离文学教育越来越远的现状,越来越多的人开始对此进行反思。阅读教育并不等于文学教育,但也不能缺乏文学特质。面对众多教学误区和来自各方面的批评,语文教育必须强化文学性已经成为人们越来越关注的课题。     

HUMANIZING EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATIONALIZATION OF HEALTH

Abstract Theorists often take a condescending stance when speaking about the educationalization of social problems. Given their confidence with postmodern and poststructuralist perspectives, the educationalization of social problems is easily perceived as a set of questionable interventions by governments into educational practices. In this essay, Bert Lambeir and Stefan Ramaekers question the extent to which one can conceive of social problems without an understanding of education or, put more sharply, the extent to which social problems are conceivable without some form of educationalization. After describing four meanings of the concept of educationalization, Lambeir and Ramaekers discuss three popular criticisms of it. With these criticisms as context, the authors use the example of concerns about and initiatives in health education to investigate whether education can be completely freed from the educationalization of social issues. They conclude that it cannot.     

Forgiveness as character education for children and adolescents

Forgiveness education has demonstrated psychological, social and academic benefits; however, it has not been discussed as a means of promoting character development for children and adolescents. In this paper, we discuss forgiveness as a moral concept and explain how forgiveness can contribute to current discussions of character education. After reviewing relevant literature we describe how a forgiveness programme can be an effective form of character education and attempt to clarify the contributions the forgiveness literature can make to the field of character education. We argue that forgiveness provides those interested in character development with a programme that can enhance educational initiatives and advance the character education research agenda.     

试论当代美国品格教育理论的局限

品格教育是当代美国学校道德教育的主流形式,它的兴起建立在对形式道德教育批判的基础之上。但是由于对"品格"解释的含混、哲学假设论证的不足、人性假设的保守以及灌输与教导方法的粗糙陈旧,导致品格教育在理论上存在诸多局限。     

The Persistent Life of Oppression: The Unconscious,Power, and Subjectivity

The rise of standardization signals that Paulo Freire's critique of the banking concept of education continues to be relevant today. But Freire's theory of critical pedagogy has not gone without its critiques. On the one hand, the fact that these criticisms exist should not blind us to the fact that Freire's intention was to formulate an emancipatory pedagogy because of oppressive systems of education. On the other hand, we cannot continue Freire's project without heeding the warnings issued by these criticisms. In this paper, we address pressing issues concerning Freire's libratory pedagogy and the way it has been taken up by recent Marxist theorizing in education while at the same time maintaining the importance for thinking through an emancipatory pedagogy. We are clear: the real culprit in this situation is the persistent life of oppression itself. We utilize psychoanalysis and the theories of Michel Foucault in order to pinpoint and work through a specific problematic concerning Freire's theories – namely: oppression has an existence in the unconscious such that those who are oppressed form passionate attachments to the forms of power that oppress them. Indeed, such a problematic is not flattering for all who are concerned with forms of social oppression, but, we contend, that unless this problem is recognized and worked through, no real liberation is possible     

学校发展的历史沿革及未来趋势

学校的发展经历了由非形式化向形式和制度化的变迁,为人类文明的进步起到了巨大的推动作用;进入信息时代之后,学校在教育中的垄断地位和本身的僵化受到了越来越多的批评与挑战,有人甚至提出“废除学校”和“学校消亡论”;因此,未来的学校无论从地位上、还是从形式上都会产生新的变化。     

Romanticism,representations of religion and critical religious education

Geoff Teece has recently (in BJRE, 27, 2005, pp. 29–40) come to the defence of modern religious education and contended that many of the criticisms brought against it are based on mistaken interpretations. More particularly, Teece accuses Andrew Wright of misinterpreting the position of Professor John Hick and of failing to appreciate the intellectual resources that Hick provides for the construction of a critical form of religious education. He attempts to correct Wright’s interpretation of Hick, and by extension to undermine Wright’s indictment of the influence of modernity on religious education; and he attempts to illustrate how Hick’s religious pluralism can make a contribution to discussions about critical religious education. The aim of this paper is to advance the case for critical religious education and to outline something of the form and nature it should take. It begins with a short discussion of the nature and commitments of modern religious education, indicating the sense in which they are deficient. It then moves on to consider Teece’s appeal to the thought of John Hick, which is judged to be misinterpreted and inappropriate. The paper concludes with the articulation of a set of four heuristic principles that give substance to the vision of critical religious education.     

Liberal education: An overlapping pragmatic consensus

In reviewing the course of liberal education in the US during the 20th century, Bruce Kimball in 1995 proposed that a pragmatic consensus was emerging about the understanding of liberal education. The two-fold tradition of liberal education, with its shifting emphases and accommodations between 'orators' and 'philosophers,' was being transformed into a 'new American tradition of liberal education deeply rooted in the resurgent intellectual tradition of pragmatism'. A number of different, even contradictory, criticisms of Kimball's thesis have been offered concerning the existence and nature of such a consensus and its relationship(s) to pragmatism. We suggest that the consensus thesis and the criticisms it has encountered might be best understood by comparing it to Rawls's idea of an 'overlapping consensus'. Comparing and contrasting Kimball's project and Rawls's approach suggests that the emerging consensus concerning liberal education at the beginning of the 21st century is an overlapping consensus, that is, a consensus whose nature is pragmatic, as well as a consensus whose substantive tenets are rationalized by pragmatism. Understanding the consensus in this way accounts for the varied criticism that Kimball's thesis has received and makes a significant difference in understanding the theory and practice of liberal education in the 21st century.     

Editorial

Teachers commonly criticize teacher education on the grounds that the theoretical and practical components are unrelated, and practice teaching provides an inadequate preparation for classroom management and instruction. To explore sources of these criticisms, and possible solutions, a study was undertaken comparing students' experience of three different approaches to teacher education within one university‐based program. Data were gathered by interviews, at different points in time, with a panel of twenty‐four students distributed between the three approaches.

Findings indicate that teachers' criticisms of teacher education are directed at symptoms. The underlying problem is the approach to teacher education that informs any given program. The approach determines the program structure, and structure mediates between the approach and the students. One approach was found to be successful in generating a structure that met the prevailing criticisms, reflected in the fact most students selecting it did so on the basis of teachers' recommendations.

     

品德教育的意涵、实施原则与现况

自古以来,品德即受到世人极大的重视,直至今日,品德的重要性仍无庸置疑。品德教育实施的成效小至攸关个人品德培养的优劣,大至影响国家社会生存发展的兴衰,因此品德教育着实值得教育界关注与研究。本文乃就品德教育的意义与内涵、学校实施品德教育宜掌握的有效原则、当前台湾实施品德教育所面临的问题与因应之道等一一探讨,期盼本文能提升教育者对品德教育的了解、重视与实践,以达成品德教育的最高目标。     

略论后期中等教育的性质、地位、功能和作用——一个国际与比较教育的视野

后期中等教育是中等教育的后期(或高级)阶段，教育对象为十四五岁到十七八岁或者十五六岁到十八九岁的青少年。它既实施普通教育，又实施一定的职业、技术、专业教育，因而具有很强的复杂性。在现代社会，基础性、国民性和大众性构成了后期中等教育的基本特性。把握好后期中等教育的社会功能和本体功能或者实然功能和应然功能的统一，是探讨后期中等教育改革的原点。     

The Amalgamation of Special Education? On Practices and Policies that may Render it Unrecognizable

The decades-long assault on principles of special education—some knowingly, such as the regular education initiative, and some unknowingly, such as certain presumptions and practices of full inclusion—have consequences that may negatively affect the future of the field. Protracted criticisms on the character, role, and legitimacy of traditional special education and its related policies and practices have, in some ways, weakened its identity. It is conceivable that special education, as a robust and independent educational component is being threatened. Factors leading to this conclusion are discussed as well as a call for recognition of policy implications and needed research to guide policy development.     

ETHICS AND EDUCATION FORTY YEARS LATER

A bstract .  R.S. Peters's 1966 book Ethics and Education is one of the most significant works in twentieth-century philosophy of education. At least in the United States, however, it is now rarely read or discussed. In this essay, Bryan Warnick looks at the virtues and vices of Ethics and Education , examining some major criticisms of the book in light of key developments in philosophy and educational theory that have occurred since it was first published. He finds that some of the criticisms seem unjustified and overstated, while others can be met with a reading of the text that places its language analysis within a framework of communitarian ethics, a move made possible by rejecting Peters's fact/value dichotomy. This way of reading Ethics and Education reveals an interesting conception of what philosophy of education can be: namely, a sort of normative analytic anthropology. It also shows the value of engaging more with the recent history of philosophy of education.     

In defence of Aristotle on character: toward a synthesis of recent psychology,neuroscience and the thought of Michael Polanyi

In the United States, various forms of character education have become popular in both elementary and professional education. They are often criticised, however, for their reliance on Aristotle, who is said to be problematic at several points. In response to these criticisms, I argue that Aristotle’s ancient account of character and its formation remains viable in light of work over the last decade in psychology and the neurosciences. However, some lacunae remain that can at least be partially filled with insights drawn from the work of Michael Polanyi, a scientist-turned-philosopher whose larger philosophical project was launched by a desire to see Western society flourish. Insights from these varied sources can provide the building blocks with which to construct an account of character and its development that preserves Aristotle’s best insights in ways that answer the concerns voiced by the critics.     

The Very Idea of an Educated Public: On Philosophical Education and MacIntyre's Project

In this paper, I aim to reconsider MacIntyre's notion of an educated public. In particular, I aim to do so in light of his recent elucidation of the role of philosophical education in rejecting, or at least challenging, predominant and shared cultural assumptions. I begin by outlining MacIntyre's original case for an educated public as found in The Idea of an Educated Public. I then briefly consider and respond to three prominent criticisms of MacIntyre's original explication of the notion. In responding to these criticisms, it will be made clear that subtle shifts in MacIntyre's subsequent treatments of the notion reduces the dependency of such a public's existence on the university. I conclude by arguing that the development in MacIntyre's articulation of the necessary conditions for an educated public when considered in conjunction with his recent defence of the conditions for an ‘adequate philosophical education’ provides his philosophy of education with the conceptual resources needed to break free of a final difficulty which MacIntyre himself has articulated. Specifically, I contend that the four stages of an adequate philosophical education MacIntyre outlines are such that they need not be restricted to implementation in formal educational institutions such as the university.