The Extra Strand of the Māori Science Curriculum

This paper comments on the process of re‐development of the Maori‐medium Science (Pūtaiao) curriculum, as part of overall curriculum development in Aotearoa New Zealand. A significant difference from the English Science curriculum was the addition of an ‘extra strand’ covering the history and philosophy of science. It is recommended that this strand be taught by means of narratives (i.e. using ‘narrative pedagogy’) in order to avoid a superficial didacticism that succumbs to the traditional notion of science curriculum content as ‘merely factual’ in nature. An argument is presented for the ethical necessity of including this extra material in Māori science education.     

Holden's Public University and its Rawlsian Silence on Religion

Robert H. Holden, in ‘The Public University's Unbearable Defiance of Being’ (2009, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 41:5, pp. 575–591) argues that the public university ought to welcome the infusion of relevant beliefs, including religious ones, in carrying out its research and teaching responsibilities. In this paper, I examine whether he has shown that some opinions are suppressed, whether he has shown that other views are hegemonic, the central argument that lies behind his thinking, and then consider the educational consequences of his position.     

Philosophical Remarks on Nelson Mandela’s Education Legacy

In this article, I reflect on Nelson Mandela’s (Madiba, the clan name of Mandela) education legacy. I argue that Madiba’s education legacy is constituted by three interrelated aspects: firstly, an education for non-violence guided by deliberation, compassion and reconciliation; secondly, education as responsibility towards the Other; and thirdly, education that cultivates a ‘community of thinking’. Educational philosophy and theory would be richly informed by the compelling education legacy bequeathed us by Nelson Mandela.     

Economics Imperialism and the Role of Educational Philosophy

To date, philosophers of education have shown relatively little interest in analyzing the theoretical basis in which the economics of education is grounded. The main argument of this article is that due to the changing nature of orthodox economic theory’s influence on education, a philosophical examination of its underpinnings is required. It is maintained that as a result of economics imperialism, namely the penetration of economic modes of thinking into new domains, educational philosophers have an essential role to play in examining economic theory. The article briefly discusses this role and provides some examples of how educational philosophers can make a unique contribution to current thinking about the relationship between economics and education.     

Challenges to the Global Concept of Student-Centered Learning with Special Reference to the United Arab Emirates: ‘Never fail a Nahayan’

Student-centered learning has been conceived as a Western export to the East and the developing world in the last few decades. Philosophers of education often associate student-centered learning with frameworks related to meeting the needs of individual pupils: from Deweyan experiential learning, to the ‘pedagogy of the oppressed’ and other social justice orientations. Yet student-centered learning has also become, in the era of neoliberal education, a jingoistic advertisement for practices and ideologies which can be seen to lead to a global devaluation of the educational profession, and the bolstering of the view of the student as a customer. In this article, I want to disentangle these views and explore some limitations of either model of student-centered learning. To add context, I consider education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today, which provides an extreme example of the risks involved with prioritizing student’s self-identified needs and interests above all else, as in an idealized or exaggerated student-centered concept. I conclude with brief comments on amending the philosophical concept of student-centered learning to be useful in diverse contexts today.     

Acknowledgements

We sought to examine empirically the prevailing assumption that changing assessment can leverage curricular reform. This assumption has been significantly confirmed by our research for the case of mandated high-stakes assessment. Two studies were conducted in the two most populous Australian states, New South Wales and Victoria. In the final two years of secondary school in both states, courses of study and assessment arrangements are mandated for all schools, including the private sector, by the state's Board of Studies. Congruence between mandated assessment and schoolwide instructional practice was found in two states whose high-stakes assessment embodied quite contrasting values.     

思想政治教育坚持“以人为本”的实践路径

思想政治教育坚持"以人为本"的落脚点在于坚持原则内涵,拓展实践途径,从实践的过程和成效上去开辟思想政治教育的新领域。要坚持科学化教育、艺术化管理和人性化服务的内在统一,通过推动学科建设,体现"以人为本"的本质内涵要求;通过推进文化建设,体现"以人为本"的建设导向要求;通过创新教育方法,体现"以人为本"的方法应用要求;通过强化队伍建设,体现"以人为本"的组织保证要求。     

哲学的现代意蕴——哲学的价值与经济学的价值之异同辨析

哲学的价值是无与伦比、无法计算的,是价值本身.经济学的价值是一种物质追求,是人赖以生存以及社会发展的基础.哲学的价值是内在性的,是体;经济学的价值是外在性的,是用.     

走向语境论世界观的数学哲学

面临当前国际数学哲学研究现状及趋势,为了规范数学哲学的学科发展,推动国内学科进步,以达到与国际同行有效对话,形成中国自身的研究风格和传统,在数学哲学自身研究任务的基础上,提出一种“语境论世界观的数学哲学”研究范式,使该学科在特定的问题域、研究方法和理念的范式支持下,逐步走向繁荣。     

构建人文教育与科学教育融合的人才培养模式——对理工科高校加强哲学社会科学教育的思考

本文强调了哲学社会科学教育在高校人才培养中的地位和作用,分析了理工科高校加强哲学社会科学教育的必要性和重要性,并根据新形势对高等教育发展和人才培养的新要求,提出了理工科高校加强哲学社会科学教育的基本思路和措施,对于构建理工科高校人文教育与科学教育相融合的人才培养模式,具有重要的理论价值争现实意义。