Module Code - Title:
EN4041
-
CONTEMPORARY UNDERSTANDINGS AND THINKING ON EDUCATION
Year Last Offered:
2021/2
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
During this module students will be exposed to some of the major contemporary thinkers in education. They will be encouraged to critically analyse these through the lens of deconstruction of their own very recent experiences of schooling. It is intended that the module will foster amongst students an appreciation of the interplay between educational theory and practice. Through induction into the scholarship of education, the module will aim to foster an understanding of teacher identity through critical engagement with the nature and purpose of education.
Syllabus:
A brief overview of development of early influential thinkers in education exploring the core question what is education: Plato/Socrates (dialogic perspective); Descartes (enlightenment thinking and logical rationalism); Rousseau (Emile) exploration of modern thinkers that have influenced education Dewey (experience and democracy in education) Buber (on relationship); Frankyl (meaning making). An overview of schooling exploring the core question what is schooling; Illich (de-schooling society) Bourdieu & Lortie (cultural reproduction & deconstruction of the apprenticeship of observation) Freire & McLaren (critical pedagogy); Eisner (the art and appreciation of education) Greene (imagination and education); Sugrue (deconstructing lay theories of teaching); Lessing and Robinson (indoctrination and changing educational paradigms); Palmer (courage in teaching).
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
•Critically engage with the nature and purpose of education
•Critically analyse their recent experience of education through their deepening understanding of the nature and contexts of schooling in contemporary society.
•Challenge assumptions of the theory/practice divide in education
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
•Students will articulate their own philosophies of education as intending education professionals for submission to their academic portfolio.
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
n/a
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
The module will be taught through a series of lectures and tutorials. The module will encourage students to engage critically and reflexively with philospohical theory relevant to education. The module seeks to develop students as knowledgeable in their chosen discipline. Through engaging with philosophies of education, students will also critically reflect on their experiences of education in order to begin the process of creating and articulating their own emerging philosophies of teaching and learning.
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
Ayres, W. (2006)
To become a Teacher: Making a Difference in Teacher's Lives
, New York: Teachers College Press
Palmer, P. (2007)
The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Other Relevant Texts:
Palmer, J. (Ed) (2001)
Fifty Modern Thinkers in Education.
, London: Routledge
Dewey, J. (1963)
Experience and education
, London: Collier Books
Frankl, V. (2006)
Man's Search for Meaning
, New York: Beacon Press
Freire, P. and Freire, A. M. (2007)
Daring to Dream: toward a pedagogy of the unfinished.
, New York: Paradigm Publishers
Freire, P. (2005)
Teachers as cultural workers: letters to those who dare teach
, Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press
Greene, M. (2004)
Learning to Come Alive, in: M. Greene, Letters to the Next President: What We Can Do About the Real Crisis in Public Education
, New York: Teachers College Press
Greene, M. (2000)
Releasing the Imagination: Essay on Education, the Arts, and Social Change
, San Francisco:Jossey-Bass
Robinson, K. (2009)
The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
, London: Penguin Books
Sugrue, C. (1997)
'Student Teachers' Lay Theories and Identities: Implications for Professional Development'
, European Journal of Teacher Education, 20: 213-226.
Solbrekke, T. & Sugrue, C. (2011)
'Learning from conceptions of Professional Responsibility and Graduate experiences in becoming novice practitioners' In: Anne McKee, & Michael Eraut, M (eds). Professional Learning over the Lifespan: Innovation and Change
, Dordrecht: Springer
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
BTEDMAUFA - MATERIALS AND ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY
BTEDMEUFA - MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Autumn
Module Leader:
Timothy.Murphy@ul.ie