Module Code - Title:

EN4051 - CONTEMPORARY UNDERSTANDINGS ON EDUCATION: PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

Year Last Offered:

2025/6

Hours Per Week:

Lecture

2

Lab

0

Tutorial

2

Other

2

Private

4

Credits

6

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. The module will invite the students to outline their developing philosophy of education. The philosophy of education assignment will contribute to the portfolio.

Syllabus:

Examining the theory-practice debate in education (Anderson & DeFalco); Appraising the significance of the experiential for teaching and learning (Greene and Dewey); Examining the significance of creativity and imagination when it comes to the project of educating (Ayers, Dewey, Greene & Robinson); Assessing the connection between democracy and schooling (Dewey, Greene and Freire), Illich (de-schooling society), Sugrue (deconstructing lay theories of teaching); Articulate in writing personal developing philosophies of education.

Learning Outcomes:

Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Critique the nature and purpose of education Reflect on their experience of education through the lens of educational theorists Identify aspects of teaching effectiveness to inform their developing professional identity as a teacher Articulate in writing their own developing philosophy of education. This assignment will also contribute to the portfolio.

Affective (Attitudes and Values)

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Challenge assumptions of the theory/practice divide in education Appraise the value of nurturing imagination for the project of education

Psychomotor (Physical Skills)

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

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 philosophical 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:

Dewey, J. (1963) Experience & Education , Collier MacMillan

Greene, M (1995) Releasing the Imagination: Essays on Education, the Arts, and Social Change. , San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Freire, P. (1995) Pedagogy of the Oppressed , New York: Continuum

Greene, M. (1978) Teaching the Question of Personal Reality. , Teachers College Record, 80(1), 23-35

Noddings, N. (2018) Philosophy of Education. (4th edition) , London: Routledge

Dewey, J. (2009) Moral Principles in Education and My Pedagogic Creed , Gorham, ME : Myers Education Press

Freire, P. (2014) Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed , London : Bloomsbury

Soini, T., Pyhalto, K. and Pietarinen, J. (2010) Pedagogical well-being: reflecting learning and well-being in teachers' work. , Teachers and Teaching 16 (6): 735-731.

Other Relevant Texts:

Palmer, J. (2001) Fifty Modern Thinkers in Education , London: Routledge

Robinson, K. (2016) Creative Schools , London: Peguin

Greene, M. (1978) Teaching the Question of Personal Reality , New York: Teachers College Record

Soini, T., Pyhalto, K. and Pietarinen, J. (2010) Pedagogical well-being: reflecting learning and well-being in teachers' work , Teachers and Teaching,16 (6): 735-731.

Giarelli, J. M. (2016) Maxine Greene on Progressive Education: Toward a Public Philosophy of Education , Education and Culture, 32(1), 5-14.

Freire, P. (2005) Teachers as cultural workers: letters to those who dare teach , Westview Press: Boulder, Colarado

Anderson, J. A., & Freebody, K. (2012) Developing communities of practice: bridging the theory practice divide in teacher education. , McGill Journal of Education, 47(3), 359-377.

Ayers, W. (2006) To become a Teacher: Making a Difference in Teacher's Lives. , New York: Teachers College Press.

Murphy, T., Masterson, M. Mannix-McNamara, P., Tally, P. and McLaughlin, E. (2021) The Being of a Teacher: Teacher Pedagogical Well-being and Teacher Self-care. , Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13540602.2021.1913403

Murphy, T. (2008) Democratic Schooling Practices in the Republic of Ireland: the Gap between the Rhetoric and the Reality , Irish Educational Studies, Taylor & Francis, 27(1), 29-39.

Sugrue, C. (1997) Student Teachers' Lay Theories and Identities: Implications for Professional Development , European Journal of Teacher Education, 20: 213-226.

Noddings, N. (1984) Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education , Berkeley: University of California Press

Barrow, L. (2006) A Brief History of Inquiry: From Dewey to Standards. , Journal of Science Teacher Education, 17, 265-278.

DeFalco, A. (2016) Dewey and Vocational Education: Still Timely? , The Journal of School & Society, 3(1), 54-64.

Ennis, C. (2006) Curriculum: Forming and Reshaping the Vision of Physical Education in a High Need, Low Demand World of Schools , Quest 2006, 58, 41-59.

Koliba, C. (2000) Democracy and Education Schools and Communities Initiative Conceptual Framework and Preliminary Findings. , University of Vermont:John Dewey Project on Progressive Education

Masterson, J. E. (2016) Language, Literacy and Dewey: "Experience" in the Language Arts Context. , The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal, 35, 47-63.

Schutz, A. (2001) John Dewey's Conundrum: Can Democratic Schools Empower? , Teachers College Record, 103(2), 267-302.

Rautins, C. and Ibrahim, A. (2011) Wide-awakeness: Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Imagination, Humanism, Agency and Becoming. , International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 3(3), 24-36.

Bailey, R., Barrow, R., Carr, D. & McCarthy, C. (2010) The Sage Handbook of Philosophy of Education. , London: SAGE

Blake, N., Smeyers, P., Smith, R., & Standish, P. ( (2008) The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Education , Oxford: Wiley.

Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:

BTEDMEUFA - MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

BSEDBIUFA - BIOLOGY WITH PHYSICS OR CHEMISTRY OR AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

BSEDPCUFA - PHYSICAL SCIENCE WITH CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

BSMTCSUFA - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

BDLANGUFA - EDUCATION IN LANGUAGES

BSPHEDUFA - PHYSICAL EDUCATION

BTEDMAUFA - MATERIALS AND ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY

Semester(s) Module is Offered:

Autumn

Module Leader:

Timothy.Murphy@ul.ie