I’m taking Cathy Davidson’s Coursera course on the History and Future of Higher Education, so I thought it would be a good time to reflect on some thoughts about higher education that were prompted in a pedagogy class I took last semester. In the book [amazon_link id=”0805828362″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Teaching Communication[/amazon_link], Jo Sprague discusses… Continue reading The Goals of Higher Education
Category: Epistemology
4 Questions For the MOOC Dream and Higher Education
Let’s play a quick a game. See if you can guess when the following passage was written and to what technology it was referring. The writer hoped that students could be taught by: “a single inspiring teacher who speaks to the thousands of revived students through [a technology]. A whole nation of students might… Continue reading 4 Questions For the MOOC Dream and Higher Education
Immanuel Kant’s Epistemology
An overview of Immanuel Kant’s Epistemology:
Introduction to Empiricism
In our discussion of epistemology, we look at empiricism through the lens of three empiricists: John Locke, Bishop Berkeley, and David Hume:
Behaviorism
Merry Earth Day! I really hope everyone takes some time today to ponder protecting the planet. Better yet, just go recycle something or plant a tree…or both! [amazon_link id=”0767827724″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]And now…for something completely different[/amazon_link]. In my first posting ever on Philosophy Matters, I discussed the interrelatedness of psychology and philosophy, and I… Continue reading Behaviorism
Montessori Inspired Toys
If you’re a regular reader of the Philosophy Matters blog, you’ll know that I’ve recently become very interested in Montessori educational philosophy, and written a few book reviews about some Montessori related works. Recently the interest changed from professional to personal when I found out my significant other was pregnant with our first child! After… Continue reading Montessori Inspired Toys
Meditations of Descartes
A look at Descartes’ Meditations, with particular emphasis on epistemology.
An Educational Philosophy Contrast
vs. [amazon_link id=”B006QS0MDU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link] In what may be described as an overzealous use of the library, my first trip to Wake County libraries consisted of searching for “Montessori” and checking out every in-stock book that appeared. While mostly successful, a few books that weren’t really Montessori related slipped under the… Continue reading An Educational Philosophy Contrast
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
This week, a look at Plato’s Allegory of the Cave:
Philosophy Book Review: The Montessori Method
As a follow-up to the reading of Dewey’s Democracy and Education, I recently read The Montessori Method. Written in 1914, it purports to be one of – if not the first – attempt at scientific pedagogy. The emphasis is on designing education around a method that actually works for the way children behave naturally, rather than… Continue reading Philosophy Book Review: The Montessori Method