An Introduction To The Foundations Of Education

Covering a variety of topics about education including history, policy, finance, sociology, reform movements, curriculum and various professional and multicultural issues, this text offers readers an understanding of the field and a base on which they can build.

This much-anticipated fifth edition of Exploring Education offers an alternative to traditional foundations texts by combining a point-of-view analysis with primary source readings. Pre- and in-service teachers will find a solid introduction to the foundations disciplines -- history, philosophy, politics, and sociology of education -- and their application to educational issues, including school organization and teaching, curriculum and pedagogic practices, education and inequality, and school reform and improvement. This edition features substantive updates, including additions to the discussion of neo-liberal educational policy, recent debates about teacher diversity, updated data and research, and new selections of historical and contemporary readings. At a time when foundations of education are marginalized in many teacher education programs and teacher education reform pushes scripted approaches to curriculum and instruction, Exploring Education helps teachers to think critically about the "what" and "why" behind the most pressing issues in contemporary education.

This book introduces students to the broad social, political, and philosophical questions surrounding education theory and practice. Examining five of the most influential philosophers of all time—Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau, and Dewey—the text provides insight into historical theories of education that have shaped contemporary ideas and debates. By engaging with important thinkers in the philosophical tradition, readers will be better equipped to critically evaluate the role and meanings of education in their own lives, both as students and as teachers. Written in an accessible tone, Foundations of Education engages the reader and invites dialogue and reflection. Each chapter includes excerpts from philosophical writings, learning activities, and discussion questions, and the book also features a glossary of key terms. This volume is ideally suited to undergraduate courses in the philosophy of education and general education theory.

Structured around major movements in world history, the lives of leading educators, and the philosophies and ideologies that resulted from their ideas, Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education: A Biographical Introduction, Fifth Edition provides a clear interdisciplinary exploration of the development of educational ideas. The author takes a global perspective on the history and philosophy of education, capturing the essence of educational evolution through the biographies of 23 theorists, philosophers, and educators. This biographical focus, combined with an introductory presentation of the inherent connections between education's major movements and its primary movers, helps students better understand the social and historical conditions that have informed today's educational arena.

This new edition brings McLaren's popular, classic textbook into a new era of Common Core Standards and online education. The book is renowned for its clear, provocative classroom narratives and its coverage of political, economic, and social factors that are undervalued in other educational textbooks. An international committee of experts ranked Life in Schools among the top twelve education books in the world.