Philosophy and the Curriculum

There are many ways in which philosophy can contribute to the improvement of education. This paper proposes one particular contribution. Those who are studying to be teachers should be taught some of the philosophy that is related to the discipline that they will teach. There are four ways in which this can contribute to their education. First, it will give an analytical description of the forms of thought employed in their discipline. Second, it will provide some evaluation and criticism of those same forms of thought. Third, it will analyze some specific materials in such a way as to systematize them and illustrate these forms of thought. Fourth, it will provide an interpretation of these forms of thought that is accessible to the novice

Some contributions of philosophy to education

Of what use is philosophy to education? What do philosophical purposes, skills and attitudes bring to educational practice? What might they accomplish? My concern in what follows is not with any particular set of philosophical doctrines, nor am I inquiring after the educational implications of this or that philosophical viewpoint. Rather, my questions pertain to philosophical activity itself. The questions are thus quite general and they are certainly not new. But they take on special urgency when viewed in the perspective of current trends that are likely increasingly to affect our future circumstances of life and our operative conceptions of education

Scheffler, Israel, Philosophy and the Curriculum, pp. 31-41 in his Reason and Teaching . Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1973.

Describes the analytic form of thought and related issues as they apply to various subjects in the curriculum; discusses philosophical inquiry processes as applied to education

Scheffler, Israel, The Practical as a Focus for Curriculum: Reflections on Schwab\u27s View, pp. 181-197 in his Reason and Teaching . Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1973.

Discusses Schwab\u27s treatment of the practical in curriculum and identifies several shortcomings in this view

Scheffler, Israel, Justifying Curriculum Decisions, School Review, 66(Winter, 1958), 461-472. Reprinted pp. 116-125 in his Reason and Teaching. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1973. Reprinted pp. 497-505 in Arno A. Bellack and Herbert M. Kliebard, eds., Curriculum and Evaluation . Berkeley, CA: McCutchan, 1977.

Explains the need to justify curriculum decisions and explores the bases for such decisions

ESE. Estudios sobre educación

Resumen basado en el del autorResumen y palabras clave también en españolSe centra en la utilidad de la filosofía de educación. Se abordan aspectos relacionados con la contribución de las finalidades, habilidades y actitudes filosóficas a la práctica educativa. Se reflexiona sobre la actividad filosófica en sí misma. Por tanto, las preguntas son más bien generales y ciertamente no son nuevas. Sin embargo, estas preguntas adquieren un especial relieve desde la perspectiva de las tendencias de principios del siglo XXI, que probablemente tendrán una creciente influencia en las futuras circunstancias de la vida y en las concepciones operativas de la educación.NavarraUniversidad de Navarra. Biblioteca; 31080 Pamplona; +34948425600; +3494817731080; [email protected]

Scheffler, Israel, Human Nature and Potential (AESA R. Freeman Butts Lecture-1982), Educational Studies, 3(Fall, 1983), 211-224.

Describes the nautre of human potential in three constructions--a capacity notion, a predictive notion, and a decision notion