Black men make up roughly 2% of the national teaching corps, and as Brockenbrough (2012) reminds us, there are recurring themes within Black Masculinity Studies that are central to bear in mind when looking at the lived and teaching experiences of these Black male teachers. The major one is to recognize and acknowledge the unique psychological, emotional, and spiritual toll of Black male marginality on Black men. “Oft-cited statistics on incarceration, homicide, unemployment, high school dropout, and HIV infection rates, among other chronic blights (Dyson, 1993; Noguera, 2003), illustrate not only the systemic marginality of Black men in American society, but also their distance from patriarchal definitions of manhood that rely on White supremacist and capitalist power to reinforce male domination” (p.5). The intention of this study was to engage with these Black male teachers’ narratives, stories, and commentaries and learn from their life and teaching experiences as Black men. The aim was to gain insight into how they were recruited, how they were supported, and also what their understandings and thoughts are around retaining Black male teachers in the classrooms. This is a small qualitative study is a sample of four Black Male teachers within the 2013 Teach for America Corps in NYC. As Lewis (2006) suggests, many of these Black male teachers consider their role bound to some form of social justice. This inquiry aimed to talk across the struggles and challenges of Black men in the NYC corps of the TFA program and to reach an understanding of their lived and teaching experience, and of the ways ideologies and narratives are negotiated and navigated in schools and classrooms. The questions of inquiry were aimed to provide insight into the recruitment, retention, and professional support of the Black male teacher, both in TFA and outside this program. Participation in this study was limited to Black male educators with one year of elementary or middle school teaching experience, in order to draw on and speak to the greater presence of male teachers at those levels to help teacher preparation programs navigate toward better recruitment processes, and supporting and sustaining more Black males in the classroom.

No description available.

Following recent developments in philosophy of education, this thesis attempts to relate work done in analytic philosophy of education to work done in normative philosophy of education. The first part of the thesis focuses on the analysis of the concept Curriculum. The aim of this analysis is to attempt to clarify Curriculum and show that it is an essentially normative concept. An examination of the nature of this concept raises serious moral issues, e.g. that of the justification of the content of the Curriculum. This issue is dealt with in the second part of the thesis where I investigate two major philosophical attempts to justify the content of the Curriculum (that of R. S. Peters--an approach couched essentially in terms of the intrinsic value of certain activities--and that of P. S. Wilson--an approach couched essentially in terms of the notion of 'what interests someone') and show that the arguments adduced by Peters and Wilson do not satisfactorily resolve the issue, either in their own terms or in terms of the extent to which they speak to practical considerations. Mary Warnock attempts to merge the double rift, between Peters and Wilson, and between theoretical and practical considerations, by arguing that imagination and work are the criteria (equally important) by which decisions as to the content of the Curriculum should be made. This moderate position, although more adequate, is not devoid of problems, especially with regard to the relationship between imagination and work. It is my belief that a fundamental change in the understanding of theory and practice in the field of education must occur before serious advances can be made with regard to the justificatory issue.

Tema: Ugdymo filosofija ikimokyklinių įstaigų ugdymo programose Magistriniame darbe nagrinėjamos ugdymo filosofijos ir ugdymo proceso atitikmuo, pateikiama šiuolaikinės ir klasikinės ugdymo paradigmų įtaka ugdymo procesui. Analizuojamas ugdymo filosofijos programose ir ugdymo procese vaidmuo, bei pedagogų ugdymo institucijose galimybės. Vykstant spartiems pokyčiams visuomenės gyvenime, pakitus visos visuomenės socialiniam statusui, ypač svarbus tampa ugdymo filosofijos vaidmuo ugdymo procesui. Pasirinktos ugdymo filosofijos kryptys programose, paskatino išsiaiškinti jų realizavimo galimybes ugdymo procese. Tyrimo objektas – ugdymo filosofijos ir ugdymo proceso dermė. Tyrimo tikslas - išsiaiškinti ar ugdymo procesas grindžiamas ikimokyklinėse ugdymo programose deklaruotomis ugdymo filosofijos kryptimis. Hipotezė - pedagogai vadovaujasi įstaigos programoje pateiktos ugdymo filosofijos(ų) nuostatomis. Tyrimo metodika: tyrime dalyvavo 379 vaikai, 157 pedagogai ; taikyti pedagogų anketinės apklausos ir kriterinio stebėjimo metodai. Išvados: atlikus tyrimą nustatyta, kad pedagogai iš dalies vadovaujasi pasirinktomis ugdymo filosofijos kryptimis programose ir ugdymo procese bei jos iš dalies dera ugdymo procese. . / Education philosophies and equivalent of education process are examined in this work, as well as influence of modern and classical education paradigm towards education process is presented. Education philosophies in programmes and role of education in process, as well as potentials of pedagogues in teaching institutions, are analyzed. Due to rapid changes in society’s life and because of change of social status of the whole society, role of education philosophy in the education process becomes especially important. The chosen trends of education philosophies in programmes encouraged me to ascertain their implementation possibilities in the process of education. The object of the research is – consistency of education philosophy and process of education. The aim of the research is – to ascertain if education process in preschool education programmes is motivated by declared trends of education philosophy. Hypothesis- pedagogues follow the guidelines of an education philosophy (philosophies) which are introduced in the programme of their institution. Methodology of the research- 379 children and 157 pedagogues participated in the research. A survey by questionnaires for pedagogues and a method of criterion observation were applied. Findings- having done the research it was ascertained that pedagogues follow the chosen trends of education philosophies in programmes and in the process of education partially. Moreover, they partially fit in the process of... [to full text]

This thesis is centrally concerned with the current nee-liberal world order and its effects upon society. It is concerned to expose the contradictions and weaknesses within the knowledge systems that underpin our political reality. It considers economics as the determining discourse of neo-liberal politics, analytic biology as its determining discourse of individual persons, and analytic and neo-pragmatist philosophy as its leading systems of thought. In each case it finds a linear rationalism compatible with the determinist materialism of noo-Darwinism, and indeed explicitly invoking Darwin. This seems to vindicate Manuel Castells's fmding of this 'Knowledge Society' as driven by 'an abstract, universal instrumentalism'. The thought systems of this economic liberalism have seen politics subsumed within economics, de-humanising most of the institutions of the earlier Liberal tradition, to the detriment of both freedom and democracy. But it disputes Castells's assumption that this is a necessary reality and finds in neo-liberal education the exception to this dehumanising trend. Revitalised as 'Mode 2' knowledge production, this form of teaching, learning and research is found to be ideally suited to challenge the underpinnings of the very social order which initially produced it. The thesis as a whole is designed to employ Mode 2 methods in order to support this contention. Using this approach it seeks to demonstrate that in place of neo-Darwinism the ideas of the South African natural scientist Eugene Marais, concerning the significance of conscious thought itself within evolution, can provide a more convincing epistemoloy than the behaviourism and materialism of analytic biology. It finds John Maynard Keynes's acceptance of economics as a moral and not a natural science, more logically convincing and more inherently useful for social reconstruction than the current mathematicisation of economic theory. Prevalent philosophical approaches appear to serve only to reinforce the systems of thought already found (and found wanting) in politics, biology and economics. But again these philosophies are shown to be vulnerable to a Mode 2 critique, particularly employing the ontological understanding of the contemporary pragmatist philosopher Joseph Margolis, whose strong version of relativism allows for both bivalent and multivalent truth values more appropriate to understanding the complex realities of ethical and democratic societies. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

The study was an investigation into the teaching decisions that mathematics teachers make over time. I view a mathematics classroom as a didactical system of teacher, learners and content within an educational institution, where content is the material that brings teachers and learners together. Within such a system I view the teacher's role as making content available to learners. Prior research has often investigated the teacher's role by comparing teaching practices nationally or internationally, but these comparisons have tended to use the lesson as the unit of analysis. I propose that how teachers make content available can change over the course of a series of lessons and so my study used the lesson series as the unit of analysis. I purposefully designed the study so that it involved four cases, which allowed me to explore the role of the teacher and the topic in how content was made available. To investigate how teachers made content available to learners in each case, I developed an analytical approach from which I could study the modes of teacher interaction that featured across the lesson series, the forms of mathematical content made available and the sequencing of these forms. Attending to forms of content - rather than content itself - allowed for comparison of teaching of different topics. This original analytical approach represents a contribution to both mathematics education and mixed methods research. Within this small sample of cases, quantifiable differences were identified in how content was made available between classwork and seatwork, from lesson to lesson and between cases. Between-case differences in the nature of teaching 'between-the-desks' during seatwork were also identified. These differences illuminated teaching decisions to which teachers and classroom researchers may not routinely attend. The findings therefore contribute - and identify additional lines of enquiry that might contribute further - to a more extensive understanding of teaching practices.

The Steiner/Waldorf school movement is currently one of the fastest growing independent school movements internationally. In several countries it seems to have developed into the most popular form of alternative education. South Africa has 17 Waldorf schools and one full-time teacher training facility. This study investigated the interpretation and implementation of the Parzival main lesson within the wider context of the Waldorf curriculum. The main lesson system is an essential constituent of the Waldorf curriculum. Most academic subjects in a Waldorf school are taught in a three- or four-week main lesson block. The main lesson occupies the first two hours of the school day. A main lesson consists of a particular three-part structure, and the main lesson book is the keystone to the Waldorf evaluative process. The Parzival main lesson is specifically taught in Class 11, and most Waldorf schools consider it as one of the most important main lessons in the high school. The interpretivist model was ideally suited to this research. The investigation was conducted as a multiple case study, and the main source of data was provided by classroom observation. This was supported by interviews and classroom artifacts. The study involved two South African Waldorf schools at which the Parzival main lesson is taught. This main lesson is presented at only three South African Waldorf schools. I teach at the remaining school, and therefore conducted my research at the other two schools. The teachers who facilitated the Parzival main lesson, as well as the Class students at the selected schools voluntarily participated in the research. My research findings indicate that the possibility exists for the teacher to exercise a certain degree of freedom and creativity within the parameters of Waldorf methodology and the Waldorf curriculum. The study also determines that teachers often find it difficult to integrate the three-part structure, as indicated by Waldorf methodology, in a single main lesson. Furthermore, my research establishes that main lesson books can indeed serve as both text and as an assessment tool. I therefore conclude and maintain in this study, with particular reference to the Parzival main lesson, that despite the prescriptive structure of the Waldorf system and Steiner pedagogy, teachers need not necessarily sacrifice their freedom and creativity within the classroom.

'The landscape of schooling in England has been transformed over the last five years' (House of Commons Education Committee, 2015:3). More than half of secondary schools in England have become academies, independent of local authorities and funded directly by central government. The programme was begun by New Labour in 2002, and by the time they left office at the 2010 General Election 203 academies had been established. The policy was considerably extended between 2010-2015 by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition, and 'Free Schools' were introduced by Education Secretary Michael Gove: that is, schools 'set up in response to what local people say they want and need in order to improve education for children in their community' (DfE, 2013/2015). By the time of the 2015 general election, there were 4,674 newly-sponsored or converter academies and 252 'Free Schools', representing 64% of secondary school students (47% of all state school students), and 51% of secondary schools (32% of all state schools). This research argues the hypothesis that there is a high degree of philosophical continuity on this policy across the main political parties in England. It also analyses the extent to which the policy-makers invoke historical expressions of conservatism and/or liberalism in their articulation of that convergence. Drawing on past associations with politicians, the principal expositors and key architects of the 'Free Schools' policy were interviewed, and these transcripts have given insight into how the themes of policy are conceptualised and understood. The data suggests that there are convergent philosophical views across the main political parties, and agreement on the course of history of the policy. There are, however, ethical concerns about the pace of reform, the primacy of the 'market', and the extent to which democratic public goods are consistent with schools that are 'free'.

This research focuses on the extent to which the Rhodes University Academic Skills Programme (ASP), now known as the Academic Development Programme, is able to act as an agent of progressive change within Rhodes University. In so doing it concentrates on the potential of the strategy of integrated academic development for dealing with the academic needs of university students within the context of South Africa as a society in transition. The candidate considers the inability of structuralist educational theory to account for the potential of human agency at the site of formal education. It is shown that structuralist theories provide deterministic and pessimistic accounts of the role of institutions of formal education. In support of this contention this study explores the history of ASP at Rhodes University, demonstrating that significant change in student academic development has already taken place. ASP has contributed to change within the said University through challenging traditional notions of academic development. This thesis suggests that the non-structuralist critical theory of Jurgen Habermas provides a more holistic account of ASP than do structuralist theories of formal education. Through the incorporation of Habermas's theory of communicative action a process of critical integration is explored, showing that a strategy of integrated academic development has the potential to involve all those who have an interest in university education through a process of rational discourse. This potential is strengthened by the fact that many students and staff have expressed an awareness of the need for an integrated academic development strategy. This thesis subsequently explores the possibility of there being a process of democratic and rational discourse which could lead to a progressive integration programme in the Rhodes University Department of Sociology and Industrial Sociology. This thesis stresses the contested nature of the integration process within departments. It is indicated that Habermas's critical theory is able to account for the changes which have taken place in the past and which are presently under way. It is argued that it not possible to predict future outcomes, but that if ASP pursues a process of rational discourse, it will indeed be able to stimulate a critical integrative approach to academic development in the Rhodes University Department of Sociology and Industrial Sociology.

278 f. / Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-05-06T15:56:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rita Celia Torreao_Tese.pdf: 4098206 bytes, checksum: b874c6fd5dfcb67e42e669888ba74d97 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora Lopes(silopes@ufba.br) on 2013-06-10T19:24:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Rita Celia Torreao_Tese.pdf: 4098206 bytes, checksum: b874c6fd5dfcb67e42e669888ba74d97 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-06-10T19:24:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rita Celia Torreao_Tese.pdf: 4098206 bytes, checksum: b874c6fd5dfcb67e42e669888ba74d97 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Esta é uma tese de doutoramento em educação do Programa de Pesquisa e Pósgraduação da Faculdade de Educação (FACED/UFBA). Apesar de ser fundamentada na filosofia bergsoniana, ela não se constitui como um recorte nas obras nem no pensamento de Henri Bergson, isso porque se sua filosofia é uma filosofia da vida e seu pensamento algo vivo, não poderia ser repartido sem matá-lo ou torcê-lo; logo, ele precisa ser inteiro, intuído, absolutamente. Como esta não é uma tese em filosofia, mas em filosofia da educação, não pretendo fazer interpretações do pensamento de Bergson, sendo que às vezes isso foi inevitável. Então, ela é um transbordamento do pensamento de Bergson para dar subsídio a uma filosofia da educação que considere a duração. Partindo da diferenciação que Bergson faz entre o que é vivo e o construído, realizei uma viragem interna; por isso a tese foi antes intuída, e depois construída. Para Bergson, o construído vai da periferia para o centro e o vivo do centro para a periferia, essa diferença é muito importante no meu trabalho, pelo fato do construído permitir uma ação de análise da inteligência, já que tudo que ele possui veio de fora, e ao reparti-lo encontraremos esses componentes, mas o vivo explode de um centro para a periferia, criando, e não se submete à analise da inteligência, a não ser deformando-o. O vivo é inteiro e só pode ser apreendido de um só golpe. Juntando a isso o entendimento de que consciência é algo vivo, foi preciso refazer tudo que entendia sobre Educação. Outra ideia fundamental para esta tese é a de tempo real como duração; em Bergson o tempo é qualidade pura, contínuo e heterogêneo, não pode ser contado; assim, o que importa não são as horas vividas mas o que se viveu nessas horas. Isso revoluciona os conceitos de currículo, carga horária e hora-aula. Também foi de grande utilidade para mim a ideia de Henri Bergson de que construímos nossa personalidade a partir de nossas escolhas, essa idéia destrói as mentalidades tribais, os grupos sociais, culturais, sexuais ou étnicos como pressuposto para uma Educação bergsoniana. Foi feito um esforço para utilizar a intuição como método, pois a inteligência possui o hábito da analise e de espacializar e quantificar, além da própria linguagem ser uma espacialização do pensamento. De início, segui os conselhos de Bergson, colocando na perspectiva temporal os entes educativos: o aluno, o professor, a escola e a atividade de ensinar e aprender. Desse esforço resultou um novo entendimento desses entes e a compreensão de que a educação se dá individualmente e de maneira irrepetível, ela é mudança contínua e heterogênea; mudança vital que resulta das escolhas e da vocação. Mostramos o desmoronamento da escola em todos os seus sentidos, estrutura física, pensamento pedagógicos e teorias educacionais. Verificamos o papel central do professor como ente privilegiado do encontro do educar, pois ele não desmorona com o tempo, ele devém, ele cria. Esse movimento em direção ao pensamento de Bergson levou-me à intimidade, ao indizível do eu profundo. Isso impôs a utilização de linguagens para além do discurso filosófico-científico, e foi preciso recorrer à poesia e a conceitos da teologia para tentar dizer o indizível. Assim, após uma reconceituação dos entes educativos, conforme a metafísica de Bergson, cheguei aos últimos capítulos através da obra As duas fontes da moral e da religião ao ensinamento do moral e da ética, realizando um passeio pelo misticismo bergsoniano e suas relações com a educação e a moral. / Salvador