Evolving Educational Philosophy Evolving Philosophy Thesis

Despite the catastrophic job market, at least current students can use the present-day crisis as a teachable moment. No matter how bad things may be, the university must strive to create positive educational debates and experiences. It is not the responsibility of the university to provide answers to student's questions of morality and identity. But a university has a responsibility not to stifle debate; rather it must enable students to feel free to ask questions. The university must encourage graduates to comfortably tolerate ambiguity and diversity of beliefs amongst their fellow students and within their own hearts. In this tolerance of diversity, of course, there is an implied moral system to some degree, just as there is in Kohlberg's prioritization of moralistic abstractions. The modern university that values ethical questioning must allow for multiplicity of opinions. This tolerance is not cross-culturally universal in its nature. But for an American university, located in a diverse world, a school that seeks to prepare students for a global community and a mosaic of cultures in America, part of the learning process for students must be having a certain kind of open-mindedness or at least the ability to engage in dialogue with others with different opinions.

All students embark upon a journey self-exploration in college. As they stretch their ability to learn about others, and try on new personas, they must allow others to do the same. As the university serves all students it cannot permit narrow-mindedness -- of opinions and even of specialization in academic study. Breadth and depth must be fostered in course offerings and interdisciplinary learning. A...

...

Even if a student returns to the morality of his or her parents at the end of the voyage of intellectual and personal discovery through the university, to learn requires change and reconsideration of values (Colby et al. 2003, p. 107).
Learning how to make active moral judgments, rather than simply receive knowledge is part of the educational process. College students proceed from dualistic judgments to be less secure assessments of right and wrong (Colby 2008, p.109). If a teacher were to try to define the difference between high school and college education, he or she would likely say that a high schooler learns how to balance an equation, but the college student learns the why's of what the education is trying to describe, and how to construct an experiment on his or her own. The same is true of morality -- a college student must begin to articulate the why's of his or her value judgments, and subject his or her cherished values to a series of moral dilemmas and experiments. "The capacity to override or change personal habits," including habits of thought, when they are no longer productive or adequately reflect one's present reality is the sign of maturity and a critical thinker (Colby et al. 2003, p. 107). The fact that moral judgment and reflection tend to be less common in the busy nature of daily life, at end of the formal educational journey, is all the more reason to prompt reflection in the classroom, and to make special efforts to create a diverse student body, culturally as well as demographically, and to force students out of their comfort zones.

Cite this Document:

"Evolving Educational Philosophy Evolving Philosophy" (2009, September 04) Retrieved April 20, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/evolving-educational-philosophy-evolving-19642

"Evolving Educational Philosophy Evolving Philosophy" 04 September 2009. Web.20 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/evolving-educational-philosophy-evolving-19642>

"Evolving Educational Philosophy Evolving Philosophy", 04 September 2009, Accessed.20 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/evolving-educational-philosophy-evolving-19642

Related Documents

This can shatter the confidence of the student and may even make him lose interest in the subject and teacher's views. For the development of students' critical thinking skills and their confidence, responsible teaching is highly desirable. Teachers need to understand that while they can foster discussion and debate, it is not necessary to impose their views on any student. Students come from variety of backgrounds and hence may need

Synthesize traditional and progressive education for today's students. Education digest. Vol. 68, Issue 7, 4-8. Retrieved January 17, 2011, from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?hid=12&sid=90682ec6-64e1-4958-adc2-32dc1555fcc4%40sessionmgr13&vid=4&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&an=9317873 Cohen, L.M. & Gelbrich, J. (1999). Philosophical perspectives in education. Oregon State University, School of Education. Retrieved January 17, 2011, from: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP2.html Moser, R.D. (1951, July). The educational philopophy of William T. Harris. Peabody Journal of education. Vol. 29, No. 1, 14-33 Retrieved January 17, 2011, from http://www. Jstor, org/stable/1489104 Nehring,

Educational Philosophy
PAGES 4 WORDS 1333

Educational Philosophy Although not old in years and experience, my educational philosophy is fortunately commensurate with the institution I am presently working for as a teacher. This institution is committed to one of the oldest and most respected academic traditions in existence, that of the Jesuit Catholic tradition of rigorous, questioning inquiry in education. It also stresses a strong community service tradition, along with the Catholic faith tradition. It combines

Educational Background Personal Statement on My Educational Background and Doctoral Ambitions As I embark on my doctoral-level studies, I do so with a great appreciation for the education that I've had to this juncture. Indeed, my educational background has played a significant part in both guiding me to this point and preparing me for the challenges that surely lay ahead. Over the course of my higher education, I have focused on expanding

Each has its own set of strengths and limitations. These new theories help to shape the nursing profession of today and will have an impact on the nursing profession of the future. Many new nursing theories focus on the relationships between the nurse and the patient. New theories focus on four major components of the nursing field: the person, the environment, health, and nursing. Globalization and the innovation that it

Through the role of the principal, we can consider a number of differing approaches to educational leadership and how they manifest in light of today's most pressing challenges. Considering Transformational Leadership, Political Leadership and Strategic Leadership, we will establish a greater understanding of the value in this diversity of perspective. Such diversity is necessary because of the principal's unique role in both the lives of teachers and students, serving simultaneously