Understanding Education: History, Politics and PracticeThis short book provides an introduction to the study of education, outlining the dual purpose of education – to help people live well and to help develop a world worth living in. It argues that education initiates people into forms of understanding, modes of activity, and ways of relating to each other and the world that not only help individuals to live good lives, but also help secure a culture based on reason, productive and sustainable economies and environments, and just and democratic societies. Subsequent chapters address the history of education in the West; explore how education reproduces the practices and forms of life in societies and groups, and also how it transforms them; and introduce the theory of practice architectures to explain what practices are composed of, and how they are enabled and constrained by local and more general conditions and circumstances. The book closes by showing how the theory of practice architectures unfolds to offer a theory of education – a theory that underpins the definition of education offered at the start of the book. Understanding Education is essential reading for anyone interested in the theory and practice of education. |
Contents
| 1 | |
The History of a Practice and the History of an Institution | 31 |
Reproduction and Transformation | 65 |
Other editions - View all
Understanding Education: History, Politics and Practice Stephen Kemmis,Christine Edwards-Groves No preview available - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
activities ancient ancient Greek Aristotle Aristotle’s Australian Australian Education Union Christian classroom communities contestation theories contexts of reproduction critical cultural cultural-discursive curricula curriculum Deakin University Desiderius Erasmus different kinds economic economy and environment educa education aims education and schooling educational practices educational research Edwards-Groves example explore Falmer formation forms Foucault G. E. M. Anscombe groups Historical Journey human humankind ideas Indigenous Indigenous Australians individual and collective institutions interests intersubjective Kemmis knowledge language learners lives material-economic mathematics ment middle ages Nicomachean Ethics participate participatory action research particular kinds pedagogy people’s person philosophical schools prac practice architectures production professional learning progressive education questions reform relation relationships Reproduction and Transformation shaped skholē to School skills and values social and political social-political arrangements society Tango teachers teaching texts theory of education theory of practice things tice tion tional Trans University Press views and values Zevenbergen