Philosophers of Education: Major Thinkers from the Enlightenment to the Present

FAIN: FV-250785-16

Boston University (Boston, MA 02215-1390)
Peter Gibbon (Project Director: February 2016 to April 2022)

A three-week seminar for sixteen schoolteachers on philosophers of education from the Enlightenment to the present day.

This Seminar at Boston University will explore the works of major educational thinkers. We will look at John Locke’s theories on education, Thomas Jefferson’s letters, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s portrait of a young boy’s education, Horace Mann’s reports, William James’ lectures, and John Dewey’s essays. We will study the debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois over African-American education and analyze Maria Montessori’s message about early childhood education. We will consider critics of Progressive education, such as Arthur Bestor and William C. Bagley. The Seminar will conclude with the works of two contemporary educational philosophers, Howard Gardner and E. D. Hirsch. The overarching goals of this exploration will be to introduce the teachers to debates among significant philosophers of education, to understand connections among their ideas, and to articulate ways their theories can be made accessible and relevant to K-12 educators today.