The book's argument depends, as do most proposals in education, upon cer- tain positions in the philosophy of education. I believe that education should be primarily concerned with developing understanding, with initiation into worth- while traditions of intellectual achievement, and with developing capacities for clear, analytic and critical thought. These have been the long-accepted goals of liberal education. In a liberal education, students should come to know and appre- ciate a variety of disciplines, know them at an appropriate depth, see the interconnectedness of the disciplines, or...

Constructivism is one of the most influential theories in contemporary education and learning theory. It has had great influence in science education. The papers in this collection represent, arguably, the most sustained examination of the theoretical and philosophical foundations of constructivism yet published.
Topics covered include: orthodox epistemology and the philosophical traditions of constructivism; the relationship of epistemology to learning theory; the connection between philosophy and pedagogy in constructivist practice; the difference between radical and social...

This book has its origins in a special issue of the journal Science & Education (Volume 18 Numbers 6 7, 2009). The essay by Costas Skordoulis Science and Worldviews in the Marxist Tradition did not appear in that special issue due to a mistake in production scheduling. It was published in an earlier issue of the journal (Volume 17 Number 6, 2008), but has been included in this book version of the special issue. As explained in the Introduction, the catalyst for the journal special issue was the essay on Science, Worldviews and Education submitted to the journal by Hugh G. Gauch Jr. This was...

Constructivism is one of the most influential theories in contemporary education and learning theory. It has had great influence in science education. The papers in this collection represent, arguably, the most sustained examination of the theoretical and philosophical foundations of constructivism yet published.
Topics covered include: orthodox epistemology and the philosophical traditions of constructivism; the relationship of epistemology to learning theory; the connection between philosophy and pedagogy in constructivist practice; the difference between radical and social...