A History Of Western Educational Ideas by Denis Lawton, Peter Gordon

From the Publisher

There are many aspects of an education system that only make sense if we know how that system has developed over time. Part of this comes from knowing how institutions have changed, but it is also important to understand how ideas in education have developed.
This book discusses the continuous development of educational thought over three millennia. The focus upon the history of ideas in this volume is partly an attempt to move history of education away from an approach based on 'great men' to technological, economic and political influences on ideas and beliefs. It reviews many issues, ranging from the purposes of education from the earliest times, to the challenge of postmodernism in the present century. The authors provide an accessible and thought-provoking guide to the educational ideas that underlie practice.

Booknews

This is a social history of the development of pedagogical ideas from the days of Socrates to the current controversies of educational access and cultural relativism. Lawton and Gordon (both of the Institute of Education, U. of London, UK) focus on social, political, and economic forces for changes in educational ideas, but shy away from explicitly determinist explanations. While incorporating some elements of postmodern analysis, they retain a traditional orientation that focuses on the Greeks, the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and, thereafter, European developments. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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• Table of Contents

Table of Contents