The Cultural and Social Foundations of Education / Five Paradigms for Education

1. Introduction: Why Learn about Paradigms of Education? 2. Traditional Paradigm of Education 3. Plato the Revolutionary 4. The Empirical Paradigm 5. Rousseau's Paradigm 6. Jesus' Paradigm Summary: What is "Education"?

Ted Newell is Associate Professor, Education at Crandall University, Canada.

"This is a wonderfully clear introduction to some of the most powerful ideas that have shaped education today. It is written in an engaging and inviting style, which encourages readers to analyze and synthesize for themselves the ideas that form the major paradigms of educational thought. It is additionally valuable because it brings into reflection on current educational issues unexpected insights from, among others, Mende thinking as well as the more familiar Rousseau, from ancient Israeli thinking as well as Plato, from Jesus as well as Homer, broadening and deepening conversations about what we should do in everyday classrooms. A great text for pre-service teachers, as well as other educators. Neat, clear, engaging, helpful." - Kieran Egan, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Ted Newell presents an informative and engaging account of five major forms - paradigms - of education in western history. He relates these to important issues in contemporary education. He demonstrates that all forms of education, however different they may otherwise be, rest upon underlying, fundamental assumptions about the world and human life. These assumptions are at bottom essentially philosophical and religious. The reader is challenged and given important help in being able to bring to light to and evaluate the basic religious-philosophical assumptions - often hidden - to be found at the heart of every form and practice of education today.

- Douglas M. Sloan, Professor of History and Education Emeritus, Teachers College, Columbia University, author of Faith and Knowledge.

"The best teachers do what they do well . . . and know why they do it. The fundamental aims of education continue to be hotly disputed, and Ted Newell offers pre-service teachers a superb overview of the key issues. He presents five paradigms of education, including those of Plato, Locke, Rousseau and Jesus, and invites his readers to assess their relative strengths and weakness before applying them to their