Social Reconstruction Learning Dualism, Dewey and Philosophy in Schools [Hardcover]

This volume argues that educational problems have their basis in an ideology of binary opposites often referred to as dualism, which is deeply embedded in all aspects of Western society and philosophy, and that it is partly because mainstream schooling incorporates dualism that it is unable to facilitate the thinking skills, dispositions and understandings necessary for autonomy, democratic citizenship and leading a meaningful life. Drawing on the philosophy of John Dewey, feminist pragmatism, Matthew Lipmans Philosophy for Children program, and the service learning movement, Bleazby proposes an approach to schooling termed social reconstruction learning, in which students engage in philosophical inquiries with members of their community in order to reconstruct real social problems, arguing that this pedagogy can better facilitate independent thinking, imaginativeness, emotional intelligence, autonomy, and active citizenship.

Introduction  1. The Problem of Dualisms  2. Deweys Community of Inquiry: A Response to Dualism  3. A Response to Absolute/Relative Dualism: Truth and Meaning in Dewey and Philosophy for Children  4. A Response to Reason/Imagination Dualism: The Imagination in Dewey and Philosophy for Children  5. A Response to Reason/Emotion Dualism: The Emotions in Dewey and Philosophy for Children  6. A Response to Individual/Community Dualism: Community, Autonomy and Democracy in Dewey and Philosophy for Children  7. A Response to Male/Female Dualism: Reconstructing Gender in Philosophy for Children  8. A Response to Theory/Practice Dualism: Social Reconstruction Learning.  Conclusion.Jennifer Bleazby is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash University.