Welcome to the Philosophy of Education module!
Education, whether we like it or not, is ideological – we all have a different view of the purpose, aims and methods of education. These views are rooted in our view – our philosophy – of the world. Our philosophy shapes not only how we teach, but how we lead.
Despite this, we often do not have a chance in our busy jobs and lives to really reflect on why we teach and/or lead the way we do. We are not usually asked to explain the philosophical basis of our decisions, so it falls further and further to the back of our minds.
This course aims to change that. It is a chance for you to stop and reflect, but using frameworks and tools to support your reflections in ways which may result in new ways of seeing your teaching and leadership.
In this course we will be exploring some of the big questions we need to engage with as education changemakers, such as:
Why did you want to go into education? What made you want to step up to be a leader in an organisation?
Why do you think the state invests so much time, money and effort in educating all citizens? Is this also your view of the purpose of education?
Do you feel that the way you lead is reflective of your values? Are there any examples of times you have lead which demonstrates a value you hold? How about any times where you may have acted in a way which you felt doesn’t reflect your values?
