An introduction to the Educational Philosophy Perspectives Series: I currently convene and lecture a course in the Philosophy of Education for undergraduate students. Each week we cover a new philosophical perspective or paradigm. The following series will encompass short pieces written when wearing different “paradigm hats,” the purpose of which is to illustrate differing viewpoints within the Philosophy of Read More
Thomas W. Nielsen Republished from Character Scotland, 25 Feb 2014. I have often heard it argued that values are subjective, relative, or a construct, and therefore have no place in public education. The modern scientific era of the last 500 years have brought incredible advances to human thought and living, but it has also meant Read More
Republished from The Conversation, 5 May 2013. It’s nothing new to say we have a problem in education. But I’m not here to discuss the usual gripes with teachers and test scores. I believe we have a more fundamental problem with defining what we want education to do. At the moment, our definitions of educational “success” Read More
Thomas W. Nielsen, University of Canberra The Canberra Times, December 6, 2010. There is a passage in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times, in which a gentlemen at one point says to a class of children, “Should you have wall-paper with horses on it?” To this, the children uniformly shout, “Yes!” (It would seem a perfectly good Read More
Thomas W. Nielsen, University of Canberra The Canberra Times, June 14, 2010. There is enough research on the topic to be concerned with the health and happiness of our youth. Obesity and allergies have been on the rise for some time. Mental health problems also affect a lot more now. Depression and suicide rates have Read More