Mordechai Gordon

Between Constructivism and Connectedness

Parker Palmer is correct in his claims that good teaching depends more on the capacity for connectedness than on technique and that helping teacher candidates cultivate a strong sense of personal identity is crucial. However, to what extent are Palmers claims compatible with the various constructivist models of learning that are now prevalent in many colleges of education? Moreover, how are the goals of Palmers approach integrated with those of constructivism? This essay responds to these questions and negotiates between constructivism and Palmers educational approach. First the author lays out a predominant constructivist model of teaching and learning. Next, he explores some potential limitations facing constructivism and argues that Palmers notion of connectedness can help mitigate against some of the shortcomings of constructivism. Finally, the author examines a specific example from an English methods course that represents an attempt to integrate the virtues of Palmers approach with those of constructivism.

The misuses and effective uses of constructivist teaching

Constructivism has emerged as a very powerful model for explaining how knowledge is produced in the world as well as how students learn. Moreover, constructivist teaching practices are becoming more prevalent in teacher education programs and public schools across the nation, while demonstrating significant success in promoting student learning. In this essay, the author takes a serious look at constructivist teaching practices highlighting both the promises and potential problems of these practices. The author argues that constructivist teaching has often been misinterpreted and misused, resulting in learning practices that neither challenge students nor address their needs. He outlines some of the ways in which constructivism has been misconstrued and analyzes several ways in which constructivist teaching has been misused. The author also presents two examples that illustrate the effective use of constructivist teaching and explains what makes them successful.

John Dewey’s Democracy and Education in an Era of Globalization

This year marks the hundred-year anniversary of John Dewey’s seminal work Democracy and Education. The centennial anniversary of Dewey’s influential book presents philosophers and educators an oppo...

Teachers as Absurd Heroes: Camus’ Sisyphus and the Promise of Rebellion

Abstract Inspired by Camus’ portrayal of Sisyphus, this essay examines the act of teaching as an absurd profession, one that faces numerous obstacles and challenges and continually falls short of its intended goals. I begin my analysis by demonstrating that Camus’ understanding of the absurd was heavily influenced by Nietzsche’s conception of nihilism. I argue that for Camus the sense of absurdity comes from the conflict between humans’ longing for order and meaning and the disorder and meaninglessness that we experience in our daily lives. Next, I show that Camus’ understanding of absurdity can help us make sense of the recent wave of educational reform. More fundamentally, I argue that that the existential conditions of schooling that many teachers have to negotiate daily are themselves absurd in Camus’ sense of the term. In the last part of this article, I take a close look at how a number of teachers are attempting to resist and even rebel against the new educational mandates.

An Integrated Research Course Sequence: Empowering Teacher Candidates to Become Researchers in their Classrooms

This article examines one attempt to empower teacher candidates to become researchers in their own classrooms through an integrated research course sequence in the Masters of Arts in teaching program at Quinnipiac University. The author first outlines a number of teacher education programs that have shown some success in preparing new teachers to acquire the knowledge and skills to engage in action-based teacher research. The author then describes the three-semester research course sequence at Quinnipiac while highlighting what students learn and are expected to do in each semester. The author analyzes the surveys and interviews he conducted with some recent graduates of this program who reported that they had already began doing action research in their own classrooms, while highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the research course sequence. The final part of this article discusses some implications that can be gleaned from this example of those teacher education programs that are attempting to cultivate teacher-researchers.

In search of a universal human rights metaphor: Moral conversations across differences

Abstract This article takes up the educational challenge of the framers of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Specifically, the author explores the question of: how can we talk about a universal conception of human rights in a way that both respects the need for cultural pluralism and the necessity to protect those rights and freedoms that all people—regardless of differences such as race, class, culture, or religion—are entitled to? What metaphor or metaphors can be useful for us to speak clearly and coherently about the issue of universal human rights in a diverse world? The author examines a prevailing yet problematic metaphor, which Makau Mutua critiques in his well-known essay ‘Savages, Victims and Saviors: The Metaphor of Human Rights.’ He then attempts to articulate some common values that can serve as a foundation for an alternative conception of human rights. Next, he proposes an alternative metaphor—the Buddhist notion of equalizing and exchanging self and other—that more aptly captures the complexity and contradictions of talking about universal human rights. Finally, he turns to the role of education in helping people become familiar with and respect this alternative metaphor.

On the Dangers of Antiquarian Investigations: Nietzsche, the Excesses of History, and the Power of Forgetting

Abstract Drawing on Nietzsche’s insights as well as those of his critics, this article explores the dangers and limitations of the antiquarian type of historical investigations. The author begins his analysis by closely examining Nietzsche’s conception of antiquarian history and explaining why he finds this mode of historical investigation so troubling. Next he shows that the problem that Nietzsche associates with the antiquarian type of historicizing can be seen in a contemporary genealogical investigation: Daniel Mendelsohn’s book The Lost. Returning to Nietzsche, he then analyzes the meaning and value of his notion of the ‘power of forgetting’ and argues that it can serve as an antidote to some of the dangers of antiquarian history. In the final part of this article the author examines how the power of forgetting might be educationally valuable.

The Case for a Humorous Philosophy of Education

This chapter is designed to contextualize and advance the conversation among philosophers of education about humor and laughter by focusing on some interesting connections among humor, philosophy and education. I begin my analysis by discussing the nature and purpose of humor in general, while distinguishing it from laughter and amusement. I argue for an eclectic view of humor, one which integrates insights from different theories and avoids the reductionism that has often resulted from trying to create a comprehensive theory of humor. In the next part, I examine some of the historical tensions between traditional education and humor and laughter. I then proceed to lay out some important, though often neglected, similarities and links between humor and philosophy. In the final part of this essay, I attempt to respond to the question: what does a study of humor and laughter bring to philosophy of education?

Humor, Truth, and Human Existence

This chapter focuses on that which I believe is missed or compromised when humor is not taken seriously and considered a genuine human capacity. I begin by showing that although laughter is likely to have evolved from play signals of primates, humor is a distinctively human phenomenon that involves the ability to enjoy cognitive shifts and appreciate ambiguities and incongruities. Next, I compare humor to other ways of knowing and understanding and show that it provides us with unique insights about human existence. I then illustrate the uniqueness of humor by focusing on the type of jokes that point to a truth about human existence. Here, I attempt to provide a provisional answer to the question: why do jokes that highlight some fundamental fact of our existence seem to be so appealing to us? The last part of this chapter explores the educational significance of the type of humor that is directed at making fun of human existence.

Camus’ Struggle with the Absurd: Rebellion as a Response to Nihilism

This chapter focuses on Albert Camus’ struggle with the absurd as portrayed in a number of his works such as The Myth of Sisyphus, The Rebel, The Stanger, and The Plague. I begin my analysis by demonstrating that Camus was heavily influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche’s conception of nihilism. In the next part, I show how Camus advocated rebellion as a response to nihilism and vehemently opposed the tendency to resort to cynicism and despair. I then move to explore the type of humor that is rebellious by analyzing three short comedic texts that are both defiant and liberating. The final part of this chapter examines the educational value of rebellious humor and shows how it can assist us in the struggle against nihilism.