Optimizing School Education (A Value Perspective)

Author: Cliff Beck, translated by Qi Wanxue et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: This book is part of the "Influence Education Theory" translation series. Ordinary people and education experts pay great attention to schools. However, what the tasks of schools are and to what extent these tasks are completed is often beyond our grasp. The purpose of this book is twofold: first, to identify educational goals, and second, to suggest the forms and approaches needed to achieve these goals. The value perspective proposed in this book is both related to goals and means, fully elaborating the idea that the purpose of education is to enhance human happiness and making a convincing case for it, guiding school education and meaningful exploration in new and genuinely valuable directions. The combination of theory and practice makes it easier for readers to understand and solve problems. This book is part of the "Influence Education Theory" translation series. Ordinary people and education experts pay great attention to schools. However, what the tasks of schools are and to what extent these tasks are completed is often beyond our grasp. The purpose of this book is twofold: first, to identify educational goals, and second, to suggest the forms and approaches needed to achieve these goals. The value perspective proposed in this book is both related to goals and means, fully elaborating the idea that the purpose of education is to enhance human happiness and making a convincing case for it, guiding school education and meaningful exploration in new and genuinely valuable directions. The combination of theory and practice makes it easier for readers to understand and solve problems. In the chapter titled "Establishing Direction," it focuses on the selection of major goals, the issues of major teaching methods, and the four main stakeholder groups: students, teachers, parents, and "society." In the second part, which discusses specific issues, it focuses on the problems of coercion and indoctrination, as well as issues related to religion, race, ethnicity, gender, and class. In the third part, which proposes new priorities for school curricula, it only discusses moral and value education, religious and spiritual education, political education, and global education. However, the purpose of education is to enhance human happiness, fully elaborating this central idea and making a convincing case for it, guiding school education and meaningful exploration in new and genuinely valuable directions. This is my aspiration.