The need for philosophy in promoting democracy: A case for philosophy in the curriculum

The studies by Trickey and Topping, which provide empirical support that philosophy produces cognitive gains and social benefits, have been used to advocate the view that philosophy deserves a place in the curriculum. Arguably, the existing curriculum, built around well-established core subjects, already provides what philosophy is said to do, and, therefore, there is no case to be made for expanding it to include philosophy. However, if we take citizenship education seriously, then the development of active and informed citizens requires an emphasis on citizen preparation, but significantly more than the existing curriculum can provide, namely, the acquisition of knowledge and skills to improve students’ social and intellectual capacities and dispositions as future citizens. To this end, I argue for a model of democratic education that emphasises philosophy functioning educationally, whereby students have an integral role to play in shaping democracy through engaging in philosophy as collaborative inquiry that integrates pedagogy, curriculum and assessment. I contend that only philosophy can promote democracy, insofar as philosophical inquiry is an exemplar of the kind of deliberative inquiry required for informed and active democratic citizenship. In this way, philosophy can make a fundamental and much needed contribution to education.

Het opzetten en evalueren van beraadslagend onderzoek (deliberative inquiry)

Deliberatieve methoden worden zowel gebruikt om democratische processen te versterken als om collaboratief onderzoek op te zetten. Vanuit de ervaringen van een onderzoekstraject delen we inzichten over deliberative inquiry of beraadslagend onderzoek, een voorbeeld uit het brede scala van dergelijke deliberatieve methoden. Aan bod komt een fasering van een deliberative inquiry-traject met een toelichting van de verantwoordelijkheden voor facilitator en deelnemers. Aan de hand van theorievorming over legitimiteit worden een aantal ervaringen met deze methode kritisch geëvalueerd. Uitgangspunt hierbij is dat deliberatieve methoden niet alleen legitieme resultaten moeten opleveren, maar dat ook het proces om tot die resultaten te komen vanuit principes van rechtvaardigheid moet worden opgezet.

“We just disagree:” Using deliberative inquiry to seek consensus about the effects of e-learning on higher education

Building on the results of a prior study, the purpose of this qualitative study was to further explore where there is agreement on the effects of e-learning technologies in higher education learning experiences. The results confirm that (1) there are many varied and polarized perspectives about e-learning, and each position should be carefully considered by policymakers and administrators concerned with implementing e-learning technologies; (2) it is unlikely that e-learning experts will ever reach consensus on the effects of e-learning technologies within educational contexts; and, (3) the use of e-learning technologies in higher education will continue to vary based on subject matter, instructors, institutions, contexts, availability of technology and various other factors—not the least of which are the purpose of the learning activities and the epistemological beliefs about higher education. The diversity of opinions that currently exist does not make one view more correct or superior to another. Résumé: Construisant sur les résultats d’une étude antérieure, le but de cette étude qualitative était d’explorer plus à fond s’il y avait consensus sur les effets des technologies de l’eLearning dans les expériences d’apprentissage aux cycles supérieurs. Les résultats confirment que 1) il y a plusieurs perspectives variées et polarisées sur le eLearning, et chaque point de vue devrait être sérieusement considéré par les administrateurs et les rédacteurs de politiques concernés par l’implantation des technologies du eLearning, 2) il est peu probable que les experts en eLearning en arriveront jamais à un consensus sur les effets des technologies du eLearning dans un contexte éducationnel, et 3) l’utilisation des technologies du eLearning aux cycles supérieurs continuera de varier en fonction de la matière, des formateurs, des institutions, des contextes, de la disponibilité de la technologie et d’autres facteurs. Le moindre de ces facteurs n’est pas le but des activités d’apprentissage et les croyances épistémologiques à propos de l’éducation universitaire. La diversité des opinions qui existent présentement ne privilégie pas un point de vue en particulier.