Discusses individualized teaching or focusing on each child's individual learning needs. Presents a brief history of individualized teaching from Socrates to Dewey. Suggests that, although individualized teaching is the most beneficial kind of instruction, time, resources, and experience show it to be nearly nonexistent in the classroom. Describes…

This paper traces long-standing philosophical, sociological and political tensions that have been at the core of narratives about state-funded teacher education, since its inception in England. These tensions are still visible today in debates around the professional knowledge of teachers, such as those described in Furlong (2013).…

This paper considers Thomas Hobbes's educational thought both in its historical context and in the context of his political philosophy as a whole. It begins with Hobbes's diagnosis of the English Civil War as the product of the miseducation of the commonwealth and shows that education was a central and consistent concern of his political theory…

Reviews research on the teaching-learning process which has developed in the 20 years since the Plowden Report. Divides studies into those which have focused primarily on teaching styles, opportunity to learn, and classroom tasks. Concludes that the Plowden model of teaching has not stood the test of time. (JDH)

Reviews the contributions of Edward Thorndike and John Dewey to U.S. educational theory. Notes that both believed teaching could be transformed into a science, but disagreed in their views of human nature. Discusses the failings of Thorndike's program in U.S. schools and the implications of Dewey's arguments for educational practice. (DSK)

This article reviews findings from a 1975 through 1980 study called ORACLE (Observational Research and Classroom Learning Evaluation). Maintains that the data showed only partial implementation of the Plowden report recommendations. Seeks to explain the reasons for inconsistencies in implementation and offers suggestions for redefining progressive…

Interest in progressive education ideas has often been accompanied by advocacy for greater use of interdisciplinary and holistic learning approaches, as these are considered beneficial in conceptual, curriculum, and pedagogical terms. The paper reviews the possibilities for progress on this basis and contextualises the paper around three…

The Stoics of the Roman Imperial period share the imperative that education should not focus on erudition for its own sake, but contribute to the pursuit of the good life as they define it in philosophical terms. Hence these later Stoics express similar concerns about the technical and theoretical aspects of philosophy as they do about…