ABSTRACT
The book is about the importance of educational philosophy to teacher education in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Without a basic understanding of philosophical issues and their relationship to educational practice, it argues that future teachers are unlikely to cope with the challenges they face in contemporary classrooms. Rather, they will become lost in the demands of hierarchical school systems that emphasize conformity to rules and policies, which negate the necessary autonomy of qualified judgement defining their profession. In addition to reasoned argument, the author uses his own experience in the field since the 1970s, which is interwoven in the text to provide an ongoing narrative about the systematic selection against any educational philosophy as worthy of study. However, he opposes this trend and argues in favour of educational philosophy as a necessary condition for the emancipation of the minds of future teachers and students from the fetters of regimentation and apathy. The author uses key concepts from Bertrand Russell’s educational philosophy, from philosophy for children, and the concept of life-value as the basis for a systemic climate change teacher education capable of addressing the central issue of our time.
