Philosophy of Education
A Comprehensive Person-centered Approach
By Steven James Lawrence

University of Massachusetts, Boston
Learning, Teaching and Educational Transformation

Copyright, 2011

The overarching argument presented in this paper is that the quality of the relationships and discourse in the classroom is intimately connected to the quality of discourse taking place among a school’s staff, district leadership, political power-holders and society at large.  Thus, I have called this philosophy “a comprehensive person-centered approach.”

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 Table of Contents

Part 1:   Introduction  ……………………………………. Orientation to person- centered paradigm

Part 2:   Objectives and Aims   ……………………………….  Issues around measurable objectives

Part 3:   A Pedagogy of Possibility  ……………………..  Creativity and child-centered practices

Part 4:   A Culture of Questioning  ………………………   Social and personal aspects of inquiry

Part 5:   The Question of Universals  …………………………..  The commonality of being human

Part 6:   A Philosophy of Life  ……………………. The comprehensive reality of the life journey

Part 7:   Dialogue Matters  ………………….  Transcendence of hostility in schools and beyond

Part 8:   Conclusion & Bibliography  ……………………………..  Ontological aspects of education