Abstract/Notes: The purpose of the paper is to present the philosophy of reform of education in Albania during the post-communist transition. Reforming education is a priority, but has been neglected by governments over the last 25 years. Over the last five years, the new curriculum and the new textbook system are being implemented according to the European standards. The core of reform is "have human beings learnt" (E. Ultarur, 2012). The constructivist philosophy of learning is a sure foundation that guarantees the new quality of the educational process. The Montessori's philosophy guarantees high quality and safety for the future because: First, this philosophy serves as a theoretical basis and serves as a method. Montessori has discovered the stages of natural development of the thinking human beings from childhood to adolescence, basing on scientific evidence, from childhood to adolescence. Secondly, Montessori’s constructivism moved the knowledge from the product into the process. Montessori illuminates the way of building human values during educational teaching process at school and in the community by the falling down of the classic wall that separates school from the community (public). Our research is based on the study of curricular experiences and on data from consultations with students, parents and specialists. The search method is holistic. By the holistic education the children need not only to develop academically, but to develop the ability as well in order to survive in the real world. The real world in our era is in front of the virtual world. In this contexts, we must teach children to learn not what?, but how? (How does it work/learn?). The teacher must learn his/her students how they construct the values by their immediate relationships with their friends and family as well as social development, health, and intellectual development.

Language: English

ISSN: 2365-8592, 2192-7081

Abstract/Notes: In our brief historical outline of educational conditions in Italy, we have seen that by far the greatest efforts over the past fifty years have been devoted to clarifying the theoretical issues of educational problems. We have been examining philosophical Systems that pretended to afford an unshakeable foundation to educational theory and to answer every problem raised by educational practice. They have been scrutinized and found wanting. The new Government Syllabus (1955) for the Italian elementary schools is thoroughly Catholic in spirit, humanistic in content and progressive in method. The author of the present paper feels, however, that too much theorizing is still blinding Italian educators. The canker of Transcendental Idealism is still gnawing at the efforts of all too many, also Catholic, thinkers. The “active schools” need renewed fervour, cogent Stimulation, and enlightened Inspiration from an integral Catholic philosophy of life. We must stop philosophizing and get down to realizing: experimentation and co-operative effort are badly needed, not less than clear ideas. Not words but deeds! Idealism had thought of itself being the all-inclusive answer to every problem. We must repeat Hamlet's word to the die-hard Idealist: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/BF01423725

ISSN: 1573-0638, 0020-8566

Abstract/Notes: This paper lays out the moral theory of philosopher and educator Maria Montessori (1870–1952). Based on a moral epistemology wherein moral concepts are grounded in a well-cultivated moral sense, Montessori develops a threefold account of moral life. She starts with an account of character as an ideal of individual self-perfection through concentrated attention on effortful work. She shows how respect for others grows from and supplements individual character, and she further develops a notion of social solidarity that goes beyond cooperation toward shared agency. Partly because she attends to children's ethical lives, Montessori highlights how character, respect, and solidarity all appear first as prereflective, embodied orientations of agency. Full moral virtue takes up prereflective orientations reflectively and extends them through moral concepts. Overall, Montessori's ethic improves on features similar to some in Nietzschean, Kantian, Hegelian, or Aristotelian ethical theories while situating these within a developmental and perfectionist ethics.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1017/apa.2019.41

ISSN: 2053-4477, 2053-4485

Abstract/Notes: This comparative education article explores the purpose of education in the Indonesian context. My aim is to see if there are any differences between the purpose of education during the colonial era and present-day Indonesia. In order to do that, I draw mostly on the philosophy of Ki Hadjar Dewantara, who is regarded as the father of Indonesian education. This article is particularly relevant because the Indonesian government has recently started to critically re-examine two of the educational concepts proposed by Dewantara, which are "pendidikan karakter" (character education) and "merdeka belajar" (independent learning). In conceptualising education, Dewantara, who was influenced by Tagore, Montessori, and Fröbel, saw the importance of imparting local wisdom and values ignored by the colonial schools. Therefore, in this article, I will compare his educational views with the Dutch view of schooling during the colonial era. I will then look at Indonesia's current approach to education to find the similarities and differences of purpose relative to Dewantara's views of education. In this article, I argue that Dewantara's philosophy is still very much relevant today. I conclude that the Indonesian government should refer back to its history when defining education for its next generation.

Language: English

DOI: 10.7577/njcie.4156

ISSN: 2535-4051

Abstract/Notes: This article seeks to re-introduce Dr. Maria Montessori’s educational philosophy, which has been absent from modern philosophy of education literature. It describes and analyzes crucial aspects of her epistemology, as best known through her Method. Discussed are the need for early education, the development of the senses, and the exercise of choice by the students. Concept formation is also shown to be an important part of Montessori’s philosophy of instruction. This article concludes with a brief resolution of the “is–ought” objection as framed by Scheffler that might be waged against Montessori’s approach.

Language: English

ISSN: 2369-8659

Language: English

Language: English

ISSN: 0044-0728

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 0959-4108

Abstract/Notes: The paper traces the influence of theories of J. Locke, J. Rousseau and the Abbe de Condillac on the development of educational programs for persons with mental retardation under J. Itard and E. Seguin. Itard's emphasis on sensory activities is discussed, as is his collaboration with Seguin. The effects of their work on M. Montessori, specifically on her stress on the senses of touch and vision are considered. Contemporary practices which emphasize sensory training are traced to these earlier theorists. Appended materials include illustrations of Montessori's sandpaper letters, Sequin's texture board and training apparatuses, and gymnastic exercises designed to improve perceptual motor development.

Language: English

Published: Montreal, Quebec, Canada: American Educational Research Association, Apr 1983

Pages: 30 p.