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Joel Westheimer, University of Ottawa - Ottawa, Ontario
Joel Westheimer is University Research Chair and Professor of Education at the University of Ottawa. He is co-founder and director of Democratic Dialogue. Previously he was a professor at New York University. A former New York City public schools teacher and musician, Westheimer teaches and writes on democracy, social justice, youth activism, service learning, and community. He is author of the 1998 book Among Schoolteachers (Teachers College Press). The research for this book won Cornell University's Jason Millman Award and New York University's Griffiths Award for excellence in educational research. He is currently engaged in a three-year study funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) titled "Civic Intentions: Schools that Teach Democratic Values." Westheimer is writing a new book, funded by the Surdna Foundation, on what schools and colleges can do to renew democracy in North America (co-authored with Joseph Kahne) and is guest editor of the April 2006 special issue of Phi Delta Kappan on Patriotism and Education. He lectures nationally and internationally on democracy and education, service learning, and academic freedom. He addresses radio and television audiences on shows such as Good Morning America, More to Life, and NBC News. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario where, in Winter, he ice-skates to and from work.
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Education, Democracy, and Society
Wednesday-Sunday January 24-28, 2007
University of Tulsa Campus, Tulsa
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The notion of democracy occupies a privileged place in our society, and despite an increasingly narrow focus on high stakes testing in math and reading, many school programs remain committed to preparing students for democratic life. This seminar explores common ground and tensions in the many and varied theories and approaches to schooling for democracy. We will be asking questions such as these:
- What should the purposes of education be in a democratic society?
- What knowledge, skills, and perspectives are important?
- Should schools and classrooms themselves be democratic?
- What kinds of school social relationships favor democratic teaching and learning?
- What are the implications for curriculum, school organization, and leadership?
By the end of the seminar, we will be quite familiar with various approaches to democratic education, critiques of these approaches, and the problems and promise of education for furthering democracy. We will also be able to thoughtfully reflect on the tensions, dilemmas, and contradictions that emerge when democratic perspectives on schooling are put into practice.
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The Class Reading List: (These books and articles supplied
by OSLEP)
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