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Liberal education and the secondary curriculum : an analysis of the connection between liberal education and knowledge, and its implications for a secondary curriculum

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posted on 2023-05-27, 14:10 authored by Yaxley, BG
Current debate concerning secondary education has given rise to questions relating to the relative emphasis which should be given to both the development of knowledge and understanding by the pupils, and socialization during secondary education. Focusing on the former would seem to correlate with the acceptance of a view that a universal structuring of all knowledge is possible and that the secondary curriculum should be primarily concerned with pupils acquiring knowledge within such a structure. Conversely, when the secondary school is considered to be primarily an agency of socialization, such a view of knowledge would not appear to be accepted. In this case, knowledge may be seen to be culturally bound and socially determined. In his article entitled \Liberal education and the nature of knowledge\" Hirst analyses knowledge as being structured into logically distinct and mutually irreducible forms. Each such form has certain central concepts which are characteristic of that form. For a given form of knowledge these and other concepts denote particular aspects of experience. The networks of possible relationships between the concepts specific to a form of knowledge form a basis for understanding experience. These relationships may be understood within the distinctive logical structure of that form. By virtue of its particular terms and logic each form has distinctive expressions and statements which are testable against experience. The various forms of knowledge are also differentiated according to techniques and skills which have developed for exploring experience and testing their characteristic expressions and statements against experience. The acceptance of such an analysis has clear and necessary implications for both the planning and conduct of secondary education."

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Copyright the Author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright owner(s) and in the meantime this item has been reproduced here in good faith. We would be pleased to hear from the copyright owner(s). Thesis (M.Ed.)--Tasmanian College of Advanced Education, [197-?]. Includes bibliographical references

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