Short description:

Returning to the origins of education, Becoming Pedagogue explores its role in today?s society by reuniting philosophy with pedagogy. It investigates the aesthetics, ethics and politics of childhood and education, enabling educators to define and perform their profession as per its historical and intellectual roots.

Long description:

Returning to the origins of education, Becoming Pedagogue explores its role in today?s society by reuniting philosophy with pedagogy. It investigates the aesthetics, ethics and politics of childhood, education and what a teacher really does, enabling educators to define and perform their profession as per its historical and intellectual roots.

Reflecting on the practice, science and knowledge tradition of pedagogy as well as abstract and formalist discourse at all levels, Olsson?s work evokes real, becoming and free aspects of educational experiences and events. Through a close reading of French philosopher Henri Bergson?s major works, historical and contemporary pedagogical resources as well as the pedagogy developed in the early childhood centres in Reggio Emilia, Italy, it develops a critical-cum-creative methodology that both analyses the present educational situation as well as creates new pedagogical alternatives.

Using brand new perspectives as well as practical examples of what teachers do, Becoming Pedagogue will provide students, educators and researchers tools for critiquing simplified ideas of what a teacher is as well as giving them inspiration to experiment with alternative ways of teaching.

Table of Contents:

Introduction  Part I: The Global Error  1. The Odour of a False Problem  2. Problems with Freedom  Part II: The Great Oblivion  3. Science and Philosophy Revisited, Revivified and Reunited  4. The Syntax and Grammar and Semantics and Sense of Pedagogy  Part III: The Creative Contribution  5. Becoming Pedagogue: Intuition & Minor Methods  6. Aesthetics, Ethics & Politics in Early Childhood Education & Care: Minor Gestures