Educational philosopher to speak Jan. 29
Nel Noddings
1/30/09
Nel Noddings, nationally known philosopher of education and educational theorist, presented a lecture Jan. 29 on "Critical Lessons for Critical Thinking" to a standing-room-only Miami University audience.
The next day she met with students and faculty from the School of Education, Health and Society (EHS) in a series of small group sessions organized around participant questions.
At the core of Noddings ’ message was the idea that knowing oneself well is the foundation for critical thinking. “She urged all of us to discern our passions and to give our best in those pursuits,” said Carine Feyten, EHS dean.
After the Miami appearance, Noddings said she had rarely felt so much energy from a crowd and was impressed by the sophistication and commitment of faculty and students.
Noddings, the author of 12 books and more than 65 book chapters, is on many people’s short list as one of the most influential woman of the 20th century.
She likes to involve her audience in big picture issues. She "rarely advocates for any controversial position; instead, she gives teachers suggestions on how to begin provocative conversations, and offers ideas to keep these conversations safe, civil, and engaging," explained one reviewer.
Noddings has been the Lee L. Jacks Professor of Education, Emerita, at Stanford University since she retired in 1998. She also taught at Columbia University and Colgate University and spent 17 years as an elementary and high school mathematics teacher before earning her Ph.D. at Stanford. She is past president of the Philosophy of Education Society and the John Dewey Society.
The mother of 10, she has described her own educational experiences and close relationships as key in her development of a philosophical position.
Her work has included analysis of caring and its place in ethics (Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education, 1948), a series of books that have explored the implications of concern for caring with education (The Challenge to Caring in Schools, 1992; Educating Moral People, 2002; Happiness and Education, 2003), and critical thinking (Critical Lessons: What Our Schools Should Teach, 2007).
EHS, the Miami University Parents Fund, and Women’s Studies sponsored her appearance.