Does education need theories?

A talk and discussion about the philosophy of education

Ask a media commentator on education policy what’s wrong with education policy in the UK and the chances are you’ll be told it’s theories. Theories about learning are contested and controversial, and the implementations of policies based on them often leave much to be desired.

What is the status of educational theories? Are they scientific? Are they objectively testable? Or are they unavoidably political, too? Would we be better off without them, or is the problem just that we don’t know enough? Is there some natural way to “do” education without theories at all?

Paul Standish is a professor at the Institute of Education, where he heads up the philosophy section of the Department of Educational Foundations and Policy Studies. Join us for what promises to be a lively and controversial discussion of philosophical questions that have immediate real-world implications.

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