Educating with Purpose: The heart of what matters

By: Stephen Tierney

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Synopsis: If the last decade focused on what works, the decade ahead must focus on what matters. In his second book, Tierney argues that the purpose of education must move to the heart of the educational debate. Purpose will significantly influence what schools and the education system as a whole will do next. Why we educate is a question from which all other aspects evolve. A question for all times, it will resonate with those who have experienced the Great Pause. Using four main philosophies of education - personal empowerment, cultural transmission, preparation for work and preparation for citizenship - he provides the underpinning theory and seminal works alongside a powerful critique. Using the impact of these different philosophies on a school's curriculum he challenges the current orthodoxy, allowing the reader to consider alternative views and approaches. Proposing that the telos of education must be a life well lived, he argues for a re-purposing of education, with a preferential option for the poor at its heart. Educative and challenging this will be read by all those interested and involved in education.