The Aims of Education and Other Essays [Paperback]

Alfred North Whitehead (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 165 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (January 1, 1967)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029351804
• ISBN-13: 978-0029351802
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #372,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Timely Teaching, March 10, 2001

By 

Mark Valentine (Port Angeles, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Aims of Education and Other Essays (Paperback)

Although most of these essay were written over eight decades ago, I found them to be extremely timely, especially the title essay. Whitehead shoots straight. He begins by stating that most teachers transmit "inert" ideas in their practice--they teach material that has to practicable bearing on providing any meaningful help to students.

He identifies three different stages or rhythms in educational methodology that happen in tandem and in rotation (I visualize a geocentric universe filled with epicycles of rotating moons and planets to illustrate the layers and rings of motion in teaching). He bases these stages on Hegel's Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis, but he adapts them to the classroom and human learning. He calls these rhythms Romance, Precision, and Generalization. In Romance, the teacher needs to awake the sense of wonder and curiosity in a student's mind. This will provide the impetus to pursue the learning to the next stage: Precision. In the second stage, the student studies by drill and repetition the formulae, rules, and grammars that build upon a thorough knowledge of a filed. In the third stage, Whitehead declares that the student needs to move into a realm of Generaliztion. In this rhythm, the student makes connections, applications, and full, mature usage of the material and ideas.

I wish more teachers and teachers interested in developing their pedagogical methodolgy would take the time to read this short masterful book.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my life at age 17 -- Thank you, thank you!, August 30, 2004

By 

Mehetabelle "mehetabelle" (Silicon Valley United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Aims of Education and Other Essays (Paperback)

The university that accepted me into its six-year medicine program required that I read this (and other) book(s) during the summer before entering their program.

It changed my life! It helped me to think about what I wanted to get out of formal education, how I wanted to develop my own mind through the rest of my life, and how to choose education that serves my objectives. This book made me a more knowledegeable consumer and user of education.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful insights into the nature of learning, November 9, 2006

By 

Bob Norris "bobinpg" (CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Aims of Education and Other Essays (Paperback)

Whitehead's essays are timeless. For the reader who instinctively feels that learning must be meaningful to be of value, Whitehead is a must read. This book is well suited to curriculum designers and/or instructors who feel strongly about including experiential activities. Whitehead's insights would be especially useful for decision-makers/sponsors of learning who must demonstrate a positive return on their investment. The first-time reader will have to overcome a sense of frustration that Whitehead's keen observations are as applicable today as when they were written nearly seventy years ago.