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All Outputs (43)

Knowing and learning: from Hirst to Ofsted (2023)
Journal Article
Davis, A. J. (2023). Knowing and learning: from Hirst to Ofsted. Journal of Philosophy of Education, Article qhad002. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopedu/qhad002

Hirst always highlighted knowledge when reflecting on the school curriculum. He replaced his early focus on liberal education, the development of mind and theoretical knowledge by emphasizing the practical and practices as a curriculum starting point... Read More about Knowing and learning: from Hirst to Ofsted.

It worked there. Will it work here? Researching teaching methods (2017)
Journal Article
Davis, A. (2017). It worked there. Will it work here? Researching teaching methods. Ethics and Education, 12(3), 289-303. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449642.2017.1361267

‘It worked there. Will it work here?’ We have to be able to identify the ‘it’ in that aphoristic question. Classifications of teaching methods belong in the social realm, where human intentions play a fundamental role in how phenomena are categorized... Read More about It worked there. Will it work here? Researching teaching methods.

Homework on Trial (2014)
Book Chapter
Davis, A. (2014). Homework on Trial. In M. Papastephanou (Ed.), Philosophical perspectives on compulsory education (157-169). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7311-0

This paper explores some of the assumptions underlying people’s strong opinions about compulsory school homework. The issues are complex, and it argues that, for the most part, definitive arguments favouring either side are unavailable. However, it d... Read More about Homework on Trial.

How far can we aspire to consistency when assessing learning? (2013)
Journal Article
Davis, A. (2013). How far can we aspire to consistency when assessing learning?. Ethics and Education, 8(3), 217-228. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449642.2013.876788

How far can consistent assessment capture all the worthwhile features of educational achievement? Are some important components of learning necessarily open to a range of potentially inconsistent judgments by different assessors? I argue for a cautio... Read More about How far can we aspire to consistency when assessing learning?.

Neuroscience and Education: At Best a Civil Partnership: A Response to Schrag (2013)
Journal Article
Davis, A. (2013). Neuroscience and Education: At Best a Civil Partnership: A Response to Schrag. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 47(1), 31-36. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12012

In this response, I agree with much of what Schrag says about the principled limits of neuroscience to inform educators' decisions about approaches to learning. However, I also raise questions about the extent to which discoveries about ‘deficits’ in... Read More about Neuroscience and Education: At Best a Civil Partnership: A Response to Schrag.

A Monstrous Regimen of Synthetic Phonics: Fantasies of Research-Based Teaching 'Methods' versus Real Teaching (2012)
Journal Article
Davis, A. (2012). A Monstrous Regimen of Synthetic Phonics: Fantasies of Research-Based Teaching 'Methods' versus Real Teaching. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 46(4), 560-573. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9752.2012.00879.x

In England, Higher Education institutions, together with the schools whose staff they train, are being required to incorporate synthetic phonics as one of the key approaches to the teaching of reading. Yet even if synthetic phonics can be identified... Read More about A Monstrous Regimen of Synthetic Phonics: Fantasies of Research-Based Teaching 'Methods' versus Real Teaching.