1st Edition
Towards Rational Education A Social Framework of Moral Values and Practices
Towards Rational Education explores how education can become rational by serving character building, rational thinking and the common good. It uses evidence-based psychology, philosophy, sociology and political science to support transforming education and provides a brand-new framework for effective universal education.
This book endorses Rational-Emotive Behavior Theory (REBT) and rational education philosophy theories as main vehicles paving a viable set of rational education values and practices. Collective wisdom, rational living, freedom, mental health, altruism, solidarity, equality and fraternity are seen as the foundational values for shaping already existing schools of the world become more rational and in establishing Rational Education Communities (REC) and Rational Schools (RS). Calling for a philosophical and socio-political shift in education values and practices, the book cites principles, tools and practices that rational educators, philosophers, psychologists, other related scientists-practitioners and people have offered us as a legacy for building a more rational and positive education for all people universally, without sacrificing cultural sensitivity and expressivity.
This book will be of great interest for the general audience and a special interest for academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of the philosophy of education, positive psychology, educational psychology and educational policy.
Introduction
Acknowledgments
PART ONE – Rational education values
Chapter 1 My vision for education
Problems of the contemporary libertarian education
A fundamental proposition
Chapter 2 Fundamental values of rational education
(On the road to) Collective Wisdom
Rational Living
Freedom
Mental Health
(Cultivation of) Altruism
Solidarity, Equality, Fraternity (SEF)
Chapter 3 Education vs. educational system
Rational education: The most positive form of education
Rational education: A problem-solving method
Conclusion to Part One – Answers to fundamental questions
PART TWO – Rational education practices
Chapter 4 Existing schools: Towards more rational education
Rational Education Content: Presentation of two examples
Rational Education Structure: Integration of rational and other social-emotional learning in schools
Chapter 5 Rational schools: An elegant form of rational education
Introduction
Historical Account
Why rational education is historically important in today’s educational reality?
Chapter 6 Rational education in the 21st century
Rational education practices in the 21st century: The Rational School
Chapter 7 Fundamental practices of rational education in the Rational School
Mental Health practices
Rational Living practices
Examples of curricula for the Rational School
Freedom practices
Altruism practices
Solidarity, equality and fraternity practices
Chapter 8 Why rational education values and practices are really not established in the schools: An essential commentary and the call for rational schools.
Instead of an Epilogue – On healthy utopia
Conclusion
References
Biography
Demetris Katsikis (PhD, RE&CBT) is the coordinator of services, research, training and development at the Hellenic Institute for Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Athens, Greece. His specialties include school/community, developmental and clinical psychology applied to diverse settings including psychotherapy, counseling, education and rational living. He is the founder and leader of the evolving Ψχ Work Group and Community in Greece and the Editor-in-Chief of the Ψχ Journal. He is currently striving to set the foundations for the establishment of rational education values and practices at the sociopolitical level.
