Richard Pring is a philosopher who was mainly inspired by Kohlberg. In 2003, Pring retired from Oxford University, as the director of Educational studies department, after 14 years. Prior to that job, he was a professor of education at the University of Exeter.
Pring wrote many books outlining his views on education and many papers, journals and leaflets contributing to others theories. One of his most famous subjects was moral development. He looked into the theory that there is a close connection between individual teacher efforts and the wider social context and ethos of the school. He points out that we are currently in an age where both of these are missing; teachers are blamed for educational failings without external social consideration and it is now that we need to look back at a time when Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology were all brought together in what Kohlberg referred to as an “Interdisciplinary colloquium.”
Pring states that both knowledge and understanding grow through criticism. All knowledge is developed through creating the foundations and then building on it through feedback, both positive and negative, to create a deep understanding of the subject. He argues that education itself is a moral practice, part of the humanities rather than social sciences and that the practice of it should be transmitted through moral educators rather than through a curriculum. He also looked at the differences in moral development/ abilities at different ages in young people, involving deliberation and the appropriate actions being taken. He uses the example of the holocaust in order to show the need to “preserve education as a moral practice.”(Richard Pring, Philosophy of education 2005) He states that “during the holocaust in World War two, many children were evacuated in Prague. One teacher managed to keep a make shift class room in order to teach what she could to the children during this
References: Pring R, (2004). Philosophy of Education. 1st ed. Continuum International publishing group. ----------------------- Pring R, (2004). Philosophy of Education. 1st ed. Britain: Continuum International Publishing Group. Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/tool-box/harvard-referencing-generator/#ixzz2EgZUDYAD Pring R, (2004). Philosophy of Education. 1st ed. Britain: Continuum International Publishing Group. Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/tool-box/harvard-referencing-generator/#ixzz2EgZUDYAD Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training | Nuffield Foundation. 2012. Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training | Nuffield Foundation. Available at: http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/14-19review. Whole Education - Introduction - Who we are . 2012. Whole Education - Introduction - Who we are . Available at: http://www.wholeeducation.org/. RSA - RSA Partners in Whole Education. 2012. RSA - RSA Partners in Whole Education. Available at: http://www.thersa.org/action-research-centre/past-projects/education-campaign/partner-organisations.