People who study the "foundations of education" ask really tough questions about education, teaching and learning.  We ask about the purposes of education—about what schools are supposed to achieve, about what teachers and students are supposed to accomplish in their time together.  We examine the factors that seem to affect schooling and learning—the effects of social class, of race and religion, of cultural pressures, of world and national politics.  We look at the history of education and schooling to see where we've been and why we've gotten to where we are now.  We ask philosophical questions about the nature of learning, about the meaning and substance of particular subject areas, about the impact of schooling on the purpose of human life and the formation of national character.  These—and a host of others—are pretty lively questions. 

Foundations classes help students develop the knowledge, the body of commitments, and the confidence to become strong, independent teachers in school cultures that often seem more interested in conformity and obedience.  Foundations classes help teachers reflect on teaching and schooling and develop and articulate a set of educational commitments that will serve them as they enter in, or continue, their teaching careers.

Study of the foundations of education has always been, at Missouri State University, at the heart of what we mean by the "reflective teacher," or the "reflective practitioner."  Think of it this way: 

• Would a historian be very good at writing a history of something if he or she didn't know much about the purpose or function of history?  If the historian didn't know why history was important, and something about how histories had been written in the past, isn't it doubtful he or she could write a valuable history?
• Do you think a scientist should know something about the history of the branch of science in which he or she is engaged?  Do you think that scientist should consider the place of what her science produces in the larger social world—that she should think about who or what we, as human beings, become because of her science?

Just as historians and scientists benefit from studying the "foundations" of their fields of inquiry, so teachers benefit from study of the foundations of education.  From the EDC 150 course that introduces students to the field of teaching, to our EDC 350 class that examines the relationship between school and society, to our graduate level SFR 750 class that examines philosophy of education, these and other foundations classes give students opportunities to reflect carefully on the nature of education and their roles as teachers.

We invite you to peruse the web pages dedicated to the Academy for Educational Studies. The Academy is a foundations-oriented group of people—on our campus and across the nation—dedicated to fostering a community of inquirers and providing a public space for debate and dialogue about important questions in education.  The Academy encourages those interested in education, teaching, and learning to engage in thoughtful reflection, discussion, and critique of educational theory and practice—just what study in the foundations of education is supposed to do.  Membership in the Academy is available for a nominal fee.

Welcome to the study of foundations of education at Missouri State University.  Please contact any of the faculty listed below for any help you might need.

Steven P. Jones, Professor
417-836-5982
SPJones@MissouriState.edu

Eric Sheffield, Associate Professor
417-836-6062
EricSheffield@MissouriState.edu

Donna Beardsley, Professor
417-836-4168
mailto:EricSheffield@MissouriState.edu