Good Relationships in Schools (eBook)

Acknowledgements 6
Contents 7
1 Introduction 9
2 Epistemic Aims of School Education 16
2.1 Epistemic Aims of School Education 17
2.1.1 Acquiring Epistemic Goods 18
2.1.2 Becoming a Skilled Thinker 20
2.2 Educating for Intellectual Character Growth 22
2.2.1 The Concept of Intellectual Virtues 23
2.2.2 Teaching Intellectual Virtues at School 27
2.2.3 Two Objections to Intellectual Character Formation at School 28
2.3 Conclusion 32
3 Central Characteristics of a Good Teacher-Student Relationship 34
3.1 The Inherently Relational Character of School Education 34
3.2 The Concept of a Good Teacher-Student Relationship 37
3.2.1 Characteristics of a Good Teacher-Student Relationship 38
3.2.2 Relationship Goods in the Teacher-Student Relationship 39
3.3 Four Objections 43
3.3.1 Doubts about the Dyadic and Personal Character of the Teacher-Student Relationship 43
3.3.2 Asymmetries in the Educational Relationship 45
3.3.3 Functionality and Efficacy instead of Relationship Goods 46
3.3.4 Relationship Goods in a Professional Role-Relationship? 47
3.4 Conclusion 50
4 Care in the Teacher-Student Relationship 51
4.1 The Concept of Care and its Application to the Teacher-Student Relationship 52
4.1.1 Caring for the Student’s Needs 52
4.1.2 Caring Attitudes and Caring Actions 56
4.1.3 The Reciprocity of Care in School Education 59
4.2 The Role of Care in Epistemic Education 61
4.2.1 Creating a Good and Caring Learning Environment 61
4.2.2 Care and Intellectual Character Education 63
4.3 Responding to Two Objections 65
4.3.1 Does the Concept of Care Ask too Much of the Teacher? 66
4.3.2 Should Teacher and Student Cultivate Pedagogical Love instead of Care? 67
5 Trust in the Teacher-Student Relationship 70
5.1 Trust Between Teacher and Student 70
5.1.1 Analysing the Trust-Relationship between Teacher and Student 71
5.1.2 The Teacher’s Trust in the Student 76
5.2 The Role of Trust in Epistemic Education 78
5.2.1 Trust and the Student’s Acquisition of Knowledge from the Teacher’s Testimony 79
5.2.2 Trust and the Student’s Development of Epistemic Confidence 83
5.3 Conclusion 86
6 Excursus on the Final Value of a Good Teacher-Student Relationship 87
6.1 An Important Objection to my Account 88
6.2 Responding to the Objection 91
6.2.1 The Final Value of a Good Teacher-Student Relationship 91
6.2.2 Defending my Account 94
7 Tying Up Loose Ends and Considering Implications for Practice 95
7.1 The Normative Nature of the Proposed Concept 95
7.2 The Same Relationship Goods for All Students? 98
7.3 Outlook: Implications for Practice 100
7.3.1 Putting the Relationship Centre Stage 101
7.3.2 Adapting the Institutional Structures 102
7.3.3 Support and Assistance for the Teachers 104
7.4 A Plea for Ideal Theorising 106
References 109