Diversity in Education: The Hermeneutic Rationale for an Alternative Pedagogy
In recent years, responding to the increased diversity in schools and universities has become a major concern of educators, particularly those from multi-cultural and otherwise variegated societies. While much attention has focused on revising the curriculum to meet the needs of a diverse
student population, little new ground has been turned in articulating a form of pedagogy which enhances diversity while engendering a commonality of basic experience and knowledge required by society. This paper makes a preliminary attempt to develop such a pedagogy drawing upon the insights
of philosophical hermeneutics. The author begins by grounding the discussion of diversity in education in the ongoing debate between progressivism and essentialism. This is followed by a brief description of the hermeneutic project of Hans-Georg Gadamer, from which are drawn several implications
for a pedagogy of diversity. The author concludes that such a pedagogical approach satisfies both aspects of the unity in diversity dialectic operative in many education systems today.
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC
Publication date: 01 January 1997
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