Few would fault Nel Noddings \u201949 for spending her retirement years in, well, retirement. But this expert in educational theory is as passionate as ever about education philosophy \u2013 and she has concerns. \u201cThere has been such a loss of public unity in recent years,\u201d she observes.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for us all, Noddings is willing to bring her perspective to the table to develop a response to society\u2019s disunity. \u201cI haven\u2019t been out in public this past year, of course,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I have been part of a couple of virtual meetings and events. I am spending a lot of time considering what we can do in the schools that might contribute to public harmony, and I have a few ideas outlined.\u201d<\/p>\n
It would be hard to find anyone more suited to design an approach to education that has the potential to transform the public sphere.<\/p>\n
Noddings completed her Montclair State degree in just three years. \u201cMoney was tight, and I needed to make way for my younger sister, who was only three years behind me in school,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Noddings went on to earn a master\u2019s degree in mathematics from Rutgers and a Ph.D. in education from Stanford. Her career includes positions at Stanford, Columbia and Colgate Universities. While at Stanford, she was the Jacks Professor of Child Education and received three awards for teaching excellence. She is past president of the Philosophy of Education Society and the John Dewey Society and in 2002-2003, she held the prestigious John W. Porter Chair in Urban Education at Eastern Michigan University.<\/p>\n
Her career is so much more than a series of titles and awards, however. Known for her interpretation of scientific research into the roots of compassion, altruism and peaceful human relationships, Noddings\u2019 name is most often associated with the concept of \u201cethics of care\u201d \u2013 a philosophy that places caring at the foundation of ethical decision-making.<\/p>\n
Noddings is the author of twenty-two books including\u00a0Philosophy of Education<\/em>,\u00a0Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief<\/em>,\u00a0Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education<\/em>,\u00a0The Challenge to Care in Schools<\/em>,\u00a0Educating Moral People<\/em>,\u00a0Starting at Home: Caring and Social Policy<\/em>,\u00a0Happiness and Education<\/em>,\u00a0Critical Lessons: What Our Schools Should Teach<\/em>,\u00a0When School Reform Goes Wrong<\/em>,\u00a0The Maternal Factor: Two Paths to Morality<\/em>,\u00a0Peace Education: How We Came to Love and Hate War<\/em>,\u00a0Education and Democracy in the 21st Century<\/em>, and\u00a0A Richer Brighter Vision for American High Schools<\/em>. She has written more than 200 articles and book chapters on topics ranging from the ethics of care to mathematical problem solving.<\/p>\n Her contributions to the field of education theory have been recognized with six honorary doctorates as well as the Medal for Distinguished Service from Teachers College, Columbia University; the Anne Roe Award for Contributions to the Professional Development of Women from Harvard University; and the Willystine Goodsell Award from the American Educational Research Association. She currently serves as an honorary member of Montclair State’s College of Education and Human Services Advisory Board.<\/p>\n Noddings is ready to bring her considerable knowledge and experience to bear on the current state of education and how, she feels, we can do better. \u201cThere are good reasons to test and separate children according to their abilities,\u201d she notes. \u201cIt provides students at every level with opportunities to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it is also important for children to learn in groups that are\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0organized by ability,\u201d she continues. \u201cWhen students work alongside peers with diverse learning capacities, they must develop their communication skills. They have a chance to experience empathy and compassion. They will be more likely to bring those sensibilities into the wider community.\u201d<\/p>\n Noddings\u2019 interest in the future of education is further expressed through her philanthropy to her alma mater. \u201cI was born into a working-class family,\u201d she says. \u201cI was fortunate to get a scholarship when I went to Montclair State.\u201d<\/p>\n Over more than three decades, Noddings has supported the University through several scholarships for students enrolled in the College of Education and Human Services, and lately she has been giving thought to her legacy at the institution. \u201cI want the best possible college education for kids who can\u2019t afford to just go to any school they choose,\u201d she adds. \u201cSchools like Montclair State are extremely important to maintaining a unified public as well as our connections with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n She marvels at the diversity of the campus today but is quick to note that the financial situation of many Montclair State students is not very different from her own, when she was an undergraduate. Montclair State was a crucial stepping-stone in her career, and her life.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was in elementary school, I could see the red roofs of the Montclair State buildings from my classroom windows,\u201d she recalls. \u201cMSU has always been special because of its location and because of the beauty of the campus, even from a distance.\u201d<\/p>\n She also appreciates how hard it can be for students to enjoy a full, well-rounded college experience. \u201cSince I was on track to finish my degree in three years, I didn\u2019t have too much time to socialize while going to school, but I did manage to make a few friends \u2013 who are still friends today,\u201d she says. \u201cI encourage students to see their college years as an opportunity to make memories and friends that they will treasure for the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nel Noddings \u201949 is widely known for bringing the ethics of caring philosophy into education theory. At Montclair State, she is also known for her generosity in supporting the next generation of qualified, dedicated educators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-montclair-state-university-donors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1105"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1108,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1105\/revisions\/1108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}