About the Book

Case Studies in Educational Foundations: Canadian Perspectives is intended as a supplemental text of case studies for educational foundations courses taken as part of a pre-service B.Ed program at the university level. The authors use the four commonplaces - students, teachers, subject matter, and context - to frame the commentaries and organize the cases, while employing history, philosophy, and sociology as conceptual lenses through which to view each case. The thirty cases are divided under the headings "myths," "bandwagons," and "moral panics." For example, the case Flipping Burgers illustrates how myths about the nature of ability can affect teachers' approaches to assessment and students' achievement motivation. The case Teaching for Dummies examines the assumptions underpinning the bandwagons of mandated curricula and standards tests. The moral panic of bullying is examined in the case A Stitch in Time, when a parent, upset when his child is hurt, perceives that his son is the victim of bullying. Each of the thirty cases are written by professors from faculties of education, graduate students, and educators from across Canada. After each case are critical thinking questions asking students to analyse the situation from historical, philosophical, and sociological perspectives, as well as questions that ask students to analyse the case and examine the implications for practice.