Learning by All Means: Lessons from the Arts: a Study in the Philosophy of Art

Learning By All Means presents a modern philosophy of education that exhibits the aesthetic face of learning in all of its varieties. Concentrating on the concept of learning, rather than teaching, and offering a philosophical rather than psychological approach, this book asks such fundamental questions as: How, what, why, and where do we learn? What are the roles of reason and imagination in learning? What are the differences and relations among learning by instruction, by practice, by example, and by reflection? How are the standards and values of particular fields and disciplines communicated and interpreted? How do traditional practices shape us even as we strive to go beyond them? And finally, how are our sensibilities, our very Selves, transformed by learning? Responding to such questions, Learning By All Means challenges established learning theories by stressing the personal struggle for competency and creativity.

About the Author :
The Author: V.A. Howard has been co-Director of the Philosophy of Education Research Centre at Harvard University since 1983. Since taking his Ph.D. in Philosophy at Indiana University, he has written extensively on symbol theory, music, aesthetics, arts education, writing and discussion skills, and artistic process. His books include Thinking Together: the Dialogue of Discovery (with J.H. Barton, 1992), Varieties of Thinking: Essays from Harvard's Philosophy of Education Research Centre (1990), Thinking on Paper (with J.H. Barton, 1986), and Artistry: the Work of Artists (1982). He has held full time teaching positions at the University of Western Ontario, the University of London, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Review :
A penetrating philosophical interpretation of learning in all its major varieties. Offering acute analyses of the manifold means by which the mind acquires skill and understanding, this book cannot fail to improve our grasp of the processes of education. It should be required reading for aspiring teachers and all others concerned with the improvement of learning and schooling. (Israel Scheffler, Harvard University) In 'Learning By All Means', V.A. Howard disengages and reflects upon the different forms of learning involved in making and performing artworks. Central to all these means of learning is the imagination and the ways skills are acquired and interpreted in learning by instruction, by practice, by example, by reflection. Howard's discussions of these issues is extraordinarily illuminating. His chapter on 'Music as Educating Imagination' is as fine a piece as I have ever read on this subject. It is a brilliant 'tour de force' that tells us, in a few pages, more about disciplined learning than can be found anywhere in the literature on so-called discipline-based art education. Students and teachers at all stages in their learning can learn from this remarkable book, which is itself a kind of master-class. (Thomas Ewens, Rhode Island School of Design) Howard has written an exciting, illuminating and thought-provoking book which should be read by all who are concerned with their own learning or that of others. It is also a courageous book, for it aims to cultivate the sensibilities in a hostile climate. (Steve Johnson, Journal of Philosophy of Education) It is always pleasant to pick up a book by V.A. Howard and 'Learning by All Means' is no exception. Howard's style is easy to read and simple (but not simplistic) and the issues he addresses are important. Here he presents a modern philosophy of education and the novelty is that it is specifically based on the aesthetic aspects of learning (rather than teaching). His sections on useful imaginings, expression, and heuristic imaginations should be recommended to all graduate students of education. (Richard Courtney, Journal of Educational Thought)