Topic: My Learning Journey Has No End

Date & Time: 19:00 - 20:30, 4 Dec, 2023

Presenter: Prof. Leonard J. Waks (Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Temple University; Past President of the John Dewey Society; Recipient of the Dewey Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award; Founding editor of the journal Dewey Studies)

Language: English

Venue: T2-102

Eligibility: All students

Light refreshments will be served. While walk-ins are welcome at the event, early registration is appreciated so we can better prepare for the event.

About Presenter:

Leonard J. Waks is a Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Temple University, USA. He was a Distinguished Professor of Educational Studies at Hangzhou Normal University from 2018-2021. Prof. Waks attended the University of Wisconsin (B.A. Philosophy, 1964; Ph. D. Philosophy 1968), taught philosophy at Purdue University and Stanford University, and did educational studies at Temple University. He earned an Ed.D. in Organizational Psychology and a professional psychotherapy certificate in 1984. Prof. Waks is the author of Education 2.0: The Learningweb Revolution and the Transformation of the School (Routledge, 2014) and The Evolution and Evaluation of Massive Open Online Courses: MOOCs in Motion (Palgrave, 2016).  He is a past president of the John Dewey Society and has been awarded the Dewey Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  He is the founding editor of the journal Dewey Studies.

Abstract: 

Professor Leonard J. Waks describes his journey from cheerless school years to his discovery of philosophy as his life calling. He initially saw philosophy as social criticism, but his teachers directed him along a narrow academic path. His dissatisfaction with academic philosophy led to a period of reflection. He engaged with stoicism and Chinese Buddhism but was not yet able to integrate these into his academic work. Prof.Waks left academic philosophy for a career in educational studies, combining philosophical criticism and practical educational work. This career shift led him to study the philosophy of John Dewey. Eventually, all of these strands came together. He has found ways to integrate all of them in both his philosophical and educational work. Since 2017, he has been invited to speak, teach and consult in China. Working with others, he contributes to global philosophy and intercultural humane education.