Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator

Welcome!

This course provides an introduction to the foundational philosopher Plato and his thoughts on education. Plato’s philosophy of education has shaped the educational principles and practices of the Western world for over two millennia. In this course, Dr. David Diener guides educators through a discussion of Plato’s background and context, some of his key insights on curriculum and pedagogy, and his educational legacy, closing with the relevance and implications of Plato’s views for educators in the twenty-first century.

The course is based on the guidebook Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator by Dr. David Diener. We recommend purchasing the text for reference throughout the course.

This book is also available as an audiobook, available from Audible.com here.

Instructional Hours: 2.50, CEU Credits: 1

This course follows the organizational theme of the book Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator by Dr. David Diener, as shown below. Corresponding readings from this text are listed within each lesson.

Lesson 1: Introduction, Biography of Plato, and Plato’s Historical Context
Lesson 2: Plato’s Educational Context
Lesson 3: Plato’s Understanding of the Nature and Purpose of Education
Lesson 4: Plato’s Model of Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy
Lesson 5: Plato’s Educational Legacy and the Relevance and Implications of Plato’s Thought for Twenty-First-Century Education
Lesson 6: Conclusion and Recommendations for Further Study

Dr. David Diener has a BA in philosophy and ancient languages from Wheaton College and an MA in philosophy, an MS in history and philosophy of education, and a dual PhD in philosophy and philosophy of education from Indiana University. He works at Hillsdale College, where he is Headmaster of Hillsdale Academy and Lecturing Professor of Education. The Dieners have four children and enjoy working, playing, loving, and laughing together.

To obtain a certification credit for this course, simply complete each presentation lesson or discussion in the course (by marking it complete or by taking the quiz) and then also take the certification test at the end of the course. The quizzes are designed to ensure that you have understood the essential content of each presentation, and they can be taken more than once if necessary. The cumulative certification test at the end of the course is given as a pass/fail test and requires that you upload one or more essays demonstrating your understanding of the course. (Please note that essays are simply evaluated by word count.) When you have completed the course, a certificate that you can print or email will become available within “My Courses” (accessible under “Courses” in the main menu when you are signed in as an active subscriber).

We recommend previewing the essay question within the end of course test before starting the course. This will help in guiding your note taking as you progress through the course. Please allow approximately 2 weeks for essay submissions to be reviewed.