The practice of education involves making hundreds of educational decisions each day. Good decisions ought to be about wanting to make appropriate, timely responses to support, encourage and guide learning. There are many factors that influence this process. This unit will look in particular at the investigation of our cultural contexts and situation, and how the foundational beliefs we hold interpret and give meaning to our experience and guide our decision making. Topics: * Worldview and education: A brief introduction to the nature of worldviews and why they need to be addressed if you want to align practice with beliefs. * Conflicting images of the fully well-educated human: Exploring historically and philosophically various views about being human and the biblical account and applying these to various goals of education. * What knowledge is of most worth? Exploring modern, postmodern, indigenous and biblical views of reality, truth and knowledge. Using these frameworks taking a closer look at the Melbourne Declaration. Examining the implications for pedagogical practices. * Understanding our Western traditions of schooling: How did we get here? Examining historically the major paradigm shifts in society and the connection with changes in educational practices. * What are the images of schooling and teaching in the 21st Century?