Deep in Thought

Deep in Thought is a philosophical and yet practical guide to one of the most important aims of education: helping students become skilled thinkers and learners. With a combination of theoretical expertise and practical experience, philosopher Jason Baehr endorses intellectual virtues as a rich, meaningful way to think about and understand the purpose of education. He makes a persuasive case for prioritizing intellectual virtues in the classroom to facilitate deeper learning, encourage lifelong learning, and enrich teacher practice. "For teachers who yearn to guide students toward meaningful, thoughtful lives, rather than cramming them with marketable skills, Jason Baehr's book is water to the thirsty. They will find in these pages an ennobling road map for teaching children what really matters: the capacity to think deeply about the problems and challenges that matter most. By the time they've finished the book, readers will have a new sense of purpose about education and a clear idea of how to proceed." --Susan Engel, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Williams College "Jason Baehr is an anomaly and a pioneer. He is an accomplished philosopher who saw a practical problem and decided to leverage his scholarly knowledge of intellectual virtue to create a middle school designed to promote intellectual virtue development in students. This book introduces us to the theory and practice of that remarkable accomplishment and provides a practical framework for others to follow." --Marvin W. Berkowitz, Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor of Character Education, University of Missouri-St. Louis "In Deep in Thought, philosopher Jason Baehr impressively weaves together philosophy, social science, and his own on-the-ground work in schools to offer invaluable guidance to educators for nurturing their students' intellectual virtues." --Scott Seider, Associate Professor of Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology, Boston College Jason Baehr is a professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.