How to Relate Theory to Practice in Moral Education? A Response from Islamic Philosophy

How to Relate Theory to Practice in Moral Education? A Response from Islamic Philosophy

The so called problem of "the gap between theory and practice" seems to be as one of the challenging problems for teachers and educators nowadays. However, it is perhaps surprising to know that this problem became challenging only from a special point of departure in the history of modern education and based on a special understanding of the nature of educational theory, i.e. the scientific-theoretical approach to educational theory (which is sometimes called 'the Anglo-American tradition in educational science' as well).
This short presentation comprises of three parts. As an introduction, the first part concentrates on a brief historical overview of the problem and its institutional manifestation: the challenge between universities and teacher training colleges. The second part presents the theoretical formulation of the problem and reviews the answers given to it and their practical implications very briefly. At the end, relying on some remarks and analyses from Islamic philosophers about "practical wisdom", "thinking about the particular" (al-tarawwi) and "moral recognition", a solution for the problem will be proposed and practical insights and guidelines will be discussed in more detail.