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Coherence, the Rebel Angel

213A Erickson Hall, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824-1034. She specializes in philosophy of education and educational theory

Robert E. Floden, acting dean professor of teacher education and educational psychology

501 Erickson Hall, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824-1034. He specializes in research on teacher education, philosophy of education, and educational measurement

When working against fragmentation in education, we must not confuse coherence with consistency. While consistency implies logical relations and the absence of contradictions, coherence allows for many kinds of connectedness, including associations of ideas and feelings, intimations of resemblance, conflicts and tensions, and imaginative leaps. Coherence–but not consistency–is hospitable to change and imagination, while true to the many facets of concepts and experiences. Educational coherence is found where students and teachers can discover and establish relations among various areas of sensibility, knowledge, and skill, yet where loose ends remain, inviting a reweaving of beliefs and ties to the unknown.

Educational Researcher, Vol. 21, No. 9, 6-9 (1992)
DOI: 10.3102/0013189X021009004


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