Chapter 6 education

what were the contributions of socrates, plato, and aristotle to western philosophy and how are their legacies reflected in education today?

-socrates used persistent questions to help students clarify their thoughts -plato-crafted eloquent dialogues that present different philosophical positions aritstole- provided a synthesis of plato's belief in the universal, spiritual forms, and a scientist's belief in the physical world

Can teachers blend philosophies?

-some schools blend -purist model: argue that blending sounds means stuff is lost.

Essentialism

-strives to teach students the accumulated knowledge of our civilization through core courses in the traditional academic discipline -back-to-basics: meant to train the mind, promote reasoning, and ensure a common culture among americans -William Bagley-popularized term -E.D. Hirsch advocates for a more inclusive curriculum that offers all students a shared knowledge, a common curriculum -rely on test scores to evaluate progress

praxis

doctrine that when actions are based on sound theory and values, they can make a real difference in the world. (freire) social reconstruct.

idealism

a doctrine holding that knowledge is derived from ideas and emphasizing moral and spiritual reality as a preeminent source of explanation

materialism

a philosophy focused on scientific observation and the belief that existence is only experienced in the physical realm

political philosophy

analyzes how past and present societies are arranged and governed and proposes ways to create better societies in the future

constructivism

asserts that knowledge cannot be handed from one person to another; but must be constructed by each learner through interpreting and reinterpreting a constant flow of information

Existentialism

asserts that the purpose of education is to help children find meaning and direction in their lives, and it rejects the notion that adults should or could direct meaningful learning for children -own purpose in life, each student decides what he or she wants to learn and when to learn it -teachers role is to help students define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they take in life and by creating an environment in which they can freely choose their way -self paced, self directed, great deal of individual contact with the teacher

What is a philosophy of education and why should it be important to you?

behind every school and every teacher is a philosophy of education that reflects the purpose of schooling and the role of the teacher. philosophy: the love or search for wisdom; the quest to understand the meaning of life

logic

branch of philosophy that deals with reasoning

metaphysics

deals with the origin and structure of reality

behaviorism

derived from the belief that free will is an illusion, and that human beings are shaped entirely by their environment; alter a person's environment and you will alter his or thoughts, feelings, and behavior - SKinner- leading advocate; use of positive reinforcement

Laboratory School

dewey founded -testing ground for his educational ideas -became the most famous experimental school in the history of U.S. education (progressive school)

progressivism

educational philosophy that organizes schools around the corners, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students -teacher facilitates learning by helping students formulate meaningful questions and devise strategies to answer those questions; real-world experience -pragmatism: the way to determine if an idea has merit is simple: test it. John Dewey: reformer who taught that people learn best through social interaction in the real world; should use scientific method - children working in small groups, teacher moving around freely. some children might be discussing a science experiment, while others model a volcano, third getting ready for a presentation -interest centers throughout the classroom, field trips, computer simulations, realistic learning challenges for students

teacher-centered philosophies

emphasize the importance of transferring knowledge, information, and skills from the older (presumably wiser) generation to the younger one; teacher's role is to instill respect for authority, duty, consideration. -essentialism and perennialism

name five philosophies of education

essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, social reconstructionism, existentialism

Cultural influences on education

ethnocentrism, informal education, oral tradition,

epistemology

examines the nature and origin of human knowledge

behavior modification

extrinsic rewards are gradually lessened as the student aquires and masters the targeted behavior. the desired behavior now produces its own reward (self-satisfaction)

informal education

in many cultures, augments or takes the place of formal schools as children learn adult roles through observation, conversation, assisting, and imitating

student-centered philosophies

less authoritarian, less concerned with the past and "training the mind", more focused on the individual needs, contemporary relevance, and preparing students for a changing future. -progressivism, social reconstructionism, existentialsim

empiricism

philosophy that maintains that sensory experiences, such as seeing, hearing, and touching are the ultimate sources of all human knowledge. they believe that we experience the external world by sensory perception; through reflection we conceptualize ideas that help us interpret the world

aesethics

probes the nature of beauty

Perennialism

similar to essentialism. - the philosophy that emphasizes rationality as the major purpose of education. it asserts that there are universal truths and these ideas are best taught through great books. - religion; believe that the goal of education should be to develop rational thought and to discipline minds to think rigorously -reading, riting, rithmetic -Mortimer Adler: proposed a single elementary and secondary curriculum for all students, with no curricular electives expect in the choice of a second language -Robert Hutchins: prez of university of chicago introduced the great books program- -lectures are rare because teachers see themselves as discussion seminar leaders and facilitators

Three legendary figures of classical western philosophy

socrates, plato, aristotle

oral tradition

spoken language is the primary method for instruction in several cultures around the world. word problems are used to teach resasoning, proverbs to instill wisdom, and stories to teach lessons about nature, history, religion, and social customs

ethics

study of what is good or bad in human behavior, thoughts, and feelings

inductive reasoning

teachers help their students draw tentative generalizations after having observed specific instances of a phenomenon

scaffolding

teachers may use this. - questions, clues, or suggestions that help a student link prior knowledge to the new information

deductive reasoning

teachers present their students with a general rule and then help them identify particular examples and applications of the rule

cartesian dualism

the belief that reality is composed of both materialism and idealism, body and mind

social darwinsim

the idea that society is an ingenious "sorting" system, one in which the more talented rise to the top, while those less deserving find themselves at the bottom of the social and economic peeking order. (those with money deserve it, those without money deserve their lot in life. poverty is normal) via social reconstruct.

rationalism

the philosophy that emphasizes the power of reason and the principles of logic to derive statements about the world. they encourage schools to emphasize teaching math, bc math involves reason and logic

Ethnocentrism

the tendency to view one's own culture as superior to others, and a failure to consider other cultures at all; we rarely identify or reflect on the ideas that service from many parts of asia, african, and latin america

Social Reconstructionism

view of education as a way to improve the quality of life, to reduce the chances of conflict, and to create a more humane world -george counts: dare the schools build a new social order? - proposed that schools focus on reforming society, an idea that caught the imagination and sparked the ideals of educators both in this country and abroad -racism, sexism, environmental pollution, poverty, substance abuse; believe that school is the ideal place to begin ameliorating social problems - teachers role to explore social problems, suggest alternative perspectives, and facilitate student analysis of these problems - class research project is more than an academic exercise; the class is engaged in a genuine effort to improve society