Chapter 6

What is materialism?

A philosophy which asserts the existence only of the physical, affirming fundamentally the existence of matter

What is the existentialist classroom like?

A powerful rejection of traditional and essentialist thinking. Subject matter takes second place to helping students understand and appreciate themselves as individuals. The teacher's role is to help students define their essence by exposing them to various paths and creating an environment where they can choose their way. This type of classroom offers students great latitude in their choice of subject matter and activity. It is self-paced and self-directed and includes a lot of individual contact with the teacher. Honest relationships are emphasized and official status and roles are de-emphasized.

What is perennialism?

A cousin to essentialism. Perennial means everlasting- this education focuses on enduring themes and questions that span the ages. They recommend students learn directly from the Great Books (the classics). They believe the goal of ed. should be to develop rational thought and discipline minds to think rigorously. See ed. as a sorting mechanism, a way to identify and prepare the intellectually gifted for leadership while providing vocational training for the rest of society. Parochial schools reflect the perennialist tradition with a curriculum that focuses on analyzing great religious books, discerning moral truths, and honoring them.

What is essentialism?

A form of teacher-centered philosophy that strives to teach students the accumulated knowledge of our civilization through core courses in the traditional academic disciplines. Essentialists try to instill students with the essentials of academic knowledge, patriotism, and character development. This is called the back-to-basics approach and is meant to train the mind, promote reasoning, and ensure a common culture among all americans. They also encourage close parent-teacher relationships

What does E.D. Hirsch Jr. advocate?

A more inclusive curriculum that offers all students a shared knowledge and a common curriculum similar to Horace Mann's idea of common school. He wrote Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and The Knowledge Deficit and suggests facts and ideas that might be included in his curriculum.

What is political philosophy?

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

Socrates info

Around from 469-399BCE. Socrates was a teacher without a school. He walked around and had significant convos with people. He described himself as a midwife because his goal was to help others find the truths that lie within their own minds. He helped his students reach deeper, clearer ideas through questioning, disproving, and testing their thoughts on love or good. His approach is socratic methoc.

How did Dewey view progressive schools?

As a working model of democracy

What was Dewey's view of education?

As an opportunity to learn how to apply previous experiences in new ways. Believed students facing a changing world should master the scientific method

How does the teacher-centered philosophy view schools?

As passing the cultural baton

What did harvard professor B.F. Skinner do?

Became the leading advocate of behaviorism

Why is constructivism popular?

Because it has authentic learning, critical thinking, individualized instruction, and project-based learning

Why do some educators call the present period neo-essentialism?

Because of the increased core graduation requirements, stronger standards, and more testing of both students and teachers

What are the steps of the scientific method according to Dewey?

Become aware of a problem, define the problem propose various hypotheses to solve it, examine the consequence of each hypotheses in the light of experience, test the most likely solution

What did George Counts do?

He wrote Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order? and outlined a more ambitious and radical approach to education. It was influenced by the Great Depression. He proposed schools focus on reforming society

What is epistemology?

The study of the nature and origin of human knowledge

What are ethics?

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

What is clicktivism?

Digital social activism that extends the impact of social reconstructionism to a global stage. Ex- The Ryan's Well Project, 25 Days to Make a Difference, Be Straw Free

What does the existentialist curriculum do?

Emphasizes the humanities as a means of providing students with experiences that will help with creativity and self-expression. It focuses on for example the actions of historical individuals each of whom the students can explore. Also, math and sciences may be de-emphasized because they don't help with self-awareness. Career education is more about teaching potential than livelihood. In art existentialism encourages individual creativity and imagination more than imitation of established models

What is rationalism?

Emphasizes the power of reason-in particular, logic to derive true statements about the world, even when such realities are not detected by the senses.

What do social reconstructionism schools do?

Encourage schools, teachers, and students to focus their studies and energies on alleviating pervasive social inequities and reconstruct society into a new and more just social order.

What are the major teacher-centered philosophies of ed.?

Essentialism and perennialism.

What are the five philosophies of education?

Essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism

Who was E.D. Hirsch Jr.?

Essentialist who established the Core Knowledge Foundation to develop a prescribed curriculum in subject areas.

Who was Maxine Greene?

Existentialist who believed it is crucial for students and teachers to create meaning in their lives. She viewed humanities and the arts as catalysts for moving people to critical awareness and conscious engagement with the world.

Who was A.S. Neill?

Existentialist whose attitude toward education stemmed from his own problems as a student, problems that fueled his creation of Summerhill, a school that encouraged youngsters to make their own decisions about what and when to learn

What is behavior modification?

Extrinsic rewards are gradually lessened as the student acquires and masters the targeted behavior. The behavior later produces its own reward- self-satisfaction.

What did Paulo Freire do?

He believed schools were just another institution perpetuating social inequities while serving he interests of the dominant group. Influenced by marxist and neo-marxist ideas he accused schools of perpetuating the status quo views of the rich and powerful "for the purpose of keeping the masses submerged and content in a culture of silence". He believed in praxis which is the doctrine that when actions are based on sound theory and values, they can make a difference in the world. He was eventually exiled from his native country Brazil because he had turned schools into a liberating force when they had been dominated by social darwinism before then.

What did John Dewey do?

He refined and applied pragmatism to education, establishing progressivism. He thought people learn best through social interaction in the real world.

Dewey's laboratory school

He said group techniques make the students better citizens, developing, for example, their willingness to share responsibilities. His school involved many group activities for students. Children in this school were not promoted from one grade to another they were grouped instead based on their individual interests and abilities.

How we know what we know

How we know (epistemology) what we know (metaphysics) about reality

What is behaviorism?

It is derived from the belief free will is an illusion and humans are shaped by their environment. Behaviorists urge teachers to use a system of reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors, to connect learning with pleasure and reward. The teachers goal is to move learners from extrinsic to intrinsic rewards.

What is existentialism?

It places the highest priority on students directing their own learning. It asserts the purpose of education is to help children find the meaning and direction in their lives and rejects the notion that adults should or could direct meaningful learning for children. The do not believe "Truth" is objective and applicable to all but that we need to discover our own truths or purposes in life. In this, the student decides when and what they need to learn.

What are student-centered philosophies?

Less authoritarian, less concerned with the past and "training the mind", and more focused on individual needs, contemporary relevance, and preparing students for a changing future. Students and teachers work together to determine what should be learned and how to learn it. School works with youth to improve society or help students realize their individuality

What is constructivism?

Like progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism, it puts the learner at the center of the educational stage. It 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. It is believed that people continually try to make sense of and bring order to the world.

What do educators focused on idealism do?

Might teach students the importance of finding their place and purpose in the world, the importance of helping one another, and the need to protect the environment.

What is progressivism?

Organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students. The progressive teacher facilitates learning by helping students formulate meaningful questions and devise strategies to answer those questions. Questions are answered through real-world experience.

What is the difference between perennialist schools and essentialist schools?

Perennialist schools organize themselves around books, ideas, and concepts and criticize essentialists for the vast amount of factual info they require students to absorb in their push for "cultural literacy".

What happens in a progressive classroom?

Students work in small groups and move around freely, interest centers would be all around the room (books, materials, software), the teacher walks around helping groups

What did WIlliam Bagley do?

Popularized the term essentialism in the 1930s

What are aesthetics?

Probes the nature of beauty. It asks What is beauty? is beauty in the eyes of the beholder? is something more beautiful than something else?

What are some student-centered philosophies?

Progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism

Who was Nel Noddings?

Progressivist who believes that an ethic of care can best be cultivated when the curriculum is centered on the interests of students. Schools are challenged to nourish the physical, spiritual, occupational, and intellectual development of each child.

Where did secular perennialism come from?

Robert Hutchins and Mortimer Adler in the US in the twentieth century

Who was Aristotle?

Student of Plato. 384-322BCE. Tutored Alexander the Great and then set up a school of his own called the Lyceum. He wrote works on biology, physics, astronomy, mathematics, psychology, and literary criticism. Placed more importance on the physical world than Plato. His beliefs were that of Plato in the universal, spiritual forms, and a scientist's belief that each animal, vegetable, and mineral we observe is undeniably real. He promoted the doctrine of the Golden Mean or the notion that virtue lies in a middle ground between two extremes. Courage for example is on one side by cowardice and on the other side is foolhardiness.

Who was Plato?

Student of Socrates. 427-347BCE. His writing was renowned for its depth, beauty and clarity. He used Socrates' questioning and challenging to present his own philosophy. He founded the Academy considered to be the world's first university.

How long has essentialism been a dominant influence in American education?

Since world war two because of sputnik's launch in 1957, the 1983 report A Nation at Risk, standardized testing mandated by No Child Left Behind, intense global economic competition, and increased immigration into the US.

Who was Bell Hooks?

Social Reconstructionist. Her theory of education engaged pedagogy helps students and teachers develop a critical consciousness of race, gender and class biases.

Who was George S. Counts?

Social reconstructionist who viewed education as an important tool to counter social injustices and make critical decisions.

When teaching deductive reasoning...?

Teachers present their students with a general rule and then help them identify particular examples and applications of the rule. Inductive reasoning works in the opposite manner. When teaching inductive reasoning, teachers help their students draw tentative generalizations after having observed specific instances of a phenomenon.

What did Mortimer Adler propose in his Paideia Proposal?

That a single elementary and secondary curriculum for all students is made with no electives other than choice of a second language

What did author Allan Bloom of The Closing of the American Mind believe?

That immigration and multiculturalism threaten the traditional american identity. He believed in Anglo-Saxon curriculum reflecting European traditions

What is spiritualism or idealism?

That matter is only known through the mind.

What is logic?

The branch of philosophy that deals with reasoning. It focuses on how to move from a set of assumptions to valid conclusions and examines the rules of interference that enable us to frame our propositions and arguments. Whereas epistemology defines reasoning as one way to gain knowledge, logic defines the rules of reasoning.

What was Plato's philosophy?

The human soul has three parts: intellect, spirit, and appetite. He believed these interact to determine human behavior. He urged the intellect was the highest faculty and should control the other two.

What is social darwinism with schools?

The idea that society is an ingenious sorting system where the more talented rise to the top while those less deserving find themselves at the bottom of the social and economic pecking order.

What do progressivists believe about Great Books?

The mind cannot be disciplined by them, rather it should be trained to analyze experience thoughtfully and draw conclusions objectively.

What is cartesian dualism?

The philosophy that reality is composed of materialism and idealism, body and mind, a belief associated with French philosopher Rene Descartes

What is a constructivism classroom like?

The teacher builds knowledge by gauging a student's prior knowledge and understanding then carefully orchestrating cues, penetrating questions, and instructional activities that challenge and extend a student's insight. Teachers can use scaffolding (questions, clues or suggestions) that help a student link prior knowledge to new info. Students and teachers constantly challenge their own assumptions.

What is the social reconstructionist classroom like?

The teacher creates lessons that intellectually inform and emotionally stir students about the inequities that surround them. They read books or exhibit photojournalist's exhibits for example, they might pursue long term projects to investigate issues. The teacher's role is a facilitator assisting students in focusing their questions, developing strategies, helping organize visits, and ensuring the data collected and analyzed meet standards of objectivity. The project is meant to improve society. For instance they may seek a pro bono attorney to initiate legal action to remedy a social injustice they found. A teacher sees if they met their educational goals through an objective, well-prepared report on one criterion for instance reducing or eliminating a racist community practice.

What is constructivism built off of?

The work of swiss and russian psychologists Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky and reflects on cognitive psychologists' view that the essence of learning is the constant effort to assimilate new info.

What is pragmatism?

Theory that the way to determine if an idea has merit is simple: test it.

How are perennialism and essentialism similar?

They both advocate teacher-centered classes, tolerate little flexibility in the curriculum, implement rigorous standards, aim to sharpen students' intellectual powers and enhance their moral qualities.

What happens as public schools emphasize the study of nature through scientific observation in their curriculum?

They deem that the material world is real and important

What are teacher-centered philosophies?

They emphasize the importance of transferring knowledge, information, and skills from the older (presumably wiser) generation to the younger one. The teacher's role is to instill respect for authority, perseverance, duty, consideration, and practicality. Schools and teachers are successful when students demonstrate through tests and writings they are competent in academic subjects and traditional skills through their actions that they have disciplined minds and adhere to traditional morals and behavior

What are the books taught in perennialist schools like?

They lack women, people of color and non-western ideas. They say training the mind is ageless and beyond demographic concerns and transient trends. Textbooks are also rare becuase these teachers see themselves as discussion seminar leaders and facilitators

What does a perennialist classroom look like?

They master the three R's- reading, riting, rithmetic. Reading is the most important. Values and character training through discussion on values and moral principles in a story are also key. High school has harder academic rigor with books from Homer, Shakespeare Darwin. Few electives are allowed.

What is oral tradition?

This is where spoken language becomes a primary method for instruction. Word problems teach reasoning skills, proverbs instill wisdom, and stories anecdotes and rhymes teach lessons about nature, history, religion, and social customs. Oral tradition refines communication and analytical skills, and reinforces human connections and moral values. Religious and moral lessons are passed on initially through oral communication.

What is the teacher's role in reconstructionist classrooms?

To explore social problems, suggest alternative perspectives, and facilitate student analysis of these problems. They must also model democratic principles.

What questions help shape a coherent and useful education philosophy?

What is the purpose of education? What content and skills should schools teach? How should schools teach this content? What are the proper roles for teachers and students? How should learning be measured?

Reconstructionist teachers and students are expected to live

and learn in a democratic manner; the students themselves must select educational electives and social priorities

Whereas metaphysics focus on what is

ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics are concerned with what ought to be. In these disciplines, philosophers grapple the issue of what we should value.

What are the challenges in a constructivism classroom?

ex- creating a new way to solve a math problem, letting go of an unfounded bias about an ethnic group, or connecting the role of religion to political movements.

Progressivism is the educational application of a philosophy called

pragmatism

Whereas educational empiricists would support

hands-on learning activities as the primary source for discovery and validation of information, rationalists would encourage schools to place a greater emphasis on teaching mathematics, as well as such nonempirical disciplines as philosophy and logic.

What did Socratic Method do?

promoted intellectual insights in his students, challenged the conventional ideas and traditions of his time.

What classes are typical of essentialist schools?

many English, history, math and science courses. They call math, science, history, foreign language, and literature the core curriculum or foundation of the curriculum. They frown upon electives. Students are not promoted to the next higher level until they master the required material. These classrooms are focused on teachers who serve as intellectual and moral role models. They place little emphasis on student interests. They rely on achievement test scores to evaluate progress and expect students will leave school possessing not only basic skills and extensive knowledge but also disciplined, practical minds, capable of applying schoolhouse lessons in the real world

How are non-western schools different than western schools?

more credence is placed on actual knowledge and mastery rather than educational documentation. Teachers and nonteachers are foreign concepts as all adults and older children teach the young in other cultures. Children learn through observation, conversation, assisting, and imitating while absorbing moral, intellectual, and vocational lessons. This is called informal education. Strong bonds are formed through the community with this.

What is metaphysics?

study of reality; they ask what is the nature of the world in which we live?

What do progressive teachers do?

since the curriculum is built around experiences, interests, and student abilities along with cooperativeness, they allow students to integrate several subjects in their studies. Monopoly may used for example to talk about capitalism vs socialism. computer simulations, field trips, and interactive websites offer realistic learning challenges for students and build on their multiple intelligences for example

What is ethnocentrism?

the tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to apply one's own culture as superior to others and fail to consider other cultures at all.

What is empiricism?

the view holding that sensory experiences are the only source of knowledge.