Philosophy and Politics
As I read this chapter, I felt like I was being given a history lesson on how education and the process of teaching has evolved within our world. Wow…education sure has changed tremedously since the early nineteenth century. From how we teach academics…to the teaching of social tasks…to how church played a dominent role in the school classroom. What a transformation! This chapter discussed six philosophies of education…3 which are considered “traditional” and 3 that are considered “progressive.” In looking at the tables on pgs. 78-79, I made a note while reading that I have experienced both in the classroom as a student…I think though more of the “traditional” philosophy of education. As I read over the characteristics of both, I think that the traditional philosophy lends itself to more of a strict and authoritarian type of classroom environment. As I read over the progressive table, I see it as allowing students more choice in the education and they way in which they learn. When I look at both these tables, I think as educators we are stepping more into the progressive philosophy of teaching, but that doesn’t mean that we should abandon the entire traditional philosophy completely. It was interesting for me to read about the textbooks and how they changed through time. It was interesting that the progressive education movement began in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Progressive education focused on the ”how” we teach, not so much the “what,” although that was important too. I found this interesting because I really feel that for the most part, school and learning was not about choice for me…I was never given a choice in the way that I learned. I found school very boring and to be honest, didn’t really care about my performance in elementary and middle school. It wasn’t personal and I think that is what was lacking. Maybe it was immaturity at the time, but I can’t help but wonder what my experience may have been like if I had actually been inspired.
I liked reading about Jane Addams. What an inspiration she was to the immigrants…she argued that “while everyone should learn a common culture…immigrants should also retain and be proud of their home cultures.” What if everyone thought like this…what a different society we would live in. I think culture is so important to teach within the classroom and I think sometimes, this is why some students fall behind…I think it is part of why a gap still remains. What if every teacher took a magnifing glass to their students’ culture? I wonder how their teaching would change…I wonder how much their students would transform.
As I read further, the author talked about how the concept of construction is essential to both learning and knowledge…I agree! However, if this idea was established in the 1970’s, then why is it that I didn’t experience this kind of teaching until I began teaching in the classroom? I feel like I missed out somehow. It is so important to focus on the process, not so much the product…that’s how we learn and retain the knowledge learned. There are so many things I was “taught” that if asked today, I wouldn’t remember. It’s a shame really. I almost feel like sometimes I need to go back to history 101 to at least feel like I can take part in some conversations. Making learning meaningful is key! This is not an easy task, but it is one that I think can be done.
