The Journey is Almost Over....Into the
Those Nitty Gritty Courses
...and that means papers!
This one started out as NOT my favorite. I even referred to it as a 'stupid assignment', regressing into my 12 year-old's view of the world ;)
Can't you just tell that he knows EVERYTHING ?
Find your Top 10 Philosophers, and their theories of Education. It seems I've lost the ability to read, and regurgitate...I just have to insinuate myself, my classroom, my content into everything!!
How did we get here? After all, I
spend a significant part of my day, my life, embedded in education. I am a public school teacher, an institution
with a long and significant history in our culture, and in the history of
civilization. I am a student, always. I am a student of my students, I am a
student of my own evolution, and I am a student in pursuit of my master’s in
education. A goal so close I can taste it. So, it does seem relevant to reflect
on the historical significance of how educational theory has developed. This is
the task, and a daunting one since I know well, that this is an area outside of
my strengths.
In
the beginning….or at least the classical period of philosophy there were the
big three. We have all heard of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. Early Greece
forms the picture for me of what early culture and civilization embodied, and
therefore I felt compelled to delve in to it. Throughout this research, I am
amazed at the paradox of how both everything has changed, and yet, so much
remains the same. Classical education focused on the full development of the
individual as a whole person. The end result being that a fully realized person
is capable of contributing to the society or culture in any of multiple
directions. I believe this truth to still be true, with the stated caveat that
we each have our own potentials in certain areas, therefore the goal is to live
up to, or educate up to that level. In
this setting, a Trivium was followed as the path a child follows in education
beginning with a grammar phase, then a logic/dialectic stage, and then as they
near adulthood, the rhetoric stage. Socrates the educator, challenged his
pupils to then rise through the “levels of reality to the highest, truest
knowledge of what is”.
I
was struck by the first time I saw Socrates dialogues described as rambling. I
had thought him so revered, and knowledgeable. As I read on, it was made clear
by several authors, that they were describing his technique, which then seemed
very familiar to me. First he would look at an idea from as many points of view
as possible, as we do as teachers, to find that one key to engagement for each
of our students. As embedded as we are in 21st Century Learning, I
couldn’t help but see this as a version of, the teacher as facilitator. This
transition we are in now, maybe it is getting back to basics really. We guide
our students to their own realization, because our realizations are useless to
them. In the cave analogy, Socrates uses some reverse psychology, and some
acceptance of where Glaucon is in his own development, to guide him, indirectly
towards his own discoveries. Another current thought that lies in Socrates
dialogues is that once an individual becomes educated, they must put this
enlightenment to work, to give back, to raise the level of the cave, the city,
the society. His educational philosophy in the Republic is more difficult for
me to understand. Socrates, as all
science I believe, struggled with nature and education, or as is commonly
stated, nature and nurture, believing the education can lead to a rise in
nature.
Since
I enjoy seeing the big picture. I chose next to learn about a completely
different and just as intriguing perspective, Confucius. His life ended as
Socrates life began yet I imagine their lives and culture as so much more diverse.
It appears that they both have similar reputations in their cultures, as being
founding teachers. Where Socrates believed all people had the capacity for
education, Confucius was radical in his culture for offering equal education
for all. At the time, education was reserved for the noble families. My reading
still refers to all, as all men. His premises appeal to me, and as a teacher,
are necessary, that everyone is good at heart (nature), and capable of acting
on it, knowing it. One of his later
followers contended that evil and ignorance comes from the failure to
development these given abilities. Where Socrates pressed for the development
of knowledge through dialogue and stories, Confucius’s view was that real
knowledge was self-knowledge. Ultimately they were quite similar in their goal
for individuals to reach their personal potential and that this was the
preparation needed for life. Several authors mentioned that Confucius believed
that those who did not want to learn could not be taught. Hmmm…seems so basic,
yet contrary to our belief of an education for all, hence the continuing saga
of how do we reach each individual? The Greek were verbose, with lengthy
dialogues and writings, giving students the opportunity to swim in it and find
what resonated for them. In contrast, Confucius gave some pearls that had to be
tumbled and looked at through many angles to detect how to unlock its higher
meaning. I think Yoda is a contemporary of this type of teaching.
Medieval
philosophy is fascinating in it’s entanglement with religion. This is also the
reason I struggle with it. There is also the unfortunate name, medieval, or
‘in-between time’. That makes it sound less significant. However, in terms of
education, there is the formation of a more recognizable system, in more
recognizable cultures, for us. Western Europe developed monastic schools, which
led to the monasteries that we are familiar with. The Greek-like tradition of
following the teachings of an individual master continued. Then there were the
Cathedral schools and Universities. The Cathedral schools being larger and
associated with a particular church or bishop and, like the Monastic schools,
were centers of religious training. A dominant Cathedral school that attracted
a wide variety of students could become a University. The university as we know it, it is a collection
of colleges, each specializing in it’s own subject. This is where we begin to
see these, originally as the arts, law, medicine, and theology. This is when
philosophy and religion joined. Any philosophy that threatened religion was not
readily taught, such as Aristotle’s metaphysics.
Two
philosophers of this time, who did align with Aristotle, were Thomas Aquinas,
and John Duns Scotus. They both believed that knowledge has two forms, sensory
and intellect, and that abstraction is how the intellect translates sensory
information into understanding. They
both used philosophy to develop their theorems of proof of the existence of God
and believed that metaphysics was a real theoretical science, which put them at
odds with the Pope. (It is difficult to NOT put this in context of the papal
decisions going on today.) Aristotle believed that all concepts come from
creatures, and to that, Scotus would reply, “where will that analogous concept
come from?”. This sort of repartee seems to be the nature of their
relationship.
As
a Health Educator, I am caught by some of the topics of Thomas Aquinas. Parents
as primary educators seems an eternal concept. However, he goes further. In the Suma Contra Gentiles, a book that seems
to ‘sell’ Christianity to non-believers, he discusses sexual and marital ethics
such as “why simple fornication is a sin to divine law, and why marriage is
natural”. (Again, current events, DOMA etc..are hard to keep out, especially
since his contemporary Scotus, and SCOTUS). He further delineates the roles
each parent is better suited for. He recognized the ‘family’ and ‘state’ as two
different societies, and that the state should not interfere with the functions
of the family. I believe that my entire curriculum would be considered
‘family’, yet here we are, 2013, and it is ‘state’. That aside, Aquinas seems
to adhere, after determining that a man, and not just God, can be a teacher, to
the idea of the teacher as a leader – leading the student to learn. What is
worth learning? Science, mathematics, natural philosophy, and metaphysics.
Logic will be the method of learning.
As
a bridge from Medieval to Enlightenment periods, Descartes was hailed the
“Father of Modern Philosophy”. He did
not believe that all knowledge came from the senses, as Aristotelians did, and
he also refined his metaphysical beliefs by making clear distinctions between the
body and mind. His quest for absolutes, something not subject to doubt, begins
with “I exist”. He manages to extend this to God. Eventually getting to “Je
pense donc je suis”, translated to the famous, “I think therefore I am”. His
metaphor of philosophy, describes the important subjects of education. The
roots are metaphysics, the braches fall into three major categories, medicine,
mechanics and morals.
The
Enlightenment again resonates with 21st Century Learning objectives.
As this is the ‘age of reason’, critical thinking and civic engagement are
mentioned. This time period is very influential in the establishment of our own
society and educational practice. My heart sides with Rousseau, the romantic,
and his ideal of a peaceable kingdom of ‘noble savages’. My independent streak
follows Voltaire, the writer’s name, who embraced freedom of religion. So this
is the Enlightenment that the Medieval time was holding place for. It does seem
to be a round about route back to Plato’s The
Republic.
Kant
moves us to consider space and time. He agrees that most knowledge is gained
from experience, the senses, what we see, hear, and touch in our surroundings
but, we also have innate knowledge. He called these a ‘priori’ which is Latin
for ‘from the beginning’. When it came to education, obedience was his
doctrine. Apparently, some see this as the obvious reaction to the disobedience
of the original sin. I feel we are trying to dig out of a very Kant inspired
school structure where, routine, structure, and obedience. What about
motivation? As to the child’s
proper motivation: “One often hears is said that we should put everything
before children in such a way that they shall do it from inclination. In some
cases, it is true, this is all very well, but there is much besides which we
must place before them as duty. For in the paying of rates and taxes, in the
work of the office, and in many other cases, we must be led, not by
inclination, but by duty. "Even though a child should not be able to see
the reason of a duty, it is nevertheless better that certain things should be
prescribed to him in this way …” I feel that I hear
this today. His counterpart Locke saw it his way, from his Some
Thoughts concerning Education (1692):“I
am very apt to think, that great severity of punishment does but very little
good; nay, great harm in education: And I believe it will be found, that, ceteris paribus, those children who
have been most chastised, seldom make the best men.” And finally a quote
from Kant that really speaks to the dissatisfaction of education today where so
many kids truly ‘hate’ school: “Children should sometimes be released from the
narrow constraint of school, otherwise their natural joyousness will soon be
quenched”. This sounds contrary to good education to me, so I wonder why it
stuck? I see a kind of detachment from thinking of children as humans, more
like pods in need of development.
Bridging
the gap between Enlightenment and Modern philosophy is the Post-Enlightenment.
We are in the Age of Idealism. Enter
Dewey, well known for his “Democracy and Education”. He believed that education
was intrinsic to the “social continuity of life” and further stated that
education was a necessity because the nature of life is to die, implying that
education ensured continuity. There is so much in his work that resonates
today. Conservative views of education as the standards, taught conventionally
versus, inquiry based education, as well as the more liberal or broad view of
subject matters versus the distinct vocational skills.
Emma
Willard was American; she was born in Connecticut, as the 16th of 17
children! She was fortunate that her father was unconventional and thought
females were just as worthy of an education as males were. She was a reformer
to me, going on to establish the first secondary school for females despite
being denied financial means by the state of NY. The school endures today. Her
selling arguments would be cringe worthy today but were a smart tactic to appeal
to the male audience. She gave multiple reasons for educating females such as,
“If, then, women were properly fitted by
instruction, they would likely teach children better than the other sex: they
could afford to do it cheaper: and those men who would otherwise be engaged in
this employment might be at liberty to add to the wealth of the nation”. Thank
you Emma Willard for getting female education started in the U.S.
Montessori,
the higher alternative to the slower change that is the public schools. I am
ashamed to say that I do not know much about this, and I am intrigued that at
least two of our class members have been trained in this. Without exception,
the information I find about Montessori education all state that; “it must be
observed to be understood”. Dr. Maria
Montessori stated in The Absolute Mind that “To aid life, leaving it free,
however, to unfold itself, that is the basic task of the educator”. Again, the
teacher in the role of facilitator. I am so glad that so many have realized
this and so…embarrassed…that so many people, who are teachers believe that they
are the fountains of knowledge, imparting it to their students. Often I found
words or analogies to nature in this research…tending as if a garden,
cultivating learning, sowing the seeds, capacity to grow. This methodology
seems to build on the sensory route for learning discussed earlier. Gaining
knowledge through the senses and then developing an understanding of that
knowledge, as the means of educating the child. This has been a common thread.
Henry
David Thoreau has always held allure. Who has not wanted to go out into the
woods to experience living with oneself? I surely have a hundred times. I spent
many summer days at Walden Pond when my oldest was just an infant. We would walk
along and I would try to imagine what it must have looked like back then, and
how the peace and serenity may have influenced Thoreau’s pacifist nature. I
knew he left teaching because he wouldn’t use corporal punishment. Education
was still in that time of obedience and routine, children were less what? Less
human? Less valuable? They were a work in progress. Thoreau taught through
conversation. This circles us back to Socrates and the dialogue. The Socratic
Seminar has been revived lately. I find it is a great way to get students to
question and push each other. Character education and a sense of connectedness
are integral in his philosophy. “Thoreau reminds us that we need to have
respect for our selves (conscience), others (society), and nature
(stewardship).”
Contemporary
philosophy has many branches, too many to cover here. There were a couple of
people I wanted to learn more about and I will end with a brief discussion of
them. Because I have never had the opportunity to take time to study the female
philosophers, I feel I have always just been presented with the usual, male,
suspects.
I
was alive but somehow missed the Malcolm X years. Maybe it was that I was
growing up in eastern Long Island, in a
high school with one black student. His story is impressive, Nebraska to
Harlem, to the streets, to jail. Then there was the self-recognition that he
was nearly illiterate and the devotion to improve. The politics being what they
were, an angry black man, who was well read, self-taught in jail, and dedicated
to teaching young students that white America had brainwashed them, well, that
was definitely a threat to the status quo.
I am unclear, though I read quite a bit, of his educational philosophy
other than he thought that education was essential, to raising black people up
from discrimination. Turning from his anger to bell hooks seems a necessity.
What
better motivation than hope? I believe teaching does require hope, and faith in
learning. Her early education, as she describes it sounds heavenly. All black
schools, taught by black women who were determined to help a generation use
education for betterment, to ignite them with knowledge. Then her descriptions
of the post-busing ‘all white’ school sound so opposite, obedience, no fire, no
threats were tolerated. Thank goodness she was already engaged with learning
and determined to teach and write. “It is imperative that we maintain hope even
when the harshness of reality may suggest the opposite” is a quote from one of
her mentor’s Paulo Friere. You can hear how that sentiment would resonate with
her. She advocated holistic education, and reflection on the part of students
as well as teachers, to care for themselves as practitioners.
Teachers, philosophers, and thinkers have shaped
education for thousands of years. It is continuing to evolve today. It can be
rewarding and disheartening. It is valuable to see the perseverance of
knowledge as an expression of our innate potential. Although many ideas are
constant which could feel like a lack of progress, it seems quite the opposite,
for these ideas to stand the test of time, through all these ages, makes it more
valuable. Our audience changes but we are always trying to get them hooked on
self-discovery, critical thinking, exploring ideas, with no end in sight.
References:
hooks,
bell (1994) Teaching to Transgress. Education os the practice of freedom.
London: Pluto Press.
Burke,
B. (2004) ‘bellhooks on education’, the encyclopedia of informal education.
Philosophy
of Education by Hsueh-Li Cheng
Sun,
Qi (2008) Confucian Educational Philosophy and it’s Implications for Lifelong
Learning and Lifelong Education.Philadelphia: Routledge
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/education-philosophy/
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