It is surely no news to anyone that American education is in a state of increasing confusion. Confusion has never been absent from the educational scene in this century, but it has grown progressively worse. There are various reasons for the unsettled state of affairs: one is the rapid pace of technology and industrialism and the inability of the schools to adapt themselves to these alterations in society. There are many increasing requirements of students in life after school that schools have been unable to prepare students properly. Is it because of the traditional beliefs of basic curricula? The traditional essentialists believe in a true "Back to Basics" curriculum. This incorporates traditional core of knowledge such as: reading, math, and language. I believe this is the core of our educational problem. If one is prepared how to learn and think with this in mind, he may prepare himself for the later challenges in life by working his way through the process himself. This is my platform. We must prepare our children with basic needed knowledge that can work for them anytime in their life.
It is appropriate to point out that amid all the activities directed toward the rehabilitation of education, the claims and counterclaims, not to mention the proliferation of gadgetry. One strategic question was rarely raised: What are the purposes that education should serve? Or more simply, What is teaching for?
This crucial question has always been wither ignored completely or dismissed as futile, irrelevant, or dull. One way to address the situation is to conclude that all the ferment, which some have even discribed as constituting an "education revolution," is simply an aimless, though elaborate, messing around with methodology, new tricks of the trade, and elements of the existing structure. In other words, it is an affair of all means and no ends, there is enough truth in the view to make it reasonable tenable, but the real truth lies deeper. A thesis that offers a more comprehensive explanation of the phenomenon is that nobody say anything about educational purposes because of an assumption that they are so well established, well known, and widely accepted, that discussing them is a waste of time and a dull occupation in contrast to the heady subject of "educational innovation."
If this thesis is correct, it certainly is testimony to the potency of American essentialism and its strong hold on American education. Essentialists cannot afford, however, to compromise on the objectives themselves, and there is little sign that they intend to or that they will find it necessary to do so, given the present trend.
It is not a pleasant task to suggest that most of the devoted effort, good will, and money that is going into making of "the revolution in education" will come to little or nothing. Every person surely has the righ to be his or her own prophet of history, but let it be remembered that we have a history of efforts at educational reform and we have sufficient perspective to learn something from them. There is no guarantee that we shall do so; the probability appears to lie in the other direction. Nevertheless, a legitimate role of the enterprise is to analyze past experience to avoid the possible mistakes and pitfalls that lie in the future.
Pictures courtesty of:
Expect the Best From the Girl
http://www.academic.org
email:msm@trinitydc.edu
pic:girls.gif
Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc.
http://www.tiac.net/users/ckassoc
email:ckassoc@tiac.net
pics: atplay.gif
schoolhouse.gif
Miss Porter's School-Summer Challenge
http://www.mps.pvt.k12.ct.us/summerchallenge.html
pics: sci.gif
earth.gif
girlsclass.gif
References:
Butler, J.D. (1957). Four philosophies: And their practice in education and religion. New York: Harper Publishing.
Weber, C.O. (1960) Basic Philosophies of education. New York.
To make Parents, Teachers, Students, Principal, and School Administrators aware that school curriculum and policy are of great importance to a healthy education and complete organization of thought. Parents will compare and contrast the alternatives in education to essentialist views as they learn the characteristics of both. They will understand what is wrong with the schools, who has ideas to fix the problems, and the benefits of essentialism in the schools.
To understand essentialism characteristics and policies to be demonstrated in school for the benefit of the students. They will hopefully understand this technique of classroom organization and teacher authority will benefit them fully for future learning ability.
In each class, a lecture and experiment of every teaching technique will be demonstrated. The students will decide for themselves their opinions on the techniques that work best for their benefit. They will go through every teaching strategy, foundations of education, and learn that the teachers today use the best teaching technique to their ability. It will make students aware that structured classrooms and teacher authority is crucial for every student to get the most out of his or her education.
Informational booklet on all types of teaching techniques and school curriculum structure. Daily attendance is required for effective learning.
Divide students into different classes. Have each teacher in the department illustrate a different philosophy of teaching. The students will remain in these classes under the same teacher until experiment is concluded.
PURPOSES OF SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
Essentialists observations have concluded that the purpose of the school has always been the transmission of sominant social and economic values and that the structure which has developed is a bureacracy. They (modern day essentialists) note that there is always a functional relationship between the purposes the school seek to schieve and organization of the institution.
THE MEANING OF ESSENTIALISM
What is essentialism? What does it stand for? The most current definition is an approach of conservative political and social philosophy. The main idea is to make all of education an intellectual enterprise, a teaching and in fact, a training of the mind in those aspects of life that lead to intelligence and capable abilities to function in society both as a citizen and one economically able to care for oneself.
ADVOCATES OF ESSENTIALISM
Such advocates of essentialists views are: Arthur Bestor, Hyman Rickover, and recently, Lynn Chaney and William Bennett. They claim that it may be religious and it may be secular, but it rests upon elitist principles, holding to a core of essential subject as the received tradition to pass down and to the rigors of intellectual discipline in the development and the use of the mind. However, in practice, most of the courses taught, for instance at the university, are taught by lecture, by working out practice problems, and in laboratories. This implies an Essentialist approach, one whereby the content is transmitted by the teacher and text which are the main authorities of the knowledge to be learned. The students are usually passive recipients of the material given. The material may be religious and it may be secular, but it rests upon elitist principles, holding to a core of essential subjects as the received tradition to pass down and to the rigors of intellectual discipline in the development and the use of the mind. Essentialism uses traditional learning with participants (students) seared in traditional rows with the teacher at the head of the class.
Their beliefs are that his is the most effective ways in which a student can learn and benefit from knowledge ideally.
ESSENTIALISTS POLICIES, AIMS, AND GOALS
Essentialist Policies and Aims prepared a worksheet on what they goals of education were in their options. (This information in statements are excerpted from a report prepared by the survey committee for the Board of Education, San Francisco Unified School Destrict.)
The purpose of education is to inform the mind and develop the intelligence. Curriculum requirements must be academic in nature and should train in subject matter. Need excellence in education. Academic achievement should be given high recognition. Need the spirit of competition especially in the elementary schools. External examinations should be given and a competency-based exam should determine grade level and promotion. Achievement should be an evaluation in letter grades. No automatic promotion. Group students by ability and merit. Cover the same subject for all students, but at different depths for each ability group. In high school, there should be separate fixed curricular areas--academic, commercial, vocational, the arts, etc. Have solid subjects with prescribed and defined content. Stress basic disciplines with an eye to the preparation for the next level. Teach respect for learning. Discipline the mind. Eliminate all classroom interruptions in the school.
A stand is taken for every teacher, whether or not he or she should stand firm in his belief of traditional values and classroom policies. If this thesis is correct, it certainly is testimony to the potency of American essentialism and its hold on education. Essentialists cannot sfford, however, to compromise on the objectives themselves, and there are signs that they intend to or that they will find it necessary to do so, given the present trend.
Long-Term Objective
Short-Term Objective
Specific Lesson Objective
Materials
Procedures
No grade would be assigned for this experiment. Hopefully students and teachers would feel that the views of the essentialism philosophy carry the best setup and learning atmosphere in schools. They would clearly see that there is no other effective way other than structured classrooms, absolute teacher authority, and basic knowledge needed for a strong foundation in education able to be built upon throughout their educational experience.