Educational ideas: Distortions and Confusions

About a 100 years ago, John Dewey was concerned that the then existing traditional school curriculum did not reflect the social, ethnic, industrial and economic changes that were sweeping through American society at the turn of the 20th century. The progressive nature of his pedagogical recommendations aimed toward greater importance being given to who the children in classrooms really were and what their backgrounds were. The questions his philosophy sought answers to were definitely focused on the child: what does the child know? What are the child’s prior experiences? What are the child’s interests? What has the child learned? What further experiences will propel the child’s development and learning? Unfortunately, there were those who took Dewey’s consideration for the individual child to an extreme by giving complete and unlimited freedom to the child. It was in response to this confusion over his intentions that Dewey wrote "Experience and Education" in 1938.

A recent article by Howard Garner about his Theory of Multiple Intelligence is strangely reminiscent of John Dewey’s attempt to set the record straight about Progressive Education. Great ideas are often privy to misinterpretations and distortions over time if they are implemented without being first thoroughly studied and understood within the context of which they emerged.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/16/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences-are-not-learning-styles/








On teachers and teaching

The NY Times article this morning on Charter Schools started me thinking about teachers and what is good teaching. Are we preparing our teachers to educate children's minds or train them for careers? Neoliberal policies are making it more and more challenging to prepare and be the kind of teachers who will help children become successful human beings first and then successful professionals second. J. Krishnamurti reminds us that "In our relationship with children and young people, we are not dealing with mechanical devices that can be quickly repaired, but with living beings who are impressionable, volatile, sensitive, afraid, affectionate; and to deal with them we have to have great understanding, the strength of patience and love". The quickly-acquired technical knowledge and use of assessment tools, rubrics and check lists serve to evaluate the least important facets of children's development and growth. The act of real teaching requires dedication, commitment and a deep understanding of the teaching-learning process that can't happen in two years. It takes time, patience, practice, dedication and a mind open to growth and self-improvement to be a good teacher...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/27/education/at-charter-schools-short-careers-by-choice.html?pagewanted=all




Cultural Worldviews Shape Parenting and Teaching Styles

There is a brand new study on the Culture of the American Family that was just done by a team at The Institute of Advanced Studies for Culture out of the University of Virginia that highlights four primary Parenting Styles. I served on the Academic Advisory Council of this study for the last three years and have particpated in discussions as this cross-national study was initiated and brought to fruition. The findings were released yesterday at a Press Conference and are mentioned in the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/which-kind-of-parent-are-you_n_21376...

The most interesting point made is that parenting "is not a system you choose, but an outgrowth of who you are; you don't select it as much as you let it find you. What is "good" parenting depends on the life you've lived and the values you hold".

That, to me, reinforces the directions of my own scholarship: the powerful role of culture and worldview on how we choose to parent or teach. It is hard to pick up a guide or read a book to become the kind of parent or teacher you wish to be. There are forces that run stronger and deeper than an intellectual understanding of how we're expected to conduct ourselves as parents or teachers within a given climate or zeitgeist. Our practices as a parent or teacher are profoundly influenced by the way we internalized these roles through our own socio-cultural-historical experiences. Our practices are profoundly informed by the values we prioritize most.

"Why do we all look at this same role -- parenting -- and see so many different and disparate ways? It is because, this school of thought argues, we are all looking out through different windows, and therefore looking onto entirely different worlds".

It is because of these different windows of understanding that, although we look at the same view we see different images. Our understanding of good teaching is shaped by the image we have of who a child is or who a teacher is. Thus teaching and learning are processes that are specifically shaped by cultural worldviews.

I will discuss this more in my next post.

Shopping for Preschools

On one hand, the onset of Spring brings blossoming tulips and magnolias here in the north-east, heralding the approach of warmer, longer, sunnier days. On the other hand, it brings the much dreaded admissions decision season as pre-schools and kindergartens in the city begin the process of informing parents whether their child was admitted or rejected or wait-listed. The season becomes joyful if the news is good, and can become colder and greyer than winter if families get a rejection letter. The admissions season begins in early fall, or even  late summer, as embarking on school tours and completing application forms seem to take up every waking moment of parents of  toddlers as they strive for that "best" preschool for the beloved apple of their eyes. I can only remind families that there is no one "best" school. Rather, the school that is right for your toddler is the one that works best for you as a family. As a former Director of Admissions of an Upper West Side Independent Nursery/Kindergarten school I was interviewed a few years ago on how to shop for preschools. The points I made at that time still hold good and are available at the following link. As parents of toddlers prepare to launch into next year's admissions season they might want to take a deep breath and read these pointers:

http://www.kwwl.com/story/8011505/shopping-for-preschools