My Foundations Of Education

1. Philosophy of Education

1.1. Pragmatism is a philosophy that encourages people to find processes that work in order to achieve their desired needs. Pragmatists are action oriented, and experimentally grounded. John Dewey's form of pragmatism, instrumentalism and experimentalism, was founded on the new psychology, behaviorism, and the philosophy of pragmatism. Key researchers and founders of this school of thought include, George Sanders Pierce, William James, and John Dewey. The goal of education, in pragmatism, is the idea that the school should be the central institution for societal and personal improvement, and to do so by balancing a complex set of processes. In pragmatism, the role of the teacher is to assume the peripheral position of the facilitator. The teacher encourages, offers suggestions, questions, and helps plan and implement curriculum. The method of instruction and curriculum in Pragmatism is non-traditional and formal instruction is abandoned. Children are aloud to converse freely with one another and move around as they please.

2. Schools as Organizations

3. Curriculum and Pedagogy

4. Equality of Opportunity

5. Educational Inequality

6. Educational Reform

7. Politics Of Education

7.1. The four purposes of education are intellectual, political, social, and economic. The intellectual purposes of education are to teach basic cognitive skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics. The political purposes of education are to inculcate allegiance to the existing political order (patriotism), to prepare citizens who will participate in this political order (e.g, in the democracies); to help assimilate diverse cultural groups into a common political order; and to teach children the basic laws of society. The social purposes of education are to help solve social problems; to work as one of many institutions, such as the family and the church (or synagogue) to ensure social cohesion; and to socialize children into various roles, behaviors, and values of the society. Lastly, the economic purposes of education are to prepare students for their later occupational roles and to select, train, and allocate individuals into the division of labor. The conservative perspective sees the role of the school as providing the necessary educational training to ensure that the most talented and hard-working individuals receive the tools necessary to maximize economic and social productivity. The conservative perspective views the role of the school as essential to both economic and productivity and social stability.

8. History Of U.S Education

8.1. The reform movement that I think has had the most influence on education, is one led by Horace Mann of Massachusetts. Horace, a successful lawyer, gave up his career to bring to life his idea of a free public education for all, which would eventually come true. Mann also lobbied for a state board of education and when when one was created in 1837, he became its first secretary.

9. Sociological Perspectives

9.1. The theoretical perspective concerning functionalism, views society as a kind of machine, where one part articulates with another to produce the dynamic energy required to make society work. In the conflict theory, pertaining to the relationship between school and society, conflict theorists emphasize struggle. They view schools as battlefields where students struggle against teachers, teachers against administrators, and so on. Lastly, the intellectual theory on the relation of school is made up of critiques and extensions of the functional and conflict perspectives. International theories attempt to make the common-place strange by turning on their heads every day taken-for-granted behaviors and interactions between students and students, and between students and teachers. The behavior of teachers has a great impact on students. Teachers serve as instructional leaders for students, set standards, and influence self-esteem and sense of efficiency. Knowledge and attitude has much impact on students also. Research has shown that the more education individuals receive, the more likely they are to read newspapers, books, and magazines, and to take part in politics and public affairs. Education and knowledge is also directly related to a students self-esteem and it has been proven that more years of schooling leads to greater knowledge. An education is substantially important when it comes to employment. Research has shown that large organizations, such as corporations, require high levels of education for white-collar, managerial or administrative jobs.