1. Philosophy of Education
1.1. Pragmatism-is a philosophy that encourages people to find processes that work in order to achieve their desired ends.
1.2. Generic notions- forms of pragmatism: instrumental and experimentalism was founded on the new psychology, behaviorism and the philosophy of pragmatism. The attainment of a better society through education. Key researchers- John Dewey, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, Francis Bacon Goal of Education- Schools should balance the needs of society and community on one hand the needs of the individual on the other. School's role was to instill democratic and cooperative values in children so they would be prepared as adults to transform the social order into a more democratic one. Role of Teachers- The teacher in no longer the authoritative figure from which all knowledge flows, rather the teacher assumes the position of facilitator. The teacher encourages, offers suggestions, questions, and helps plan and implement courses of study. Method of instruction: The children learn both individually and in groups. Involved in the problem-solving method. Field trips and projects tat reconstructed some aspect of the child's course of study were used. Children go about learning in nontraditional yet natural ways. Curriculum-
2. Schools as Organizations
3. Equality of Opportunity
4. Educational Inequality
5. Educational Reform
5.1. The reform movement that I think had the most influence on education is the struggle for free public education. This reform movement was led by Horace Mann of Massachusetts. This man bullied for a State Board of Education, which the Massachusetts created in 1836.Mann is viewed as one of America's greatest educational reformist.
5.2. One historical interpretation of U.S. Education was the responsibility the school was charged wth from its very inception, the school was charged with assuming roles that once were the province of family, Church and community.
6. Curriculum and Pedagogy
7. Politics of Education
7.1. Four Purposes of Education
7.1.1. Intelectual-To teach basic cognitive skills such as reading, writing and mathematics,to transmit specific knowledge and to help students acquire thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
7.1.2. Political - To insulate allegiance to the existing political order, to prepare citizens who will participate in this political order, to help assimilate diverse cultural groups into a common political order and teach children the basic laws of society.
7.1.3. Social-These are to help solve social problems, to work as one of many instructions, such as family and the church to ensure social cohesion and to socialize children into the various roles, behaviors and values of the society.
7.1.4. Economic - this purpose is to prepare students for their later occupational roles and to select train and allocate individuals into the division of labor.
7.2. The Role of The School
7.2.1. Explanation of Unequal Performance
7.2.2. Liberals- Argue that students begin school with different life chances and therefore some groups have significantly more advantages than others. Society must attempt through policies and programs to equalize the playing field so disadvantaged students have a better chance.
7.2.3. Radicals- agree students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds began with unequal opportunities but think the economic system, not the educational system should be addressed to ameliorated the changes in the political-economic structure
7.2.4. Educational Problems
7.2.5. Conservative-1. Lowered academic standards and reduced educational quality often referred to as the decline of standards. 2.Respond to the need of all cultural groups and multicultural groups often referred to as the decline of cultural literacy. 3. In response to teach moral standards and values and the need that every cultures standards are equal this lead to the decline of values or of civilizations. 4. In response to liberal and radical demands for individuality and freedom schools lost traditional disciplinary function and this problem lead to the decline of authority. 5. because the are state controlled and are immune from the laws of competitive free market schools are stifled by bureaucracy and inefficiency.
7.2.6. Liberal- 1. Schools have often limited the life chances of poor and minority children and the problem of underachievement exist. 2. Schools place too much emphasis on discipline and authority thus limiting the real of helping students develop as individuals. 3. the differences in equality and climate between urban and suburban schools and most specifically between schools with students of low socioeconomic backgrounds and high socioeconomic backgrounds is a central problem related to inequalities of results. 4. The traditional curriculum leaves out the diverse cultures of the groups that comprise the pluralistic society.
7.3. 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 productivity and social stability.
7.4. The Liberal perspective stresses the training and socialization functions of the school sees these aims differently. it stresses the school's role in providing the necessary education to ensure that all students have and equal opportunity to succeed in society.
8. Curriculum & Pedagogy
8.1. 1. the Humanist curriculum reflects the idealist philosophy that knowledge of the traditional liberal arts is the cornerstone of an educated citizenry and the purpose of education is to present to students the best of what has been thought and written.
8.1.1. two dominant traditions of teaching are the memetic tradition and transformative tradition. The memetic tradition is transmission of factual and procedural knowledge from one person to another through an essentially imitative process. Transformative tradition is transformation of one kind or another in the person being taught.
9. Equality of Opportunity
9.1. 1. Class is different students in different social classes and have different kinds of educational experiences. Class is related to parental income and children performance. 2..Race- an individual race has a direct impact on how much education he or she is likely to achieve and educational outcomes. 3. Gender - an individuals gender is related to educanial attainment. Women are rated as being better students than men.
9.1.1. What were two responses from the Coleman Study of 1982? Differences among schools do make a difference. Private schools were more effective learning environments than public schools because they place more emphasis on academic activities and private schools enforce discipline in a way that is consistent with student achievement. School that are less bureacratic and more academically oriented are better learning environments for students. Schools going to a high-poverty school or a highly segregated African American school has a profound effect on a students achievement outcomes.
10. Cultural Deprivation
10.1. Two types of cultural deprivation theory are cultural and familial disadvantages and social and economic disadvantages. One type of cultural difference theory sees working-class and non-white students as resisting the dominate culture of the school.These students reject the white middle class culture of academic success and embrace an anti school culture. Another type is economically disadvantaged students. These children have lower levels of achievement.
10.1.1. Describe 4 school explanations for educational inequality. Genetic differences accounts for a small portion of inequality. These children inherit biological explanations of human behavior such as mental illness. Cultural difference state that these students arrive at school with different cultural dispositions without the skills and attitudes required by the school. School financing is another explanation for educational inequality. More affluent schools are able to provide more per-pupil spending than poorer communities. Another difference is curriculum and ability grouping. the fact that different groups of students in the same school perform differently and need to be taught at a different pace. Gender is another way that schooling often limits. Sometimes genders are given special privileges because of sports. And some think women are better students.
11. Educational Reform
11.1. School based reforms are items such as Presidents Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, which authorized several federal education program that are administered by the states. This act's major focus was to close student achievement gaps by providing all children with a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. Another school based reforms is President Obama's Race to the Top (RTT). This provided grants created to spur and reward innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education.
11.2. School Choice, charter schools and tuition vouchers are items of political reforms. These allow for grater parental choice and involvement. Another reform is that of teacher quality. The process of how to recruit and retain high quality teachers. Nearly all state accountability systems focus on rewards and sanctions. There are also school finance reforms.
12. History of U.S.Education
12.1. Conservative
12.1.1. Liberal
12.1.1.1. Radical
12.1.1.1.1. Neo-liberal Perspectives
12.1.1.1.2. Neo-Liberal reform is often a synthesis of conservative and liberal perspectives. It suggests that rather than providing equality of opportunity for low-income children, it has systematically reproduced inequalities through failing schools for these students, a claim reminiscent of Bowles and Gintis's Schooling in Capitalist America.
12.1.1.2. The radical viewpoint is based on the writings of German economist and philosopher Karl Marx. The Radical viewpoint suggests that the capitalist system produces fundamental contradictions that will lead to a transformation into socialism.
12.1.2. The liberal viewpoint has its origins in the 1900's and is based on the words of John Dewey and progressivism. The perspective is concerned with equality and balancing the economic productivity of capitalism with the social and economic needs of the people
12.2. The conservative viewpoint has its origins in the 1800's and is based on the ideas of Social Darwinism. This perspective asserts that individuals must compete in the social environment to survive: human progress is dependent on individual initiative and hard work.
13. Sociology of Education
13.1. Functional Theories-Society is a system of independent parts that work together as a machine, each part articulates with another to produce the dynamic energy required to make society work. IMPORTANT PERSONS: Emile Durkheim Established the academic discipline with Karl Marx and Max Weber
13.2. Conflict Theories- Emphasized the social, political or material inequality of a social group. Social order is not based on some collective agreement, but on the ability of dominant groups to impose their will on subordinate groups through force, cooptation, and manipulation. Conflict sociologist emphasize struggle.
13.3. Interactional Theories- the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon the process of social interaction. Individuals shape society.
13.4. 5 Effects of Schooling on Individuals
13.4.1. 1. Employment-Graduation from college will lead to greater employment opportunities. Education is important for earning more money.
13.4.2. 2. Knowledge and Attitudes- It is generally found that the social class background of the student, the higher his or her achievement level. Academically oriented schools do produce higher achievement levels in students
13.4.3. 3.Inequality- Social classes differences are not only reflected in differences in income but other characteristics such as education, family, child rearing practices and occupation.
13.4.4. 4. Teacher Behavior- Teachers have a huge impact on students learning and behavior. Teachers are role models for students as instructional leaders, teachers set standards for students and influence student self esteem and sense of accomplishment.
13.4.5. 5. Student Peer Groups and Alienation- Student cultures play an important role in shaping student's educational experiences.