Chapter 11
 

CHAPTER 11 EDUCATIONAL THEORY IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS:PHILOSOPHY IN ACTION

CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4 
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8 
CHAPTER 9 
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
100 Action Principles
GED 2103

 

OBJECTIVES
Learning outcomes - after reading this chapter, you will be able to:

  • Identify the major tenets of the authoritarian educational theories of perennialism, essentialism, and behaviorism.
  • Identify the major tenets of the nonauthoritarian educational theories of progressivism, reconstructionism, humanism, and constructivism.
  • Compare and contrast authoritarian and nonauthoritarian educational theories.
  • Relate educational theories to learning and curriculum development.
  • State the relationship of progressivism to democracy and society.
  • Describe the major tenets of critical pedagogy and relate them to societal change.
OUTLINE
Introduction, pages 408-410
  • See Table 11.1 on page 409 for educational implications of philosophy. 
  • This chapter describes eight educational theories that draw upon different philosophies. 
  • Educational theorists explain how the authoritarian and nonauthoritarian set of teaching and learning principles differs from each other. They clarify how each set forms a cohesive whole and describe the benefits and shortcomings of adhering to either set.
Authoritarian Educational Theories, pages 410-418
  • Perennalism: the basic view of perennialism is that the principles of knowledge are enduring. See page 411 for an example of a perennialist class activity. 
  • The focus of learning in perennalism lies in activities designed to discipline the mind. 
  • Perennalists believe that early schooling is best directed toward preparing children for life, and they emphasize the three R's in the elementary schools. 
  • Essentialism holds that there is a common core of information and skills that an educated person in a given culture must have. 
  • There are three basic principles of essentialism: a core of information, hard work, and mental discipline, and teacher-centered instruction. 
  • See page 415 for a typical essentialist class activity. 
  • The essentialist curriculum focuses on subject matter that includes literature, history, foreign language, and religion. Teaching methods require formal discipline and feature required reading, lectures, memorization, repetition, and examinations. 
  • Behaviorism is a psychological and educational theory that hods that one's behavior is determined by environment, not heredity. 
  • See page 416 for an example of a behaviorist class activity. 
  • Behaviorists believe that the school environment must be highly organized and the curriculum based on behavioral objectives, and they hold that knowledge is best described as behaviors that are observable. 
  • The educational theory of positivism stems from what the social scientist Auguste Comte described as "positive knowledge." 
  • The positivist position rejects essences, intuition, and inner causes that cannot be measured. Empirical verification is central to all proper thinking. 
  • See page 419 for a typical positivist class activity.
"I believe that every person is born with talent." Maya Angelou
Nonauthoritarian Educational Theories, pages 419-429
  • Progressivism is an educational theory that emphasizes that ideas should be tested by experimentation and that learning is rooted in questions developed by learners. 
  • See page 420 for a typical progressivist class activity. 
  • Progressivism favors the scientific method of teaching and learning, allows for the beliefs of individuals, and stresses programs of student involvement that help students learn how to think. 
  • Progressivists believe that the school should actively prepare its students for change. 
  • Reconstructionism emerged in the 1930s. 
  • Reconstructionism called for a new social order that would fulfill basic democratic ideals. 
  • See page 422 for a typical reconstructionist class activity. 
  • Humanism is rooted in the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau. 
  • Humanistic educational theory is concerned with enhancing the innate goodness of the individual. It rejects a group-oriented educational system and seeks ways to enhance the individual development of the student. 
  • See page 424 for an example of a humanist class activity. 
  • Constructivism is an educational theory that emphasizes hands-on, activity-based teaching and learning. 
  • Constructivism focuses on the personalized way a learner internalizes, shapes, or transforms information. 
  • Students learn by shaping their own understandings about their world--makes the present structure of the school difficult. 
  • See page 429 for typical constructivist class activity.
E-Mail: mfitzpat@stac.edu
 

 
St. Thomas Aquinas College, 125 Route 340, Sparkill NY 10976-1050