Education 230 SlidesFebruary 1, 2011

Apologies…

A small reaction paper marking delay.

The principle of utility

“As soon as we have managed to give our pupil some idea of what the word ‘utility’ means, we have another strong hold on him. The word makes a deep impression on him, provided it has meaning for him on his own age level and he can see it bearing on his present well being. ‘What is the good of that?’ Henceforth this is the standard question, the decisive question between him and me.” (99R, 81ROU)

Is this potentially problematic?

The Principle of Utility, ctd.

Why do some children hate school so much?

The conscripted clientele

Teaching Emile to read

The one key book

Is it Aristotle? Is it Buffon?

No, it’s…

Robinson Crusoe

Why Robinson Crusoe?

The ideal of the rugged individual

An idealized state of nature

Rousseau on Fables

Rousseau’s diagnosis of the problem with fables.

Children take away the wrong message.

Plato agrees.

What do you think about this?Think about modern equivalents…

The rest of the book

Eventual integration into society

Sophie

Dickens

A difficult early life

What insights does Hard Times offer?

Mr. Gradgrind

Does Gradgrind have any basis in fact?

Does Gradgrind have any basis in theory?

The District School as it Was

A fictionalized account

The abs and the ebs, the “Easy Lessons,” and the “Moral Tales.”

The students’ problems with writing.

The Squeers archetype

The Squeers archetype has an unfortunate basis in fact.

Boys won’t larn ‘less you thrash ‘em, says I. Leastways, mine won’t. Lay it on good, is what I says to a master. Lay it on good. Don’t do no harm. Lickin’ and larnin’ goes together. No lickin’, no larnin’, says I. Lickin’ and larnin’, lickin’ and larnin’, is the good ole way.

Strong discipline--The J. Homer French method of seating

Anti-Catholicism

Other trends

School was still mostly rural

The vast majority did not attend high school.

What about Québec?

A slow start in public education

Tension between French and English, Protestant and Catholic

A unique system of education

John Dewey

1859-1952

John Dewey’s early life

Born in Burlington, VT

Had a strict mother

• Attended the University of Vermont

• Teaching experiences

Dewey’s early life, ctd.

• Went to graduate school at Johns Hopkins

• Became a professor at the University of Michigan

• Eventually became interested in education

Life at the Dewey School

• An emphasis on child-centered education

• Cooperative learning

• An focus on the experimental method/discovery learning

• Few tests

• A structured environment

The Dewey School:Building a smelter

The Dewey School:Children Gardening

The Dewey School:Designing Farm Tools

My Pedagogic Creed• Dewey’s most important goal

• The school/life division

• The relationship to the experiences of children

• A “guide on the side”?

The school as an instrument of social

reform• What are Dewey’s views on this matter?

• An exalted role for the teacher

• Should the school be used to transform society? Can it be used in this way?

A Difficult Reading

• Take extra time to read Freire—it is a relatively long and difficult reading.