In reading the Dewey article a few
things struck my as interesting. The first was the format of the piece,
everything written in “I” statements, almost like a pledge to himself and to
students. The second thing I found interesting was the separation between the
five different sections (in the limited pages that we read). I began to wonder
about why the definitions of education, the school, the clarification of the
subject-matter, the nature of teaching, and the school and social progress were
singled out as the most important parts of education to reflect upon. I began
to wonder if there were other sections that I might add if I were to create my
own creed. Upon reflection I began to think about the role of the student.
What sort
of responsibilities do students have in their own education? We’ve been learning
about how to tap into student interests and connect lessons and curriculum with
their lives and their roles within the community. However, I’m still pondering
the idea of students taking ownership of their own education. And I want to
clarify; by education I don’t mean specifically in school, I’m talking about
the idea of lifelong learning. How might this concept relate or become
integrated into Dewey’s ideas and beliefs?
To
go off on a bit of a different topic, I just wanted to connect the ideas of
Dewey (written in 1897) to the ideas that we’ve been discussing in the first
few weeks of this program. I see the connection between relating the curriculum
to the community, creating active learners in the classroom, and encouraging
lifelong learning to Dewey’s statement that, “I believe that education is a regulation of the
process of coming to share in the social consciousness; and that the adjustment
of individual activity on the basis of this social consciousness is the only
sure method of social reconstruction.” It’s fascinating that these ideas (indicated
a century ago) are something still being developed, evaluated, improved upon,
and implemented in a very slow and painstaking process. 
"What sort of responsibilities do students have in their own education?" That is an excellent question, and one that does seem to be absent from much of our reading. Perhaps this is because the responsibility only arises once children understand that their education is an investment in them and in a great community; one could hardly expect a child to feel much commitment to a system that seems designed to ignore their input. And yet, we require adults to do all sorts of things, such as pay taxes and sit on juries, even though the individuals don't quite grasp the way that these tasks form a part of their civic duty.
ReplyDeleteSo Michael, I'll counter with another question (since we're all getting so good at open-ended questions.) How can we help students, especially the middle and high school level students were working with, feel as if they're part of a community and invested in their own education? It it through activities such as CPR? Is it through choices in the curriculum, such as picking which topic for a project? Or is it through connecting more to students through mediums they're familiar with and enjoy, like technology? How can the system be designed to utilize student input and interest and still remain true to the standards already put in place?
DeleteIf I'm understanding, Catherine, it would seem that in seeking a way to account *both* for the responsibility of a teacher to her students and of students towards their own education, you outline what feels like an iterative process in which these mutual responsibilities, and the *recognition* of these responsibilities, guide both teacher and student towards a more robust engagement with the (teaching and) learning process. When my thoughts move in this direction I like to remind myself of the hopeful observation that people are naturally curious, and if we can brush away some of the socialization that hides this fact, we can uncover a great source of propulsion towards the goal you identify for yourself to nurture lifelong learners.
ReplyDeleteI really like your observation about Dewey's use of "I" statements as a pledge to himself and to his students. By listing his beliefs in that manner, each one comes off not only as a statement, but also as a promise to be put into action. Whenever he needed it, he could have referred back to his "I" statements for reinforcement of his beliefs. When I write my personal code of ethics, I think I will adopt the same format. I also like how you emphasized that education is not entirely contained in the school setting. It's important that children be allowed to take an active role in their classroom learning so that they can develop the skills to be effective consumers of knowledge forever, no matter what stage of life they're at.
ReplyDeleteYour closing comment in this post really sticks out to me, how is that after all this time these ideas are still having to be discussed at length and very rarely implemented in the way that was intended. How is that a system that we as a nation value can be progressing so slowly. It frustrates me sometimes that we can research and plan for the best way to educate our students but politics can really get in the way of real positive change.
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