History+and+Philosophy+of+Progressive+Ed

In order to do this effectively, it is advised that students read through all their written assignments and to critically reflect on how one’s thinking has changed if, indeed, it has thr

ED242 History and Philosophy

of Progressive Education

Colby College Spring 2009 Monday 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Professor: Adam Howard

Office: Diamond 117

Office Phone: 859-4428

Office Hours: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm; 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm, Monday

11:00 am – 12:00 pm; 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm, Wednesday 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Thursday

OR by appointment Email: adam.howard@colby.edu

Course Description

This course examines the historical and philosophical foundations of progressive education In this course, we will study the principles of progressive education that have offered an alternative

to conventional assumptions about teaching, learning, and schooling for nearly a century We will examine these progressive principles against the backdrop of standardization and mechanization that more than ever dominate schools in the United States

Required Texts

Apple, Michael, & Beane, James (Eds.) (2007) Democratic education: Lessons in powerful education Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Dewey, John (1938) Experience and education New York: Touchstone

Meier, Deborah (2002) In schools we trust: Creating communities of learning in an era of testing Boston: Beacon Press

One of the Following Groups

Group One:

Montessori, Maria (1912) The Montessori method (translated by Anne Everett George)

Available at: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/montessori/method/method.html

Montessori, Maria (1967) The absorbent mind New York: Henry Holt.

Group Two:

Ayers, William (2003) On the side of the child: Summerhill revisited New York: Teachers College Press

Neil, A S (1992) Summerhill School: A new view of childhood New York: St Martin’s Press

Group Three:

Steiner, Rudolf (1996) The foundations of human experience Available at

http://steinerbooks.org/research/archive/foundations_hum_exp/foundations_hum_exp.pdf

Steiner, Rudolf (1995) Waldorf education and anthroposophy I Available at

http://steinerbooks.org/research/archive/waldorf_ed_anthro_1/waldorf_ed_anthro_1.pdf

Group Four:

Holt, John (1964) How children fail New York: Pitman

Holt, John (1967) How children learn New York: Pitman

Group Five:

Freire, Paulo (1970) Pedagogy of the oppressed New York: Seabury Press.

Freire, Paulo (1998) Pedagogy of freedom: Ethics, democracy, and civic courage Lanham, MD:

Rowman & Littlefield

Assignments

Papers There will be three papers assigned in this course (4-5 pages in length) More

information about these papers will be provided during class when these assignments are

introduced These papers will be graded according to their content, adherence to directions for the assignment, (when appropriate) the integration of books, articles, videos, and classroom discussions, as well as the assigned texts Papers are expected to be logically organized, with

smooth transitions, free of grammatical errors, and adhere to 5th edition APA style for citations and format All papers are expected to be typed, double-spaced, using 12-inch font Critical thinking, creativity and attention to detail are essential elements of all assignments!

Readings To prepare for active participation in class, assigned readings must be completed

before they are scheduled to be discussed in class It is recommended that you take reading notes and bring them to class

Personal Statement Students are required to write a personal statement essay (approx 2 pages

in length) wherein they describe their thoughts about the purposes of education Following David Purpel’s suggestion that the most important educational questions are the really the same as the most important questions we have of life, students should address the following questions in this statement: Who are you? What’s important to you? What goals do you have in life? Once you have explored some of these general questions about your life then consider the ways that your philosophy of life influences your thoughts about education and schooling – that is, your

philosophy of education

Book Group Presentation This assignment follows the “jigsaw” method Just as in a jigsaw

puzzle, each piece each student's and each group’s part is essential for the completion and full understanding of the final picture Here is how it works: students divide in groups, the group selects one group of books (listed at the beginning of this syllabus) and the group prepares a lesson to teach the rest of us about those books and the various issues/topics/themes addressed in them The groups should make their presentations/lessons interesting, creative, and informative The groups may give the rest of us assignments before the lesson to prepare for and facilitate our learning experience Each group will decide the focus and content of their lesson

Reading Responses Students will write four short reading response papers in this course

(approx 2-3 pages in length) These responses must show evidence that the student has engaged

in a critical reading of the assignment as well as expressing a personal opinion constructed in response to the arguments and/material presented in the readings These responses require students to discuss their positions critically, NOT to describe or reiterate those positions

Annotated Bibliography Students will prepare an annotated bibliography of at least 10 sources.

Your bibliography should meet the following criteria:

 At least 3 of your sources must be web sites or web pages

 You must include a variety of types of sources (journal articles, newspaper articles, books, etc.)

 You must include sources that provide a variety of perspectives on the problem you have selected

 Do not include encyclopedia or dictionary or Wikipedia entries (You may consult these to learn background materials about your topic, but they will not count as one of your 10 sources)

Your annotations should do the following:

 summarize the source (chapter, book, article, or the like)

 identify the piece's argument (or main point)

 rely primarily on your own words and phrasing—use summary and paraphrase

 discuss the source’s strengths and weaknesses For instance, does the item offer a

good introduction to the issue? Do you find the piece accessible or is it geared to a more specialize audience?

Each annotation should be no more than ½ page, single spaced.

Class Project Students will work in groups to design a school or develop a curriculum for a

local education program Each group will be responsible for one area of the larger project At the beginning of the semester, the class will make decisions about the requirements for this

assignment

Self-Evaluation At the end of the semester, students are required to write a reflective

self-evaluation speaking to the student’s intellectual and personal growth during the semester In order to do this effectively, it is advised that students read through all their written assignments and to critically reflect on how one’s thinking has changed (if, indeed, it has) through the

experience of this course

Course Expectations

Attendance and effective participation are expected Students are expected and required to

attend every class meeting It is advised that students take this requirement seriously If a student must be absent from a class meeting, then the student should contact and notify the professor that she/he will be absent before the class meets The professor will determine the validity of the reason for the absence

Demonstrated knowledge of all reading assignments Readings will be assigned to correspond

with class topics, concepts, skills, and experiential exercises The books for this course have been chosen to reflect current educational practice, methodology and research It is expected that students will approach the assigned reading material reflectively and critically Students are, therefore, expected to utilize information from the readings, in class discussions as well as, when processing of simulations in order to analyze, synthesize and integrate assigned reading material

in course assignments To prepare for active participation in class, assigned readings must be completed before they are scheduled to be discussed in class It is recommended that you take reading notes and bring them to class Connections to readings outside of this class are

encouraged and welcomed; however, they are not substitutes for the required texts or assigned readings Failure to incorporate readings and/or the assigned text into papers will result in a lower point value

Meeting deadlines for the submission of the assignments Unless negotiated differently as a

class and in advance, it is expected that assignments are due on the date listed in the syllabus Assignments received more than 1 week after the due date will have one point deducted per day for each day that the assignment is late In addition, if you are late, expect that your assignment will be returned late

Being a responsible member of a group There is a lot of collaboration in this course It is

expected that each student contributes significantly and regularly to the work and efforts of his/her group Professor will make efforts frequently to determine whether each member of the group is fulfilling her/his responsibilities to the group If professor determines that a student is not meeting his/her responsibilities as an effective member of a group, then the professor will

determine a fair and accurate assessment (i.e., grade) for that student’s contributions to the assignment(s)

Grading and Point Distribution

Distribution of Points

Papers (10 points each) 30

Personal Statement 5

Book Group Presentation 5

Annotated Bibliography 10

Letter Grade Distribution

Below 60 F

Note: Professor may assign a plus (+) or a minus (-) to letter grades based upon a student’s class participation throughout the semester

What the Grades Mean

A= Work that goes beyond the requirements of the assignment by adding insight, creativity and/or particularly thoughtful analysis Demonstrates a comprehensive command of the course material, and exceptional ability to make connections, and a superior ability to organize and express ideas

B=Work that adequately meets the requirements of the assignment Demonstrates a solid

command of the course material, an ability to apply concepts to the real world with only minor problems, and good organization and expression of ideas

C= Work that partially meets the requirements of the assignment Demonstrates acceptable command of the course material, a basic ability to apply concepts to the real world with some gaps and problems, and moderate skill in the organization and expression of ideas

D=Work that marginally meets the requirements of the assignment Demonstrates little command

of the course material, minimal attempt to apply concepts to real world, and limited ability to organize and express ideas

F= Work that does not meet the requirements of the assignment Demonstrates no command of the course material, unable to appropriately or consistently apply concepts to the real world, and insufficiently organizes and expresses ideas

Schedule

February 9, 2009

Topic: A Conceptual Map: Categories of Progressive Education

 Course Introduction

 Select Book Groups

 Developing Our Philosophy of Education Statements

February 16, 2009

Topic: Historical and Political Context of Progressive Education

 Read “Educational Alternatives: A Map of Territory” by Ron Miller (available at:

http://www.pathsoflearning.org/articles_Educational_Alternatives.pdf)

 Sharing Our Philosophy of Education Statements (Statements Due)

 Read sections from Ron Miller's What Are Schools For?

 Read John Taylor Gatto’s “Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why” (available at: http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/hp/frames.htm)

 Read “Holistic Education in a Prophetic Voice” by David Purpel

 Optional: Read sections from Horace Mann’s Life and Works of Horace Mann (available

at: http://www.archive.org/details/lifeworksofhorac03manniala) (Report for 1845)

February 23, 2009

Topic: Early Learner-Centered Educators and Theory

 Introduce Paper #1

 Read John Dewey’s Experience and Education

 Read Dewey’s “My Pedagogical Creed” (Available at:

http://dewey.pragmatism.org/creed.htm)

 Read Jean-Jacques Rousseau on Nature, Wholeness and Education by Michele Doyle and Mark Smith (Available at: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-rous.htm)

 Reading Response #1 due

 Optional: Read sections from Rousseau’s Emile (Book One; Available at:

http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/pedagogies/rousseau/em_eng_bk1.html)

March 2, 2009

Topic: Freedom to Learn: Free Schools, Democratic Schools, Unschooling

 Read Michael Apple and James Beane’s Democratic Schools

 Read Interview with John Holt

 Optional: Read Michael Apple’s “The Cultural Politics of Home Schooling”

 Optional: Read from Brian Ray’s “Home Schooling for Individuals’ Gain and Society’s Common Good”

 Group 4 Presentation

March 9, 2009

Topic: Progressive Alternatives: Social Constructivist

 Read David Elkind’s “The Problem with Constructivism”

 Read from Jamin Carson’s “Objectivism and Education: A Response to David Elkind’s

‘The Problem with Constructivism’”

 Read “Piaget’s Constructivism, Papert’s Constructionism: What’s the difference” by Edith Ackermann (available at:

http://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf)

 Paper #1 Due

 Group 2 Presentation

 Introduce Annotated Bibliography

March 16, 2009

Topic: Critical Pedagogy

 Group 5 Presentation

 Introduce Paper #2

 Reading Response #2 due

 Read “Critical Pedagogy and Cultural Power: An Interview with Henry A Giroux”

 Read “Cultural Studies, Resisting Difference, and the Return of Critical Pedagogy” by Henry Giroux

 Watch Joe Kincheloe’s Interview with Henry Giroux (Available at:

http://freire.mcgill.ca/category/topic-tags/henry-giroux-critical-pedagogy-joe-kincheloe-video-interview)

 Read “Introduction” & “Engaged Pedagogy” by bell hooks

March 30, 2009

Topic: Spiritual Development: Montessori, Steiner and others

 Group 1 Presentation

 Group 3 Presentation

 Read “Partial Vision in Alternative Education” by Ron Miller (available at:

http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/partial_vision_in_altern.htm)

 Browse the following website: http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/articles.html (Pick any two articles to read)

 Read “Nourishing the Spiritual Embryo” by Ron Miller (available at:

http://www.pathsoflearning.org/articles_Montessori.pdf)

 Optional: Read “Goodness, vocation, and engagement in the Montessori method” by Jacqueline Cossentino

April 6, 2009

Topic: Community-Based Learning

 Paper #2 due

 Reading Response #3 due

 Spotlight: Highlander Center (visit: http://www.highlandercenter.org/)

 Read sections from Myles Horton’s The Long Haul

 Read sections from Illich’s Deschooling Society

April 13, 2009

 No Class: Professor is attending the American Educational Research Association

Conference

 Annotated Bibliography Due

April 20, 2009

Topic: Critical Perspectives on Learner-Centered Education and Responses

 Introduce Paper #3

 Read “Skills and Other Dilemmas of a Progressive Black Educator,” “The Silenced Dialogue,” & “Education in a Multicultural Society” by Lisa Delpit

 Read Egan’s “What is wrong with progressivist principles of learner”

 Read “Conflicted Pedagogical and Curricular Perspectives of Middle-Class Mothers” by Ellen Brantlinger

April 27, 2009

 Read Deborah Meier’s In Schools We Trust

 Read “The Failure of School Reform” by John Holt

 Reading Response #4 due

May 4, 2009

 Paper #3 due

 Class Project due

 Self-Evaluation due

 Read section from Palmer’s Courage to Teach

Final Exam Day