Our Common Hope: A History of
Teaching and Learning
EDUCATION COLLOQUIUM
By
Thomas R. Rosebrough, Ph.D.
March 18, 2002
A Common Hope
Harvard professor, Richard Light, in Making the
Most of College (2001), says that the most
common hope that students express, when
asked about their learning motivations, is that
“each class, by its end, will help them to become
a slightly different person in some way” (p.47).
And, that “faculty who make a difference are
those who helped students make connections
between serious curriculum and the students’
personal lives, values, and experiences” (p.110).
The Goals of Learning
What kind of difference do we want to make in our
students’ lives? Usually we have three goals, for them
to:
1.
2.
3.
learn about a subject
acquire particular skills
become better people
It is the dynamic interaction among these three goals that
constitutes education.
Which is most vital—which should receive priority?
History Teaches Us
That these questions can have very different answers
depending on:
 who the teacher is
 what subject or skill is being taught
 in what historical era or culture the teacher is residing
 what kind of understanding the teacher and
community have concerning the nature of learning.
What perspective can the history of education give us as
we consider the potential of schooling?
Historical Threads
Schooling in every era has been concerned with:
1. Attempting to respond to societal needs or
thought.
2. Infusing religious or moral values.
3. Seeking to understand the nature of learning.
Responding to Societal Needs

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Sophists of ancient Greece
Enlightenment: Descartes and Bacon
Rousseau: contrast to Puritan thought
Benjamin Franklin: Latin Grammar Schools and
Philadelphia Academy
Our new American schools in the post-Brown v.
Topeka decision
Infusing Religious or Moral Values

Plato and Augustine

Aristotle and Aquinas

Martin Luther

Calvin and the Puritans
The Northwest Ordinance of
1787
“Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government
and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall
forever be encouraged.”
•
•
•
Religion and morality and knowledge
Good government and Happiness of mankind
Schools and the means of education
Understanding the Nature of
Learning
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Isocrates and Plato: methods and philosophy
Quintilian
Medieval universities
Erasmus
John Dewey
Piaget
Brain research and learning
Our Common Hope
What does history teach us? What can we predict?
1.
Change in the types of schooling we offer will occur
when society demands it.
2.
Technology, as well as competing values systems
among different cultures, will drive change.
3.
Confusion reigns in contemporary American
education.
4.
Eclecticism is important in understanding teaching
and learning.
Just what is education?


Theobald (1992) contends that everything
already discovered should be called “training,”
and that the term “education” should be
reserved for unresolved issues and problems.
Implication? Inquiry, discovery, and scientific
methods of learning must take precedence over
expository methods and multiple-choice tests.
What will teaching and learning look
like this century?
Uchida, Cetron, and McKenzie (1996) identified
important knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed for
the future. Here are a few:
 Incorporate “marketplace” technology.
 Promote active vs. passive learning.
 Commit more time for professional development of
teachers.
 Focus on “real world” projects.
 Reflect an international perspective in the curriculum.
Postmodern Effects

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Modernist as well as post-modern worldviews
have affected the academy, including Christian
higher education. Common “weltanschauungs?”
Light (2001): social and emotional as well as
intellectual.
Leonard (1968) propose ideas for the
social/moral realm: risk one’s prejudices, coping
with problems unforeseen.
Meaning and Learning

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Meaning enhances learning: “Why do we need
this?”
Neurobiology (Howard, 2000) tells us that the
brain resists meaningless patterns imposed upon
it.
Neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, is released with
a strong connecting experience, “telling” the
brain to remember.
Philosophic Dualisms: Eclecticism

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Plato:
Aristotle:
Augustine:
Erasmus:
Rousseau:
Dewey:
matter and ideas
reason and character
Man and God
knowledge of words and
knowledge of truth
society and nature
school and society
Extraneous Intentions
Clifford Williams (2002) in Life of the Mind: A Christian
Perspective, writes about how he changed his mind about
the purpose of teaching: “What do I really want
students to get out of my courses? I promptly got out a
piece of paper and started writing. The list of
objectives grew to thirteen. I wanted students to
become more imaginative, more adventuresome, and
more courageous. I wanted them to develop a passion
for learning while maintaining habits of self-discipline.
I wanted them to think for themselves and make the
Christian faith their own. I also wanted them to become
more prepared to die” (pp. 43-44).
Teaching and Learning

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Thinking about the nature of teaching and learning: a
graphic assignment.
Lee Schulman (2002) has created a new “Taxonomy for
Learning”:
-Engagement
-Understanding
-Performance
-Reflection
-Design and Judgment
-Commitment
Conclusion
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Fulfilling the potential of our common hope:
“What are we trying to accomplish with our
teaching?”
Lasch (1978) argues for an appreciation of
history.
Reflection upon historical knowledge: a vital
perspective