EDUC 501: Psychological and
Philosophical Theories of
Learning
Spring Semester, 2006
Dr. Jane Fowler Morse
Instructor: Jane Fowler Morse
Office: 221 C South Hall
E-Mail:jfmorse@geneseo.edu
Office Phone: 585 243 3046
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-12:00
or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine basic philosophical and psychological assumptions that
affect the process of education in order to assess their effect on decisions regarding
teaching and learning.
I expect you to complete all readings before the class day on which they are listed
and to come to class prepared to participate in activities and discussions. I may add short
quizzes or assignments to the announced syllabus at my discretion. In order to
accommodate the needs of our class, I may deviate from the announced syllabus from
time to time.
Your class attendance is doubly important because each daily meeting represents
a week’s assignments in a semester-long class. Attendance allows you to absorb and
discuss all the materials through participation as well as to know the current topics and
assignments.
COURSE PREREQUISITES:
Admission to the graduate School of the Ella Cline School of Education
COURSE RATIONALE:
This course infuses the constructivist approach to teaching and learning in which teacher candidates use
their prior knowledge and social contexts to interact and develop relevant knowledge, skills and
dispositions to become teachers committed to improve the lives of students through education. This course
is consistent with the following Geneseo core values:
1. Geneseo mission to develop socially responsible citizens with skills and values important to the
pursuit of an enriched life and success in the world; and
2. The School of Education mission to prepare future teachers to be reflective, critical thinkers,
adept at problem solving, and committed to the development of communities of inquiry to ensure
that all students have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary for a productive life and
responsible citizenship.
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Consistent with SUNY policies, regulations of the New York State Department of Education, NAEYC
standards, and with the School of Education Conceptual Framework, this course will provide candidates the
opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions pertinent to the specific learner outcomes
listed below.
Specifically, this course will provide the theoretical background for understanding various
philosophical and psychological theories of learning, their implications for education, and the cumulative
and eclectic nature of theories of learning, leading to a full understanding of the theory of constructivism
and its implications for education.
REQUIRED TEXTS, READINGS, AND MATERIALS:
Required Texts:
Dewey, John. Human Nature and Conduct. Dover, Mineola, NY, 2002 (1922).
Fosnot, Catherine, Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives, and Practice, 2e. Teachers
College Press: New York, 1996. (Some used copies may be the first edition,
which is fine.) (abbreviated Fosnot)
Jones, M. Gail, Brett D. Jones, and Tracy Y. Hargrove. The Unintended Consequences of
High Stakes Testing. Rowman and Littlefield: Oxford 2003. (abbreviated Jones)
Ozman, Howard, and Samuel Craver. The Philosophical Foundations of American
Education, Seventh Edition. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 2003.
[Abbreviated PFE]
Plato, Meno, trans by G.M.A. Grube. Hackett: Indianapolis, 1976. [or any edition]
Yu, Tianlong. In the Name of Morality: Character Education and Political Control. Peter
Lang Publishing: New York, 2004. (abbreviated Yu)
E-res readings:
In addition, reserve readings will be required. (See list below). These may be obtained
through e-res at the library home page http://library.geneseo.edu/ (password for EDUC
501)
Jane Fowler Morse, “Fostering Autonomy”
Jane Fowler Morse, “On idealism and realism”
Jane Roland Martin, “What should we do with a hidden curriculum when we find
one?”
Henry Giroux, “Rewriting the discourse of racial identity: Towards a pedagogy
and politics of whiteness,” Harvard Educational Review, 67:2 (Summer
1997). 285-321. (full text available at Proquest).
The primary source readings (psr) in each chapter of Ozman and Craver are included in
the assignment. Some additional readings may be announced.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Graded components of this course include five applications, class participation, (surveys,
joining in the discussion in class, applications completed, etc.), a take-home midterm
exam, a term paper, and a final examination, weighted in the percentages shown.
Surveys
Participation (discussion, applications, being there, participating)
Article Review
Midterm Exam
2
05%
10%
15%
20%
Term Paper
Final Examination
25%
25%
COURSE GRADING PROCEDURES:
Graded components of this course include five applications, class participation,
(surveys, joining in the discussion in class, applications completed, etc.), a take-home
midterm exam, a term paper, and a final examination, weighted in the percentages shown
above.
I calculate my grades on a spreadsheet, rounding each graded component down
from .4 and up from .5 as I enter them. Final grades, which are calculated from rounded
individual graded components, are rounded in the same way. If you wish to discuss a
grade, you must do so within two days of receiving the graded item back from me. I will
not consider changing any grades later. I keep all final examinations, but invite you to
come by my office to see yours anytime during the semester following this.
I encourage you to consult me concerning a final position paper topic and
resources early in the session. You will submit a tentative outline and bibliography on
Nov. 11, but you should be thinking about your paper long before that. I will be happy to
consult with you about your term paper, given enough time. The library also offers an
individualized term paper consultation service. You may request this by clicking on
Request Forms in Libraries on the Geneseo home page at (http://www.geneseo.edu). Late
papers will not be accepted without a prior agreement with me.
Writers of plagiarized papers will fail the course. Be sure to document all sources
carefully. (The definition of plagiarism and a description of the procedure to be followed
in cases of plagiarism are to be found in the Guide to Graduate Studies and or in the
Undergraduate Bulletin.)
Scale of final letter grades:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
E
100-94%
93-90%
89-87%
86-84%
83-80%
79-77%
76-74%
73-71%
69-66%;
65% or below
[Note: 80% (or B-) is the minimum passing grade in graduate courses]
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Table of Readings, Assignments, and Examinations:
Date:
Week 1
1/19
Week 2
1/26
Week 3
2/2
Topic:
Introduction to Philosophy of
Education
Plato, Idealism
Week 4
2/9
Week 5
2/16
Pragmatism
Week 6
2/23
Week 7
3/2
Dewey, Human Nature and Conduct
Week 8
3/9
Week 9
3/23
Reading:
Buy books
Plato, The Meno, and PFE Chapter 1,
including “The Myth of the Cave”
PFE Chapter 2; Morse, “Idealism and
realism as philosophies of education” (eres)
PFE Chapter 4
Realism
Dewey, Human Nature and Conduct
Parts One and Two (Common chapters,
the first two in every section; Individual
chapters, remaining chapters assigned in
groups {see table below})
Parts Three and Four (same)
Reconstructionism; Moral
Education, In the Name of Morality
PFE, Chapter 5 (first section); Yu, Intro,
Chps. 1, 2, 6 in common; Remaining
Chapters assigned in groups
Moral education (Yu and Morse)
Group Chapters in Yu; Morse, “Fostering
Autonomy” (e-res)
Spring Break March 13-17 No Classes
High Stakes Testing
Jones, Jones, and Hargrove, Chapters 1, 2,
9, 10, 11, in common; Chapters 3-8
assigned in groups
Behaviorism
PFE, Chapter 6
Week
10
3/30
Week
Existentialism
PFE, Chapter 7
11
4/6
Week
Constructivism
Fosnot, Introduction and Chapters 1-2 in
12
common
4/13
An outline or brief description and tentative bibliography of your proposed term paper topic
is due on 4/6 by e-mail (or mailed hard copy).
Week
Constructivism (wrap up)
Fosnot, individual chapters in groups
13
4/20
Term papers due Thursday, April 20 in class
Week
Postmodernism
Martin article (e-res) article and Giroux
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article (on line)
4/27
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Study Days, May 2-3
Week 15: Final Examination: Thursday, May 4, 6:45-9:45 PM (I will try to reschedule for 5
PM, but may not be able to do so.)
Group: Part 1
1
Sections III, IV,
and V
2
Section VI
3
Table of Dewey Readings:
Part II
Part III
Sections III and IV
Sections V, VI, and
VII
4
Sections III, IV,
and V
Sections VI, VII,
and VIII
Section IX
5
6
Group:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Part IV
Sections III and
IV
Table of Individual Chapters for other readings:
Fosnot Chapters
Yu Chapters
Jones, et al.
Chapters
Assigned by topic and inte-rest
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3
3
4
4
5
4
6
5
7
5
8
Assignments and due dates:
Applications (five) due on the day we will discuss them.
Article Review and presentation due on the day you sign up for doing it.
Surveys of the Chapters in Ozman and Craver will be posted by Friday of the preceding
week. You are required to do at least five of the surveys. Surveys must be completed by
noon on the Thursday of that topic.
An outline or brief description of your proposed term paper topic is due on April 6 (or
earlier if you wish), plus a tentative bibliography of at least five sources as described on
the assignment sheet.
Term Papers are due Thursday, April 20. Because of the time I will need to grade term
papers, I cannot accept late papers without a prior agreement with me.
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OUTBOX:
I will use the outbox to distribute copies of PowerPoints, overheads, and handouts of
various kinds. Whenever I place something new in the outbox, I will notify the class by email. The outbox will be organized by weeks, corresponding to the syllabus. All
assignments and other documents will be in the outbox. Outboxes may be accessed at
http://www.boxes.geneseo.edu, then select Education, then select jfmorse, then select
EDUC 501. E-res (electronic reserve) can be accessed through the Geneseo home page,
then select College Libraries, then select E-res on the top left bar.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK for Graduate Education at the State University of
New York—Geneseo, Ella Cline Shear School of Education:
All graduate programs in education at Geneseo will prepare candidates to become
accomplished educators who can:
1. Link content, curriculum development, assessment, and pedagogy with the latest
developments in the field; enhance the profession of education.
2. Link theory to practice.
3. Connect home, school, and community in the practice of education; to develop,
define, and strengthen the profession of education.
4. Pursue advocacy and issues in education.
5. Understand the theory and implement the practice of multicultural education.
6. Interpret and implement the results of research in education in various fields,
design and carry out action research in the classroom or other lab or clinical
settings, and/or design and carry out ethnographic research in local schools.
7. Engage in and reflect on clinical practice.
[The entire Graduate Conceptual Framework is in my outbox for EDUC 501,
as well as in the School of Education outbox.]
Intended learning Outcomes for EDUC 501:
Students in EDUC 501 will
1. gain a philosophical perspective on education and develop an analytic framework
from which to examine education critically [GCF 2]*
2. understand the impact of theories of psychology on education [GCF 1]
3. understand the historical development of theories of philosophy and psychology, the
historical interconnection between them, and their impact on education in different
periods [GCF 2]
4. understand the relation of theory to practice in education (praxis)[GCF 2, 5]
5. apply both philosophical and psychological theories of teaching and learning to the
practice of education [GDF 4]
become reflective practitioners of education [GCF 1]
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Graduate Conceptual
Framework
(1) (b) Enhance the
profession of education
(2) link theory to practice
(3) (b) develop, define, and
strengthen the profession of
education.
(4) Understand the theory
and implement the practice
of multicultural education
(6) Interpret and implement
the results of research [into
the philosophical and
psychological theories] in
education
Learning Outcomes for
EDUC 488
(1) gain a philosophical
perspective on education
and develop an analytic
framework from which to
examine education critically
(2) understand the impact of
theories of psychology on
education [GCF 1]; (2)
understand the impact of
theories of psychology on
education [GCF 1]; (5)
apply both philosophical
and psychological theories
of teaching and learning to
the practice of education
[GDF 4]
(3) understand the historical
development of theories of
philosophy and psychology,
the historical
interconnection between
them, and their impact on
education in different
periods [GCF 2]
(5) apply both philosophical
and psychological theories
of teaching and learning to
the practice of education
[GDF 4]
(1) Enhance the profession
of education by
understanding the impact of
multicultural background
and experiences on
children. (GCF 6)
Assessments:*
Paper, discussions, article
review, examinations, and
applications
Paper, discussions, article
review, examinations; and
applications
Paper, discussions,
examinations
Applications, discussions,
article review, examinations
Paper, discussions, article
review; examinations
Description of assessments:*
1. One term paper: a 10-15 page paper on some chosen aspect of philosophical
and/or psychological aspects of education
2. Five applications: a 1-2 page informal paper applying a philosophical and/or
psychological theory of education to educational practice
3. weekly class discussions
4. One article review: a 3-4 paper reviewing an article related to the theories studied
and relating them to educational practice
5. A midterm examination
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6. A final examination
(*For a full description of assignments, see assignment sheet for each type of assignment.)
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT FOR NATIONAL ACCREDITATION:
The Ella Cline Shear School of Education is seeking national accreditation for its
programs through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education
[NCATE]. Part of the accreditation process includes review of samples of teacher
candidates' course work by professional societies and the NCATE Board of Examiners.
Therefore, some parts of your course work may be selected and used as an example to
demonstrate that the learning outcomes are being addressed and achieved in this course.
Please be advised that to ensure your privacy, names will be removed from the selected
work. If you do not wish to participate in this process, please state your intent in writing
by Friday of the first week of the semester
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT:
Students who have documented special needs or disabilities that may affect their ability
to access information and or material presented in this course are encouraged to contact
Tabitha Buggie-Hunt, Office of Disability Services at 245-5112.
BIBLIOGRAPHY of suggested additional readings:
[see also Ozman and Craver at the end of each chapter]
Idealism
Teloh, Henry, Socratic Education
Plato, Apology, Republic, Theatetus, Protagoras
Descartes, Rene, Discourse on Method, Meditations on First Philosophy
Kant, On Education, Prolegomena to the Study of any Future Metaphysics, The
Metaphysics of Morals
Realism
Aristotle, The Nichomachean Ethics, The Politics
Locke, John, Some Thoughts Concerning Education
Pragmatism
William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Pragmatism
John Dewey, Democracy and Education, The Moral Principles Underlying Education,
School and Society, The Child and the Curriculum, Experience and Education (All of
Dewey’s writings are available on line through Columbia University)
Reconstructionism
Reitman, Sanford, The Educational Messiah Complex
Illich, Ivan, Deschooling Society
Counts, George, “Address to the Teachers of this Nation” (available on e-res for my
INTD 203)
Behaviorism
Skinner, B. F., About Behaviorism, Walden Two, The Technology of Teaching
Kohn, Alfie, Punished by Rewards, The Schools Our Children Deserve
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Feminism:
Martin, Jane Roland, The Schoolhome, The Ideal of the Educated Woman,
AAUP, How Our Schools Shortchange Girls, Gender Gaps
Helen Bradford Thompson, The Mental Traits of Sex (conclusion available on e-res for
my INTD 203)
Sadker, David and Myra, Failing at Fairness
Existentialism
Freire, Paulo, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Maxine Greene, Landscapes of Learning
Constructivism
Luis Moll, Vygotsky and Education: Instructional Implications and Applications of
Sociohistorical Psychology
Lev Vygotsky, Thought and Language
Piaget, The Child’s Conception of the World, The Psychology of the Child
Marxism:
Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto, Theses on Feuerbach, The Gotha Program
Henry A Giroux, Peter L McLaren, eds., Critical Pedagogy, the State, and Cultural
Struggle (1989)
Raymond Allen Morrow, Social Theory and Education: A Critique of Theories of Social
and Cultural Reproduction (1995)
H. Svi Shapiro, David E. Purpel, eds., Critical Social Issues in American Education:
Transformation in a Postmodern World (1998)
Postmodernism
Stanley Aronowitz and Henry A. Giroux, Postmodern Education
Henry A. Giroux, Border Crossings, The Abandoned Generation: Democracy beyond the
Culture of Fear
Rorty, Richard, The Mirror of Nature
Joan Wink, Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World, 2e
Valerie Babb, Whiteness visible: The Meaning of Whiteness in American Literature and
Culture
bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
Miscellaneous articles
Rorty, Amelia, Philosophers on Philosophy of Education (a compendium of articles by
contemporary philosophers on classical philosophers of education; a good source for
article reviews.)\
Journals in Philosophy of Education
Educational Theory
Journal of Educational Thought
Inquiry
National Women’s Studies Association Journal
Educational Studies
Educational Foundations
Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (online at: http://www.jceps.com/)
Education and Social Justice, a student journal available online at Geneseo (online at:
http://www.geneseo.edu/~esjj)
Rethinking Schools (online at: http://www.rethinkingschools.org/)
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