FNDS 6000 - Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education
Instructor: K. Riley
Semester-Fall 2006
Office: Room 318
Phone: 244-3881
e-mail: kriley@edla.aum.edu
WebCt address: www.aum.edu (select students, then WebCt)
Office Hours: This class is a web class; therefore, hours are as follows:
By appointment
Required Texts:
Gutek, G.L. 2004. Philosophical and Ideological Voices
in Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Riley, K.L., Ed. 2006. Social Reconstruction: People, Politcs,
Perspectives. Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.
Selected Readings:
Check the calendar icon for selected readings and
how to access them (Online class only).
Essential Question About the Philosophical and Historical Foundations of
Education:
FNDS 6000 attempts to answer the following three-part
question, "What are our collective philosophical and historical
experiences?" "How have they shaped our beliefs and practices regarding
education?'
And, "How have they prepared us to meet the challenges of
new and pressing issues in education?"
In this class, we will explore our philosophical and historical heritage with
the over-arching goal of seeking an understanding of how the study of both
philosophy and history prepares us as future professional
educators to
grasp current educational issues and apply our theoretical knowledge for
the purpose of creating excellent learning environments. This knowledge is
largely based upon our understanding that the
"culture" of American
education is an amalgam of divisions and sub-divisions of thought and
perspective. The question of what American education should or ought to
be will have a myriad of answers, yours
will be among them.
Understanding the AUM School of Education Model and its relationship to
this course:
Each person has a set of beliefs which have been formed
over time from a personal set of life experiences, generated within a
specific historical context or moment. These beliefs determine, in large
part, how
individuals approach issues and resolve conflicts. The individual
who learns how to be a reflective learner will most likely enjoy a greater
success in the classroom or boardroom, because the ability to
practice
reflection--which ultimately leads to reorganization of thought--is
the key to change, adaptation, or understanding. Hence, the reflective
practitioner examines the basis of his or her own beliefs,
approaches
certain issues or conflicts with an informed perspective,
concludes that the success of his or her students or colleagues is based, in
large measure, on how those beliefs assist or impede learning or action,
and
thus constantly re-adjusts his or her teaching or administrative style
based upon a reflective-practice model. Within this framework, the AUM
School of Education prepares entry level educators with the
ability to work
as collaborative decision makers. The School's total program is designed
to blend content, operative, reflective, and collaborative knowledge with an
eye toward competency in the subject
matter of philosophy and history of
education. Additionally, through student engagement with course material
and assignments, students begin their journey toward developing a
commitment to the pursuit of
intellectual knowledge..
The following questions will help you begin the journey to understand your
own personal set of beliefs about education and provide "food" for
reflective thought:
"The purpose of schooling is..."
"American education is influenced by..."
"Teaching is..."
"Students need..."
"School Administrators should..."
Learning Goals: (These goals align with State Department of Education
requirements under 3 (d) - Analysis form 290-3-3-.44)
1. To gain an understanding of how philosophy has affected the practice of
schooling, particularly the curriculum.
2. To trace the historical development of American schooling from its
colonial beginnings to the present.
3. To analyze the impact of political considerations on American schooling
practice and organization.
4. To demonstrate knowledge of how socio-economic, cultural, and
religious factors influence our American school system.
5. To demonstrate competency in approaching current educational issues
with an awareness of the fundamental arguments of varying
perspectives.
6. To achieve competency in speaking, writing, and mediation.
7. To examine and articulate your own set of Personal Practice Theories
about Teaching,
Students, Schools, and Subject Matter.
Means and Resources to Achieve Competencies: Not all items are used
each semester.
1. Lecture page (electronic)
2. Textbook readings.
3. Class writing.
4. Observation of educational issues, locally, state-wide, and at the
national level.
5. Analysis of journal articles.
6. Presentation of individual and/or group activities.
7. Completion of classroom examinations.
8. Completion of term project/s.
About Cyberspace (Online class only):
Things happen in cyberspace for which there is little explanation.
Therefore, you must practice patience. If you cannot log on, try again in a
few hours or close out one browser and use
another. Also, sometimes
your computer will show a different date than the one on our WEB CT
program. This may bother you especially when you must turn an
assignment by a certain
date and/or time. Therefore, you need to avoid
waiting until the last minute to upload. You may have one quiz or test this
term aside from your midterm and final. Since these will be
available at
only certain times, you need to carefully plan your time.
Evaluation:
Article Reviews (2) and PPTs - 25%
Presentation - 25%
Mid-term - 25%
Final exam - 25%
Quizes/tests:
This term your midterm and final exams will be taken online. Be sure to
check your assignment icon.
Grading Scale: Students, this scale has been "inflated" to allow more of an
opportunity for students to make an A,B, or C. The customary scale which
we do not use in this class is
94-100=A; 87-93=B; 78-86=C, and so forth.
Because of this added opportunity, I do not "bump" up grades. If your
grade averages out to 80, then your final grade is a C. As teachers
you
will all have to devise an evaluation plan and set what you consider to
be a minimum and maximum level for grades. If you practice adjusting
grades based upon anything other than
grade averages, then grades
really have no meaning. As for effort, class participation, and hard work, all
of these are expectations of a university student. I expect you to put effort
into
your class work and exams. I know how hard many of you will work
when you write your exams, and I expect you to participate in your own
learning. As for extra credit, I do not assign
such things as extra work.
History and philosophy are about understanding connections and
relationships, no amount of extra work at the end of the semesterassuming you have worked
up to capacity-will help you understand more,
that will come with time, reading, and thinking about what you have read.
Grading Scale for FNDS6000
A=91-100
B=81-90
C=71-80
D=61-70
F=60 and below
WEB CT: You will consult WebCT each week for calendar postings and
assignments. You will read the brief lectures posted under the assignment
icon and explore ALL buttons which
take you to sites that will enhance
your understanding of the material. Remember: the WebCT address is:
www.aum.edu
Computer: you can access WebCT from home or from campus. You can
use computers in the electronic classroom located on the second floor of
the library or those located in the Taylor
Center.
READING SCHEDULE
Note: These dates are approximations. You need to pace your reading so
that you stay close to this schedule, but it does not have to be exact.
Weeks 1-2
Gutek, Philosophical & Ideological Voices; Introduction and
chapter 1, Chptrs. 11, 12, 16, 17, & 18 AND Riley, Chapter 6. The reason
that you are reading these chapters "out of order"
according to the
textbook is because the history of the U.S. is largely the history of liberal
and conservative thought finding a way to peacefully co-exist within one
nation. These two
political streams of thought are rooted in philosphical
thought. The assignments will help to clarify for you the relationship that
exists between political ideology and philosophy. Following
chapters 11
and 12, you will read about Essentialism, Perennialism, and
Progressivism, all modern theories of education with historical and
philosophical roots. Next, we will "flash back"
in time and begin to read
the roots to streams of thoughts we hold today about education, politics,
economics, and government.
Weeks 3-4
Gutek, Phikosophical & Ideological Voices, Chptrs, 2, 3, 4,
and 5; Riley, Chapters 1-4.
Midterm, September 19
Weeks 5-6
Gutek, Philosophical and Ideological Voices, chptrs 6,7,8,9, &
10; Riley, Stanley Chapter
Weeks 7-8
Gutek, Philosophical & Ideological Voices, chptrs, 13, 14,15 &
19; Riley, Watkins Chapter
Final, October
10
Assignment Instructions (Online Class Only): You are held
accountable for those assignments listed under the assignment icon. If I
cannot pull up one of your files, you may receive a
zero. Remember,
WebCT is browser sensitive and you must use Explorer 5.5 or Netscape
4.7 to upload your files. Also, all files should be saved with a tag that reads
.html or .htm. I cannot
pull up files with .wps or other configurations.
1. PERSONAL PRACTICE THEORIES: You will develop a list of personal
practice theories under the following categories: Teaching; Learning;
Students; Teachers; Subject Matter; Classrooms. Under
each category,
you will make four statements which contain your personal beliefs
(theories, philosophy, etc) about each category. EXAMPLE:
Teaching (these are my four statements)
1. Teaching is both an art and a science.
2. I believe that teaching requires continual research.
3. Teaching is a profession, not a job.
4. Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions.
Attendance: Students are expected to attend each class. In half-term
classes, students may miss (with a doctor's excuse) one class evening
(class evenings are the equivilent of four classes). More than one
class
evening will result in a grade FA in the class. ONLINE classes: Even in
electronic classrooms we have an attendance policy. You are expected to
log on at least twice a week--the same number of
times you would attend
class. The instructor's software (mine) lets me know how often you have
logged on and the length of time you have spent during each log on, plus
the pages that you have viewed.
(Online Classes Only): Check the calendar icon several times a week.
That is where I will "speak to you" about assignments or issues, and give
you directions about course requirements.
Failure to log on as required and/or failure to submit assignments as
required may result in a FA or failure to attend
(online classes).
Special Student Requirements:
You will find a helpful section on the
bottom of your lecture page. It contains links to the MLA (modern language
association) website. There you will find help with writing, including MLA
style sheets.
If you require special assistance in class, or if you require additional
assistance outside of class in order to comprehend the material, please
make an appointment to see me during my office hours. If for
some
reason you are unable to meet during office hours, please inform
me and we will work out a mutually acceptable time.
Statement Regarding American Disabilities Act:
Faculty members in the
School of Education make every effort to accommodate unique and special
needs of students with respect to speech, hearing, vision, seating, or other
possible limiting conditions.
Please notify the instructor as soon as
possible of any special needs.
INTERNET SITES OF INTEREST FOR
EDUCATORS
National Education Associationhttp://www.nea.org/
American Federation of Teachershttp://www.aft.org/
John Lockehttp://swift.eng.ox.ac.uk
Women in Historyhttp://nwhp.org/
Library of Congresshttp://lcweb.loc.gov/
NAACPhttp://www.naacp.org/
Smithsonian Institutehttp://www.si.edu
U.S. Dept. of Educationhttp://www.ed.gov/pubs/TeachersGuide
Jacob Riis Historical Photographshttp://www.mcny.org/m3.htm
Bilingual Ed http:// www.ncbe.gwu.edu/
Head Starthttp://www.latech.edu/tech/rural/
American Philosophical Associationhttp://www.udel.edu/apa/
Summerhillhttp://ourworld.compuserve.COM/
Waldorf
Schoolshttp://dir.yahoo.com/Education/Theory_and_Methods/Waldorf_Met
hod/Schools/
Jewish Day Schoolshttp://ramat-negev.org.il/jwsch.htm
Charter Schoolshttp://edreform.com/charters.htm
Education Commission of the Stateshttp://www.ecs.org
At-Risk Studentshttp://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/At-Risk/
Full Service
Schoolshttp://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at5full.htm
Yale Child Study Centerhttp://info.med.yale.edu/comer/
English as a Second Languagehttp://www.lang.uiuc.edu/r-li5/esl
Multicultural Educationhttp://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/pathwayg.htm
Authentic Assessmentgohper://spinoza.cse.ucla.edu/
U.S. Supreme Courthttp://oyez.at.nwu.edu/oyez.html
Internet policies and practiceshttp://www.erehwon.com/k12aup/
Copyright and
multimediahttp://www.lib.virginia.edu/puboff/copyright/interp.html
Privacy Rightshttp://www.epic.org/privacy/education/ferpa.html
Global SchoolNet Foundationhttp://www.gsn.org/
Working with Parentshttp://ericps.ed.uiuc.edu/npin/npinhome.html
National Library of
Educationhttp://www.ed.gov/NLE/