EDUCATION 14: INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATION

 

Fall 2001                                                         Eva Travers

 

Class   Wednesday 1:15-4:00PM                   Office: Pearson 221A (Education Office) (X-8656)

            Trotter 203                                          Office Hours: Wednesday 4-5:30PM

                                                                                                Friday 2-4 PM

                                                                                                or by appointment

                                                                        email: etraver1

                                                                                   

 

 

This course uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine key issues in American education. In it we will explore questions in American education from the perspectives of psychology, philosophy, economics, history, sociology and anthropology and discuss alternative policies and programs. We will examine the topics listed on the syllabus through historical and contemporary readings, through students' writing, and through small and large group discussion and activities. Students will develop an awareness of contemporary curriculum theory and practice through work with instructional materials and first hand experience in schools. The course also provides students with an opportunity to explore their interest in teaching.

 

Notes on Readings: The following books are available in the Bookstore:

Bruner, J. S. The Process of Education.

            Bruner, J. S. Toward a Theory of Instruction .

            Dewey, J. Experience and Education.

            Eckert, P. Jocks and Burnouts.

            Kohl, H. 36 Children.

            Meier, D. The Power of Their Ideas.

            Sadker, M. and Sadker, D. Failing at Fairness.

            Schofield, J. W. Computers and Classroom Culture.

            Skinner, B. F. The Technology of Teaching.

           

           

All assigned readings can either be found on General Reserve, McCabe Library, or on

e-reserves. Readings on e-reserve are marked with an asterisk (*). Readings available as a book or General Reserve and on e-reserve are marked with a double asterisk (**). In addition some of the books assigned in the course are also in the Educational Materials Center (Pearson 220), located on a shelf marked Introduction to Education. These are not to be removed from the Education Office Area.

 

The Materials Center is open from 8 AM-5:30 PM weekdays and 7:30 PM-9:30 PM Sunday-Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons 1-5PM.

 

 

 

Week 1 (September 5): Introduction and Orientation to Course and Field Observation

 

 

Week 2 (September 12): What Happens in School: The Hidden Curriculum

 

Jackson, P. W. (1968). Life in Classrooms. New York: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston, Inc. Chapter I.

*Anyon, J. (1980). "Social class and the hidden curriculum of work," Journal of Education, Vol. 162.

**Dreeben, R. (1967). "The contribution of schooling to the learning of norms. Socialization and Schools, Harvard Educational Review, 37 (2), 23-49.

**Sadker, M. and Sadker, D. (1994). Failing at Fairness, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Chapter 1, pp 1-14.

 

Week 3 (September 19): What Happens in School: Reaching the Individual Student

 

Holt, J. (1964). How Children Fail. New York: Delta/Seymour Lawrence. Chapters 1 (Strategy), 2 (Fear and Failure to "April 12, 1959.").

Kohl, H. (1967). 36 Children. New York: Signet. pp. 13-62, (skim 101-175), and pp. 177-180.

*Lefrancois, G. R. (1994). "Development: The Theory of Jean Piaget," Psychology for Teaching. Belmont , CA: Wadsworth, pp. 57-74.

**Duckworth, E. (1987). "The Having of Wonderful Ideas" and Other Essays on teaching and Learning". New York: Teachers College Press. pp. 1-14.

 

Week 4 (September 26): Curriculum Theory and Practice (1): Dewey and Open Education

 

Dworkin, M. S. (1959). Dewey on Education. New York: Teachers College Press. Excerpts from "My Pedagogic Creed," Article II, pp. 22-25, Article V, pp. 30-32 and "The School and Society," pp. 33-70.

Dewey, J. (1963). Experience and Education. New York: Collier Books.

*Silberman, Charles. (1973). The Open Classroom Reader. Chap I, pp. 36-60.

Silberman, C. (1970). Crisis in the Classroom. New York: Random House. Chapter 6. (Skim)

 

Week 5 (October 3): Curriculum Theory and Practice (2): Behaviorism

 

Skinner, B. F. (1968). The Technology of Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Chapters 4, 2, 7, 8 and 11 (note order).

*Bigge (1982). "How Does Skinner's Operant Conditioning Work?" In Learning Theories for Teachers, Chap.. 5, pp. 109-136.

Mager, R. (1962). Preparing Instructional Objectives. Palo Alto: Fearon Publishers.

 

First paper due: Friday, October 5.

 

Week 6 (October 10): Curriculum Theory and Practice (3): Inquiry and Discovery

 

Bruner, J. S. (1966). Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Chapters 3 and 4 (pp. 39-101).

Bruner, J. S. (1960). The Process of Education. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Chapters 1-4 (pp. 1-68).

*Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Chap 6 (pp. 84-91).

       MACOS Materials (presented in class)

 

Observation log due: Friday, October 12 (or after three observations).

 

Week 7 (October 24): Curriculum Theory and Practice: Affective and Moral Education

 

*Noddings, N. (1988). "An ethic of caring and its implications for instructional arrangements. American Journal of Education, 96(2), 215-229.

*Damon, W. (1988). The Moral Child, Chapter 8, "Teaching Values in the Schools."

*Kahne, J. and Westheimer, E. "In the service of what? The politics of service learning." Phi Delta Kappan 77 (9), 593-599.

 

Second mid-term paper due: Monday, October 29.

 

Week 8 (October 31): Historical Perspectives on American Schooling

 

*Katz, M. (1987). Reconstructing American Education. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Chapter 1.

*Butts, R. F. (1960, March). "Search for Freedom: The Story of American Education." In Dropkin, Contemporary American Education. pp. 91-117.

*Tyack, D. & Hansot, E. (1981). Conflict and Consensus in American Public Education. Daedalus, 110 (3), 1-25.

**Greene, M. (1978). "The Impacts of Irrelevance: Women in the History of American Education," Chapter 16, pp. 225-243. In Landscapes of Learning, NY: Teachers College Press.

**Lazerson. (ed.) (1987). American Education in the 20th Century. New York: Teachers College Press. Introduction, pp. 1-55.

 

 

Week 9 (November 7): Equality of Opportunity and American Schooling

*Coleman, J. (1968, Winter). "The concept of equal educational opportunity," Harvard Educational Review. pp. 7-22.

**Delpit, L. (August 1988). "The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people's children." Harvard Educational Review. 58(3). pp. 280-298.

**Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities. "Children of the City of the Invincible," Chapter 4.

**Nieto, S. (1998). "Fact or fiction: Stories of Puerto Ricans in U.S. schools." Harvard Educational Review, 68(2) pp. 133-163.

*Darling-Hammond, L. “Race, Education, and Equal Opportunity,” in Foreman, C. The African-American Predicament. Brookings Institution Press, 1999, Chap. 7.

 

Week 10 (November 14): Policy Questions: Computers in Education

 

Bromley, H. (1998). "Introduction: Data-driven democracy? Social assessment of educational computing." In H. Bromley and M. Apple (eds.) Education/Techology/Power. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, pp. 1-23.

Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. New York: Basic Books. Chapter 1.

Schofield, J. W. (1995). Computers and Classroom Culture. Cambridge University Press. Introduction (up to page 16), and Chapters 3 and 7 (pp. 212-228).

*Tapscott, D. (2000). "The digital divide." In Technology and Learning. SanFrancisco: Jossey Bass, pp. 127-154.

*Kirkpatrick, H. and Cuban, L. (2000). "Should we be worried?" in Technology and Learning. SanFrancisco: Jossey Bass, pp. 155-167.

*Bigelow, Bill. “On the Road to Cultural Bias: A Critique of Oregon Trail CD-ROM.” Language Arts, Vol. 74, Feb. 1997.

 

Week 11 (November 21): Policy Questions: Adolescents and Schools

 

*Fine, M. (1986, Spring). "Why Urban Adolescents Drop Into and Out of Public High School." Teachers College Record.

Eckert, P. (1989). Jocks and Burnouts. Teachers College Press. Chapters 1, 3, 4, 8. Chapters 6 and 7 are optional.

*Sadker, M. & Sadker, D. (1994). Failing at Fairness. NY: Teachers College Press, Chapter 4.

Ames, N. and Miller, E. (1994). Changing Middle Schools, San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass, Chapters 1 and 4.

 

Week 12 (November 28): Policy Questions: Strategies for Reform

 

Meier, D. (1995). The Power of Their Ideas, Beacon Press, Chapters 2, 3. pp. 15-63.

*Ravitch, D. (1995). National Standards in American Education. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institute. Introduction & Chapter 1, pp. 1-32 and 121-134.

*Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). "Reframing the School Reform Agenda: Developing Capacity for School Transformation." In E. Clinchy (Ed.) Transforming Public Education. Teachers College Press. pp. 38-55.

*Kane, J. (1995). "Educational reform and the dangers of triumphant rhetoric." In Ron Miller, Educational Freedom for a Democratic Society, Vt: Resource Center for Designing Education. pp. 56-76.

*McNeil, L. (2000). "Creating new inequalities: Contradiction of reform," Phil Delta Kappan 81(10). pp. 728-734.

 

Week 13 (December 5): Policy Questions: The Debate Over School Choice

 

*Rosenberg, B. (Summer, 1989). "Public School Choice: Can We Find the Right Balance," The American Educator.

*Moore, D. and Davenport, S. (1990). "School Choice: The New Improved Sorting Machine." In Choice in Education, pp. 187-222.

*Bastain, A. (1996). "Charter schools: Potentials and pitfalls." In Selling Out Our Schools. Rethinking Schools.

*Prevost, T. and Jimenez-Silva, M. (1996). "Jingletown: One Charter School's Story," in Selling Out Our Schools, Rethinking Schools, pp. 52-53.

*Good, T. and Braden, J. (2000). "Charter schools: Another reform failure or a worthwhile investment." Phi Delta Kappan. 81(10) pp. 745-750.

*Gresham, A., Hess, F., Maranto, R. and Milliman, S. (2000). "Desert bloom: Arizona's free market in education." Phi Delta Kappan 81(10) pp. 751-757.

*Henig, “The Danger of Market Rhetoric,” In Selling Out our Schools, Rethinking Schools, pp. 8-11.

 

Curriculum projects due: Thursday, December 13.

 

Observation logs due: By end of exam period (December 22).

 

 

Assignments

 

1. Midterm papers (30% of the final grade).

 

Students will write two short papers. The first paper is due Friday, October 5. The second paper is due Monday, October 29.

 

2. Curriculum Project (20% of the final grade).

 

The Curriculum Project will consist of a seven-lesson unit or mini-course based on subject matter and grade level of the student's choice. Details will be presented in class. Projects will be due Thursday, December 13.

 

3. Final Examination (30% of the grade).

 

The final exam will cover weeks 8 to 13.

 

4. School observations and journal (20% of the final grade). Students are expected to spend 2-3 hours observing , and or assisting in school classrooms for ten weeks. Details about field observations will be discussed in class.

 

Written journal entries should be maintained for all observations. The format of the journal will be discussed in class. Journals will be submitted two times during the semester: on Friday, October 12 (or as soon as you have observed three times) and by the end of the exam period (December 22).

 

5. Since this is a discussion oriented course, students must do reading assignments on a weekly basis and participate fully in course activities. Students are expected to attend all classes and participate in a study group. (Details about the study group will be presented in class.) Outstanding or weak class participation will be taken into account in your final grade.