CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION.   Term Paper ID:18786 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Ideas of Horace Mann, John Dewey & Mortimer Adler on education as tool of social, humanistic & patriotic ends.... More...

5 Pages / 1125 Words 3 sources, 6 Citations, MLA Format $20.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Ideas of Horace Mann, John Dewey & Mortimer Adler on education as tool of social, humanistic & patriotic ends. Paper Introduction: Introduction This paper describes and evaluates how Horace Mann, John Dewey, and Mortimer Adler would define and structure citizenship education in today's world and also discusses their primary concerns. There is a common thread which runs through all three educational philosophers: the concept should be available to all. The early-nineteenth century experienced, both in Europe and the United States, the growth and development of ideas which saw popular education as an instrument of the national state. Most of these systems attempted to grant this power of reading, writing, and arithmetic; and most viewed the vital factor to be in assuring the employment of this power for the good of the Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Consequently, this conceptin America must be thought of as only one component of a wider movementtoward education for national, as opposed to purely religious or personal,objectives. Intellect was to be developed best bydiscipline in the liberal arts of grammar, rhetoric, logic, and mathematicsand through the medium of reading the great books of Western tradition.Following Aristotle, Adler claimed superiority for the theoretical reasonover the practical reason. Thus, it is evident that Mann believed a basic education tobe the very lifeblood of a responsible citizen. I do not here mean that it soelevates the moral nature as to make men disdain and abhor the oppressionof their fellow men . . The theoretical reason was concerned with firstprinciples, ultimate causes, and final truths. Accordingto Dewey, students grow as they participate, and as they work out togethercommon difficulties and common problems. Mann believed thateducation should be universal for both the wealthy and the poor; educationshould be free; education should be handled by the state, not byecclesiastical organizations; and education should have carefully trainedteachers. Thus, Athens had produced a speculative type ofthinking; in the Middle Ages, theology was considered as the most basicsubject of inquiry; and in modern times, philosophy has adopted ascientific viewpoint. But I mean that it gives each man theindependence and the means, by which he can resist the selfishness of othermen" (87). The individualand society are not adversaries of one another due to the fact that a humanbeing is a social animal and discovers expression through group existence. The classroom is an ideal place in which to learn democracy because astudent can learn cooperation and participation in group work. The early-nineteenth century experienced, both in Europe and theUnited States, the growth and development of ideas which saw populareducation as an instrument of the national state. . But he also believed inlifelong learning: "Basic schooling--the schooling compulsory for all--must do something other than prepare some young people for more schoolingat advanced levels. To Dewey, the school is not aprelude to life; instead, it represents a society in miniature. Dewey would approach citizen education in the way he makes clear inthe next statement: "I believe that education is a regulation of theprocess of coming to share in the social consciousness; and that theadjustment of individual activity on the basis of this social consciousnessis the only sure method of social reconstruction" (3 ). Introduction This paper describes and evaluates how Horace Mann, John Dewey, andMortimer Adler would define and structure citizenship education in today'sworld and also discusses their primary concerns. Works CitedAdler, Mortimer J. schooling must have forall a quality that can be best defined, positively, by saying that it mustbe general and liberal; and negatively, by saying that it must benonspecialized and nonvocational . . And so, in contemporary times, Deweywould take the position that public schools are the preferable approachtoward obtaining citizenship education. New York: Teachers College P, 1957.----------------------- 7 Lawrence A Cremin. It must prepare all of them for the continuation oflearning in adult life, during their working years and beyond" (11).Conclusion Mann, Dewey, and Adler believed in a universal form of education.However, they apparently did not include all young persons such as thehandicapped. . It is nonvocational only in thesense that it does not narrowly train them for one or another particularjob" (18). He is taxed to supportschools, on the same principle that he is taxed to support paupers; becausea child without education is poorer and more wretched than a man withoutbread" (1 3). . Dewey was a strong believer inlifelong learning. Much of what Mann said over one-hundred years ago is still very modern sounding. New York: Teachers College P, 1959.Mann, Horace. And so, Adler believed a prescribed curriculum must beformulated that the intellectual virtues by a rigorous system of cognitivediscipline. Dewey was very aware of the socialenvironment of philosophy. Every man, not onthe pauper list, is taxed for their support . Consequently, the ideal ofuniversal education is being met in this modern era in a way only hoped forby such educators as Horace Mann and John Dewey, who certainly planted thefirst seeds of citizenship education. He placed emphasis upon mankind's human faculties asguides to the moral and intellectual objectives of education.Consequently, Adler would hold that a citizenship education in today'sworld could be obtained by developing the faculty of intellect. New York: Collier, 1982.Dewey, John. The onlytrue education would be concerned with the cultivation of the higherintellectual virtues. Dewey on Education: Selections. Education should stressthe humanities because a democratic society can only be built upon suchendeavors. Once again, the answer was one of teaching values whileretaining the common character of the school; or in other words, keepingthe school available to all. Itis from this viewpoint that Mann says: "Education, then, beyond all otherdevices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men--the balance-wheel of the social machinery. It is not only the mostexpedient kind of schooling, but it is also best for the other reasonsstated above: because it prepares out children to be good citizens and tolead good human lives" (19-2 ). Ed. Thereis a trend toward doing away with special schools for the handicapped andmainstreaming them into the regular classroom. Deweywanted the student to have self-expression. He paidlittle attention to the moral, the aesthetic, and the religiouscharacteristics of human experience. Dewey had the belief that knowledge must be employedconcretely and experimentally for the improvement of humanity.Consequently, Dewey emphasized the high importance of the values ofcooperation, open-mindedness, and the dignity of the individual--a veryethical and quite humanistic approach. general, nonspecialized schooling has thequality that most befits human nature . The humanities serve to make a person a better human being. Yet,philosophy is a humanities-like instrument of significant clarification.Mortimer Adler Certainly, Mortimer Adler was a modern-day educator who was adefinite humanist. The Republic and the School: Horace Mann on the Education of Free Man. Education does not cease with graduation, for life isto be our teacher, and we must generate a better society. Martin S. When it is remembered that Mann was a strong advocate of thehumanities, it is a given that he would design a modern school curriculumwhich contains a considerable amount of philosophy and literature as itsfoundation.John Dewey It may seem like a quantum leap from Horace Mann to John Dewey;however, Dewey was very much in favor of a strong educational approach tophilosophy, and also, social studies. Horace Mann had the following thoughts onthis subject, which was an object of study quite close to his heart.Horace Mann In Mann's Twelfth Annual Report he states: "The very terms, PublicSchool, and Common School, bear upon their face, that they are schoolswhich the children of the entire community may attend. There is a common thread which runs through all three educationalphilosophers: the concept should be available to all. Dworkin. Mann wasone of the pioneers of coeducation. In the traditional school, the student would besubmissive and subordinate his individuality to that of the class. . . Adler was an advocate of schooling for all. . Yet, it should be stressed that Adler was advocating a form ofnonspecialized education: ". However, the practicalreason was only interested in how to do things and make things. Very much like Horace Mann, Deweywas in favor of the public school. Most of these systemsattempted to grant this power of reading, writing, and arithmetic; and mostviewed the vital factor to be in assuring the employment of this power forthe good of the state in patriotic education. Ed. . All of this leadsup to Dewey's belief that the school must be student-centered instead ofteacher-centered. . When Mann said that education should be for all, he truly meant it,because he believed education should be for both men and women. The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto. In this situation, then, the classroom becomes alaboratory, with social studies as the center of the curriculum. Discipline problems couldresult from this; however, if the teacher motivated the child, realdevelopment would occur. And so the question has been and still is: How can the school teachpatriotism or citizenship education without teaching some type' ofpolitical creed? Thus, Adler states: ". . Due to the passing of PL 94-142 in 1974, all handicappedchildren and youth were provided with the right to have a free andappropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. . If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.