Topic: Views philosophers on society and education

Emerson

(1803-1882)

and Transcendentalism

Tagore

(1861-1941)

A. S. Neill

(1883-1973)

Dewey

(1859-1952)

Zvi Lamm

(1921-2004)

Main Criticism

Humans are born good and wise. There is no original sin. It is the institution that makes humans feel sinful and prevents natural learning.

Tagore’s school marked a radical change in Indian education at his time: ("The Vicissitudes of Education, 1961):

"What I object to is the artificial arrangement by which this foreign education tends to occupy all the space of our national mind and thus kills, or hampers, the great opportunity for the creation of new thought by a new combination of truths. It is this which makes me urge that all the elements in our own culture have to be strengthened; not to resist the culture of the West, but to accept and assimilate it. It must become for us nourishment and not a burden. We must gain mastery over it and not live on sufferance as hewers of texts and drawers of book-learning".

Education must be based on maximal freedom. Moral education must be renounced:

"we allow children to be themselves. In order to do this we had to renounce all discipline, all direction, all suggestion, all moral training, all religious instruction"

"I believe that it is moral instruction that makes the child bad. I find that when I smash the moral instruction a bad boy has received he becomes a good boy."

"Punishment is always an act of hate". (Summerhill, 1968).

According to Dewey, education up to his time was mostly Traditional – retaining contents and methods from the past and unfit for the present. Dewey supports Progressive education – which coordinates contents and teaching methods to specific classes and students.

All educational theories are ideologies. A mixture of ideologies is perplexing and dangerous. Therefore, schools must clearly state their ideologies (categorized as Socializing, Acculturizing or Individualizing) and work within their domains.

The Ideal

Individuals must find their own way to express their unique goodness and wisdom - and this can be achieved only by (physical or mental) distance from the institution.

To be great is to be misunderstood.

In “The Poet’s School” (1926) Tagore writes that Education is an art. Tagore is seeking for education and society that promote  individual, creative and critical freedom.

Education and society where each person has maximal freedom (children and adulst alike). Each person has the right to offer new rules and vote.

Education is life. Ideal education and society must be attentive to individual needs and to allow for maximal freedom for each individual to seek for knowledge and to act in a democratic and dynamic environment.

A clear statement of school ideology and work within the domains of that ideology, will improve overall education.

Education

Emerson searched for a living religion where humans can discover their own truth and act according to their common sense and healthy instincts. ("Education", 1860): "The secret of education... lies in respecting the pupil". The teacher is not to create in the pupil a replica of himself, but rather let the pupil "discover his own secret". We have three main sources for learning: Nature, from which we should learn from our individual experiences, Books which we should study but not rely on , as we are the writers of our own book of life, and Action - our actions should base on our learning from nature and books; our truth should become our actions.

According to Tagore, real knowledge could be gained only in an atmosphere of freedom. This included the following:

1) the medium of instruction must be the mother tongue

2) nature was considered the richest source of knowledge

3) creative activities must play a central role in education.

Tagore was one of the first proponents of education based on individual freedom.

Summerhill school tried to create an ideal educational model. Each student had the freedom to choose classes according to his/her intereest. Each person (children and adults) had the right to offer rules in weekly meetings and to vote for them. Teachers enable learning and do not impose it.

Progressive education - see above.

All educational theories fall under three categories, each with specific characteristics.

1. Socializing - is aimed at providing skills for success in society (in Israel - Bagruyot and army; the teaching method is usually by grades and punishment.

2. Acculturizing - is aimed at providing knowledge and skills for success in a certain culture (in Israel - orthodox schools, democratic schools, Waldorf schools, and more); the teaching method is usually by personal modeling by the teacher.

3. Individualizing - is aimed at the personal development of individual students. The teaching method: small classes, private lessons.

Happiness (=well being)

See “the Ideal”.

Happiness is “Where the Mind is Without Fear”, when consciousness, thought and creativity are not limited by social or psychological constraints.

For Neill, happiness is the minimal restriction of freedom.

Humans are happy when they live and grow in a society and education that provides maximal freedom of expression and creation, and they are active in maintaining such a society that is attentive to the dynamics of individual needs. In such a happy society, collective learning and knowledge is always in progress.

Well being in education means clear awareness and choice of educational ideologies.