Untitled Document

TOPIC: American Educational History

Lesson Element .1: AThe True Value of History@

The Most Important Thing for a Human Being is to Have Perspective.

It distinguishes us from the animals which have nor perspective, consciousness or choice.

One way to look at our task in life:
Understanding that what we are about is figuring out how to make the most informed choices.

One of the exciting things of the late 20^th Century is that the world is much more complex than the world of any century past.

We have more to do with all the nations in the world than in any time past.

How we go about making our decisions is very strongly shaped by many more influences than in the past.

Our task is to figure out how to exercise those choices when we have them.

History is one of the Least Appreciated Subjects in the Curriculum.

History is actually exciting, but the way we teach it is dumb.

We tend to teach it as a long and boring string of date.
We need to make it come alive.

When history comes alive, we are able to find a way to use its lessons.

Simply knowing dates is not very useful information. Doesn=t help in any substantial way.

By understanding the why vice the when, we will see the ideas that made us the way we are now.

The Reason to Study History Is That We Are Actually Figuring out How to Inform Our Choices.

Lesson Element .2: AStudying the Future@

Missed Opportunities.

We miss opportunities in the way we study history.

If we make history come alive then we can become intrigued by the events that helped to shape our past and will shape our future.

Example: Columbus.

The routes he chose for both directions were ideal for the age of sail.
How did he figure it out? How did he know about the trade winds?
No one knows.

History Quiz:

How much do you know about the past, present, or future? How certain are you about the past, the present, and the future?

Take the following quiz. On a scale of 1-10 (1=knowing absolutely nothing to 10= knowing everything), how do you rate your knowledge of:

The past:

For those of you who are kind of sure about the past, are you sure you did not get cancer yesterday?

The present:

So sure about the present? OK, then how about telling me what=s going on across the campus or at home right now. Be specific about everyone and everything.

The future:

If you rated yourself as a 1 about the future, are you really saying that you do not have a clue whether the sun will rise tomorrow? If you do not have a clue about the future, why are you in this class? The reason you are taking this course is that you somehow think that this class will contribute to a successful future. We actually know a lot about the future.

How long is the present?

How long is the present? The answers range from an instant to a lifetime or longer; for some who will say that it cannot be defined to others who will say there is no such thing.

The Greek definition is that there are two kinds: punctilious and situational.

Punctilious present is an instant, however we describe it.

Situational is the one we most often think of in context.

Ex: A semester of a course.
Ex: How long it takes to get your degree.
The situational present of your life time is your life time.

The present has different definitions.

Its helpful to understand this because we tend to think of the present as being different from the past or the future.

We tend to deal with things that are only temporarily in our focus differently from those things that we think of as being a future agenda, or something looked up in the past.
The way we think of the present is a significant part of the way we will deal with things as a teacher.

When We Fail to Realize How Much We Know about the Future, We Do Not Use the Information Available to Us and There Is Much Available to Us in the past to Help Us Study the Future.

The information from the past can really make a huge difference in the way we would act in the present and the future, if we were aware of the information.

Unfortunately, most of us have the idea that we do not know much about the future.

This allows us to act in such a way as to disregard all that valuable knowledge that is already there.

We Don=t Necessarily Know More about the near Future than the Distant Future.

Example: It=s a whole lot more sure that none of us in this class now will be alive in 100 years from now than that none of us will be dead in 1 year from now.
Example: Understanding the cycle of the seasons. When a farmer plants a crop, he is making a prediction about the future, rain patterns and all sorts of things.
The bottom line: We use the past to make predictions about the future.

The Job of the Teacher is to Help Students Study the Future.

Study of the future is one of the most important things for a teacher to do.
That is why it is important to start thinking about history.

That=s also why we will be studying the history of education.

We can learn from the past, so as to better understand the present and help shape the future of education.

Lesson Element .3: A17^th Century American Education@

The History of Education is the Grand Markers of Perspective Over the Centuries.

Education in the 17^th century was a private responsibility.

Today we view education as a public responsibility.
We would think that private responsibility for education is absurd in today=s society.
Yet all education in the U.S. started out as private.
We have had a dramatic shift in public perception about education between now and then. Why?

Most education was religious although there was some secular education.

Harvard was the first private higher educational institution found in the U.S.

It was founded to train clergy. It=s purpose was religion.

Perspective helps shape the course of education.

Comenius was the man selected as the first president of Harvard.

He was one of the most progressive educators of his day and more progressive than Harvard has ever seen, even to this day.

Enroute to his posting, he became seasick. So badly seasick that he turned around and went back to Europe before ever assuming the post.

Had he assumed his post, it is quite probable that the destiny of Harvard would have been quite different than how it turned out.

Harvard may not even have survived, but it definitely would have been different.

Since Harvard was the initial role model for other American institutions, think how much differently the history of American education would have been had Comenius not suffered from AMal de Mer.@

We Tend to Think of the World as a Rational Place; It is Not.

There are some things that are rational, but many things that are not rational in the world.

If we are to understand the world, we must understand both rational and irrational things.

Human beings are thinking and feeling beings.

This combination produces the nature of who we are.

Viewing school as a rational place is a common fallacy. It is not a rational place and never will be.

We teach history as a string of dates, when we could teach the important lessons from it instead. Is that rational?

In Western culture we put emphasis on dates. In China they don=t. They emphasize periods.

Most Chinese can=t tell you the dates of anything. But they can tell you which dynasty the event took place in.

The Dynasties had different major elements and ways of thinking about life, and of organizing things.

To the Chinese, our entire American History is modern history in comparison to their own history.
Again, it depends on your perspective as to how you view things.
What is ancient, late, or modern history in reality?
We have to help each other understand this role in history.

American Educational History is Only Around 400 Years Old.

It started out as a private responsibility.

It shifted to a public responsibility. Yet the reason for the shift to public education was rooted in religious tradition.

The public in Massachusetts decided that Satan was getting far too great a hold on the children. They decided to send them to school to protect them from Satan by overcoming their ignorance of the dangers that Satan posed.

The AYe Ole Deluder Satan Act@ caused the first establishment of public education.

History offers us Tremendous, but Sometimes Confusing Lessons.

The U.S. is a plural society.

Lots of different beliefs and diversity.

The task for teachers is to learn how to honor all those beliefs and still create a unity in diversity.

We have not yet learned how to do that well.

Example: Honoring a minority belief against prayer in school, but not letting the minority tyrannize the majority, especially when the majority would prefer to have prayer in schools.

Dr. Allen believes that there should be prayer in schools.

We are a religious nation.

However, he also believes that we have a responsibility to find a way to honor the minority view of those who prefer not to have prayer.

The dichotomy of the situation: To have a few people feel so strongly that they deprive the majority. This isn=t right. But the majority also has the responsibility to honor the opinions of the minority as well.

One of the Biggest Lessons of History Is to Understand That We Are All Inconsistent and That We Need to Find Integrity with a Point of View Considering Those Inconsistencies.

It is not simply a matter of power. It=s finding a balance in a pluralistic society.

Prayer in school is one example. Sex Education is another.

The same people who would argue for prayer in school might well argue against Sex Education. Is that consistent? From that person=s point of view it is. For others, it is not. Again, perspective plays a major role.
Some people choose to cite the documents and history of the Founding Fathers when it is continent to their cause. When it is not convenient, they remain silent on the matter. Again, inconsistency.

The First American Textbook was Published Late in the 17^th Century.

Until that time, all textbooks were imported from Europe.

We did not have enough competence to have our own textbook.

The view was that real knowledge cam from the homeland, Europe.

The ANew England Primer@ became very important.

It went 100 year without revision.

Compare that record with today.

This textbook for this class is in the 8^th edition. The 7^th revision since it was written twenty years ago.

Modern publishers have revision down to a science.

A new edition comes out every three years.

The authors rest for the first year after publication.
They begin revision during the second year.
In the third year they finalize the changes and the publisher issues a new edition.
This cycle repeats itself over and over.

Currency of information is a major difference to modern textbooks when compared to the New England Primer.

The world is changing fast. If you got a computer last year, its already two generations old and fast becoming out of date.

The Means Through Which We Gain Knowledge Has Changed From the Past.

In the past, sons learned from their fathers, and daughters learned from their mothers.

In modern society, most of what your father or mother knows is likely to be outdated.

This has implications for you as a teacher. You are trying to help kids learn to live in a world that you have not lived in either.

That is a very different task than the task of the past.
The New England Primer lasted for over 100 years without revision.
The new textbook you just got is already out of date.
Lots of things happened in the cycle between revision and publication. These may not be reflected in the textbook.

The question of currency of information is hotly debated in academic circles. How to remain current? Is Electronic publishing a key to the puzzle?

Internet publication may be one answer.

Journals are not limited in length.
They may be instantly updated as new information becomes available.
Removes the delay lag between textbook revision and publication.

Many academic institutions have not yet decided whether electronic publishing counts for the purposes of promotion.

This will probably become a moot point in ten years.

Consider the slide rule, who uses that today over the electronic calculator?

Remember: Everything is changing.

Lesson Element .4: A18^th Century American Education@

First Hints of Standardization Occur with the Publication of Noah Webster=s Spelling Book, the ABlue Back Speller@

Appeared near the end of the 18^th Century.

Had both good and bad consequences.

It helped people get organized and become standardized.
But, it also gave us a lousy spelling system.

English is one of the worst languages in the world in terms of spelling.

No value in a system where everything needs to be memorized.
Phonetic spelling is a far better way, much easier for everyone.
George Bernard Shaw gave his entire fortune to phonetic spelling.
See phonetic spelling link.

The U.S. Also is Backwards in Terms of Measurement.

Only the U.S. and Burundi still use the non-metric system.

Every other nation in the world uses the metric system.

Obvious and easier system than feet, and pounds.
Obstinacy by the U.S. costs an estimated 5 billion dollars a year.
Forces other countries to produce parts in non-metric mode for sale in U.S.
Plus U.S. manufacturers have to produce metric parts for sale outside of U.S.

Some glimmer of hope for U.S. to gradually convert.

Some auto-makers in the U.S. produce cars with metric sized parts.
Some beverages are bottled using the metric system (2 liter bottles of soda pop).

We as teachers can help our students understand how pointless it is to not use metrics.

Eventually they will grow up and be in a position to change the national policy.

Likewise, as we move toward globalization, we are finally seriously engaging our children in the primary spectator sport of the rest of the world; soccer.

In the U.S. the primary spectator sport is horse racing.

Review Question: How does the Blue Back Speller represent the best and worst effects of standardization?

Answer: Standardization helps communication, but the Blue Back Speller standardized for us foolish and complicated ways to spell from which we are unlikely to recover soon.

In the 18^th Century Education was Still Private.

Even when primary education became public, it was required that every village have a school.

What wasn=t required was that every child had to attend.

Religion dominated the schools.

The religious tradition was homogeneous, both at the same time oppressive and tolerant.

Created an unintended consequence in the relationship between secular and religious education.

90% of our population believe in God, but we make prohibitions against teaching religion in public schools.

Consequently, our schools teach agnosticism.

We tell kids that what we teach them is important to their lives.

Yet by not teaching religion or spiritualism, we are by default telling them that those are unimportant things to their future happiness and success.

Dr. Allen supports the view that its important to honor the pluralistic traditions, but the dominant tradition in our nation is Judeo-Christian tradition.

He believes we should promote our nation=s spiritual heritage as well as the secular heritage. However, how to do that in a non-oppressive manner is a major challenge.

Teachers are Guides to the Future, Not Conservators of Past Knowledge.

By using the information from the past you can help guide the children into the future.

That=s why the teacher needs to be aware of history and make it come alive.

The most powerful lessons of history are the ones that give unexpected answers.

Not all answers are always intuitive or found within ourselves.
Teachers must be aware of those facts.

Teachers must be prepared to help the students understand that answers to life=s challenges are not so obvious.

Kids have trouble seeing things down the road 8-10 years.

You must be able to make them understand the implications of preparation now, for the results in the future.

The Northwest Ordinance Act in the Late 18^th Century made a Major Difference in Making Education Available to Everyone, Not Just the Elite.

Truly visionary. Set aside land for educational use.

ã Land was one our most plentiful resources and the NW Ordinance Act gave us a way to build institutions of learning for everyone.

Lesson Element .5: A19^th Century American Education@

The First Public High School was Established in the 19^th Century.

By the end of the century, high school education was becoming the norm.

The First Teacher Training Schools were Also Established in the 19^th Century.

Entirely new idea: Train teachers formally.

Called ANormal Schools.@
Based on the word Anorm@, which means standard.
Thus, included training for teachers which standardized their knowledge base.

However, the training was brief because the majority of teachers were women.

Women were likely to marry and leave the classroom.

The administrators saw no reason to Awaste@ lots of training on people who would probably only teach for a short while.

The purpose of the training was to give teachers ideas which they would use in their own way and assert their own individuality.

See link Aindividuality@. Nice story about Dr. Allen=s grandmother who went to one of the first teacher training schools in the midwest.

The First Kindergarten was Established in the U.S. During the 19^th Century.

At the start of the century, children were taught just the same as college students. They were considered Alittle people.@

The idea that children were different from adults was non-existent.

Our establishment of child-centered education is a fairly recent development in our teaching traditions.

Until Late in the 19^th Century, All Higher Education was ALiberal Arts.@ There Were No Majors.

Everyone took the same courses.

Universities were located back in the woods.

Premise was that serious education required a quiet, serene and isolated atmosphere in which to study.

Land was cheap and plentiful and most major universities located in such locales.
Students were literally sent away in the woods to Athink@ full-time.

Major universities were preoccupied with liberal arts. They were reluctant to legitimize practical research to support scientific development of agriculture.

Another irrational approach. Agriculture has and still is one of our country=s greatest strengths.

Our agricultural exports account for more foreign trade income than any other sector.

The University Land Grant Act Was Largely Responsible for Making University Study Practical and Lead to the Broad Range of Professional Degrees of Today.

The land grant act created a whole new category of higher education to support practical research.

In every state, land was given to establish practical universities.

Virginia Tech was a land grant college and it=s main focus was agricultural.

Ironically, over the last few decades, Land Grant Universities has grown more adoptive of liberal arts agendas and the liberal arts universities have taken on more practical work. The distinction between the two is blurring.

Lesson Element .6: APre WWII American Education@

The 20^th Century was the Discovery of the Child.

Building on the concepts of kindergarten, we were influenced by the noted European psychologist, Piaget.

His studies on behavior and development became landmarks.

Much of what teacher studies focus on is child development.

Must be prepared to deal with kids at all stages.

We are now also discovering the neurology of learning in addition to the psychology of learning.

The First Junior College was Established in this Century. (20^th).

Extremely important because is marks a complete change of mind about the nature of higher education.

Prior to this you had to go off into the Awoods@ and study full-time at a major university.
Shift in this idea: Stay at home and still get a higher education.

It meant that you could pursue a higher education part-time in your own home town.
Idea was so radical that it wasn=t readily accepted.

The College of William and Mary established their own urban campus.
However, they decided the campus was too Aapplied@ for their liberal arts agenda.
Thus, Old Dominion University was born from the orphaned William & Mary Urban campus in 1930.

The Junior College Ended the Idea the Higher Education Was Only for the Rich and That Universities Were Lofty Places Somewhere off in the Woods Where Elite and Rich Students Went off to Think.

Junior colleges allow those who can=t afford (both time and money wise), full-time study, to still get a higher education.

The 20^th Century Also Saw the Inception of Funding of Education for the Poor.

Scholarships were the product of the New Deal in American politics.

The idea of education for the poor was revolutionary.

Changes in ideas about education were rapid during the 20^th century.

Recognized that as society progresses, more education is need for people to contribute as productive members of society.

As flawed as the educational system is, the U.S. still can point to the preeminent role it has played in the development of universal education and the transformation of higher education.

Lesson Element .7: APost Sputnik American Education@

Major Advances in Education Took Place After WWII.

The GI Bill allowed hundreds of thousands of veterans access to higher education.

The GI=s felt that the nation owed them a debt.

The GI Bill allowed veterans from middle and lower class backgrounds access to previously unreachable higher education institutions.

Fallout from this: hundreds of colleges built and the nation=s infrastructure of higher education was permanently enlarged.

Permanently ended the concept that higher education was only for the privileged.

The Cold War Caused Another Innovation in Education. Emphasis on Science.

The National Defense Education Act was enacted to improve the sciences and thereby guard America=s future.

Based on the public perception that the U.S. was lagging behind the Soviet Union in science.

The Soviet launch of Sputnik Satellite caused hysteria in the late 1950's.

The public was sold the bill of goods that we were twenty years behind the Russians.

In actuality, we had our own satellite almost ready to go. We could have actually beat the Russians into orbit, but were preoccupied in over-engineering the satellite.

Science education was the beneficiary of good legislation for the wrong reason.

Ironically, we built up such an overwhelming lead in science that we were able to mass produce weapons and consumer goods at the same time.
This put pressure on the Russians to keep up. They were unable to do both things in sufficient numbers at the same time. They chose weapons.
This eventually help to contribute to such dissatisfaction in the Soviet Union that their national economy faltered and led to the demise of the Soviet Union as a political entity.

The Job Corps was Another Landmark in American Education.

Initiated the concept that we value those who do not do well in traditional education.

Prior to this concept, no one recognized that many talents other than those cultivated in traditional schools were of value. (Other than athletics).
If you were given a chance at higher education and blew it, it was just your own tough luck.

The Job Corps gave those less than successful in school, another chance.

This introduced the philosophy of traditional and non-traditional education for all.

It also led to the next step: Alternative Education.

Alternative Education Encompasses All Kinds of Alternatives to Traditional Education.

Still very controversial and ill-defined.

However, great strides have been made by Howard Gardner and his theory of multiple intelligences.

Hopefully we will find a way to make use of all the talents that the members of our society offer.

Lesson Element .8: AModern American Education@

Federal Aid to Public Schools Marks the First Real Involvement of the Federal Government with Lower Education.

The idea of federal government involvement with lower education is a new one.

Dr. Allen feels that it is a very important step toward achieving some type of national standard.

Federal Act PL 94-142 mandated the additional resources be provided for education of special students.

Special education is only about two decades old and is important.

The Concept of Legislated Quality is another Marker in the History of American Education.

State legislatures having been passing laws over the last decade which mandate higher standards in a variety of ways.

Literacy passport test and teacher accountability are just two of the legislated quality ideas.

Dr. Allen doesn=t feel that legislated quality are an effective approach.

However, they are the first steps toward a needed national standard.

The drawback to the approach is that the legislatures mandate standards but don=t allocate the money or other resources to effectively make the standards achievable.

The problem will only get worse because as complexity of society changes, we need to know more.

Need more experimentation, more resources, and more perspective.

Legislated quality represents the public=s frustration with, and their feelings of isolation from the schools.

Need to do better in encouraging parent and community involvement.

Also need to be willing to change.

Endless Reform is the Lastest Mile Post in Education History.

Concept theorizes that teachers must be trained and retrained throughout their careers.

Relatively new idea.
Teachers can=t afford to go two years without some type of supplemental training.

For this concept to be work, we need to accept a whole new approach: Change is our friend, not our enemy.

Remember: We Study the History of Education to Help Us Study It=s Future.

We can=t know where we are going if we don=t know where we have been.

As teachers, it=s our job to help our students study the future - theirs and ours.