Several nights ago, I picked up the paideia program and started reading again for the first time in what seems like forever. The ideas are as compelling now as they were back when I was feeling the sting of a stifling educational environment--perhaps reinforced by my desire to shield my son from the pain that I suffered through. The Paideia proposal and program builds on the pedagogical philosophy of Dewey by delivering specific advice on pedagogical methods and content. I feel many of you would find the Paideia trilogy by Mortimer Adler to be of interest. Please check it out if you have any interest in applying the "great books" approach in education.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Paideia Program
I came across the paideia program about 10 years ago. When I first read it, I fell in love with the vision these educators painted. It strongly influenced my thoughts about what K-12 education should be and what the real purpose of education is--namely, to lead individuals in the pursuit of discovery about the world and, more importantly, self.
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Interestingly enough Adler is one of the individuals who Dewey "clashed" with in his life. Adler started the "great books" series, a very conservative approach to learning which focused on all and only "great books" from the past as sources of knowledge and information. I want to focus, as you said, more upon discovery and autodidactic learning to better create self-motivated learners.
ReplyDeleteAdler certainly recommended a traditional curriculum supported by those products of art that exhibit enduring value. To my way of thinking, first and foremost, that focus reflects a perspective deeply rooted in objectivism combined with the belief that humanity's needs, despite all our varied individual predicaments, are fundamentally the same.
ReplyDeleteBy far, the most important pedagogical aspects of the Paideia proposal relate to the definition of the three types of instruction along with a prescription pertaining to their utilization in proportions that are completely contrary to what most students experience today.
Issues addressed in the proposal such as those pertaining to the differentiation between "basic" and "elective" schooling are important, but ultimately, distracting from the pedagogical purpose of the books.
Everyone understands that "Great Books" are to be used, but with a few exceptions pertaining to U.S. historical concerns, the books identified in the proposal are only meant as suggested materials; he clearly had in mind great works of art regardless of their age or pedigree. To conclude that a Paideia school is somehow less focused on exploration and discovery than Dewey might have prescribed seems, on the face of it, specious to me. The proposal specifically addresses other types of experiences such as experimentation, dramatization and, in the later years, surveys of work life.
When reading the proposal, it is clear that one of the purposes of a Paideia School is to preserve and nurture the motivation for learning already inherent in the young throughout basic schooling so that autodidactic behavior and learning become a natural state of being for its students. The means for accomplishing this seem plausible and practical at a policy-level. Where Adler diverges from Dewey is unknown to me; I should imagine there are differences. But at the end of the day, we are left with a nation's school system that is profoundly good at producing the wrong results.