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1. Educational Paradigms & Philosophies Kurt Love, Ph.d.

Central Connecticut State University


2. Purposes of Education What are reasons for having public education? Build a Inspiring
socially/ecologically Responsible Creative just community Citizens Thinkers Follow Directions
Critically Question Build a Labor Privilege/Oppression Force Support the Accumulate Fun
Growth of the Knowledge Whole Student
3. Purposes of Education What are reasons for having public education? Responsible Citizens Follow
Directions Build a Labor Force Accumulate Knowledge Creative Thinkers Critically Question
Privilege/Oppression Fun Build a socially/ecologically just community Inspiring Support the
Growth of the Whole Student
4. 3 Paradigms of Teaching Traditional Liberal/Progressive Critical or Transformative
5. Traditional Education Knowledge treated as Truth Students are blank slates Teacher transfers
knowledge Learning = Regurgitation Learning is controlled by an authority gure Dominant
Learning Theory: Behaviorism
6. Thinking Convergent Thinking - All paths lead to a single destination. This is rooted in a belief that
there is only one Truth. Traditional Truth Liberal/Progressive Thought sca ffold Truth Thought
Thought d scaffol New Thought
7. Liberal/Progressive Education Knowledge still treated as Truth Learning is facilitated by an
authority gure Students have prior knowledge and continue to build their schema Still aiming for the
right answer; students voices used to validate curriculum Dominant Learning Theory:
Constructivism
8. Transformative Education Knowledge is socially constructed and connected to issues of power
Learning is a process of forming new relationships with community (society and nature) Students are
social, cultural, and ecological beings of a community Pursue voices that are marginalized, silenced,
omitted Dominant Learning Theory: Critical Constructivism
9. Thinking Divergent Thinking - Explore many paths in authentic settings with questions that have no
predetermined answer. Transformative New Thought Thought Info Thought Critical Questioning
New Relationship Communities New Thought New Relationship
10. Paradigms and Philosophies Paradigms Traditional Philosophies or Theories Realism Idealism
Liberal/Progressive Pragmatism Existentialism Humanism Transformative NeoMarxism Feminist
Theory Critical Theory Critical Race Theory Ecojustice Theory Indigenous Theory Queer Theory
11. Traditional Education What are the roots? How is knowledge determined? Is there a distinction
between knowledge and truth? How does the philosophy play out in teaching and learning in
todays schools?
12. Realism
13. Realism The material world is where we should look to for knowledge (Plato & Aristotle) Syllogism -
A = B, B = C, therefore C = A All students are mammals All mammals have four-chambered hearts
Therefore, all students have four-chambered hearts
14. Socrates, Plato & Aristotle Socrates taught Plato Plato taught Aristotle Aristotle taught Alexander the
Great
15. Socrates, Plato & Aristotle All three followed a paradigm of deductive reasoning.
16. Deductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning - Classical Realism (Aristotle) Theory Hypothesis
Observation Conrmation
17. Kevin Bacon Bacon (1561-1626) argues that knowledge is constructed through an inductive
process. That is, observations lead to the construction of a theory. This is in direct argument with
Plato & Socrates who stated that knowledge construction was deductive.
18. Francis Bacon Bacon (1561-1626) argues that knowledge is constructed through an inductive
process. That is, observations lead to the construction of a theory. This is in direct argument with
Plato & Socrates who stated that knowledge construction was deductive.
19. Inductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning - Scientic Method or Modern Realism (Francis Bacon)
Observation Pattern Hypothesis Experimentation Theory
20. Deductive & Inductive Reasoning Theory Deductive Reasoning - Classical Realism (Aristotle)
Hypothesis Observation Conrmation Inductive Reasoning - Scientic Method or Modern Realism
(Francis Bacon) Observation Pattern Hypothesis Experimentation Theory
21. John Locke Philosopher John Locke argues (1632-1704) that we dont have ideas rst (a priori), but
we do make observations, gather information, and reect on it. As a side note, Locke is generally not
known for his contributions to learning. His contributions are generally in political theory.
22. John Locke Philosopher John Locke argues (1632-1704) that we dont have ideas rst (a priori), but
we do make observations, gather information, and reect on it. As a side note, Locke is generally not
known for his contributions to learning. His contributions are generally in political theory.
23. Problem of Inductive Reasoning Observation: White Swan Pattern: More White Swans Hypothesis:
All Swans are White? Experimentation: Observe more swans Theory: Yep, all swans are white
24. Realism & Patriarchy Women are closer to nature than men; Nature is wild, chaotic, and
uncontrollable Therefore... Women are wild, chaotic, and uncontrollable "If thus it happened to me,
an old man most wise, that I was deceived by a woman, you can see that I taught you well, that it
could happen to you, a young man." - Aristotle Aristotle and Phyllis (Alexander the Greats Wife)
25. Realism & Patriarchy Women are closer to nature than men; Nature is wild, chaotic, and
uncontrollable Therefore... Women are wild, chaotic, and uncontrollable "If thus it happened to me,
an old man most wise, that I was deceived by a woman, you can see that I taught you well, that it
could happen to you, a young man." - Aristotle Aristotle and Phyllis (Alexander the Greats Wife)
26. Realism & Patriarchy Women are closer to nature than men; Nature is wild, chaotic, and
uncontrollable Therefore... Women are wild, chaotic, and uncontrollable Salome, Herod, and the
beheading of John the Baptist
27. REALISM & PATRIARCHY Gregory the Great (591 AD) is credited as the rst to describe her as a
converted prostitute. Noli me tangere is often the reference used to argue why women cannot be
priests. Magdalene is a name that means high tower, which has been interpreted as potentially a
high priestess. Much speculation of her as being Jesus life partner/wife perhaps even bearing their
child(ren). Mary Magdalene & Jesus when Jesus arises from the dead and refuses her to touch him
28. Realism & Patriarchy Women are closer to nature than men; Nature is wild, chaotic, and
uncontrollable Therefore... Women are wild, chaotic, and uncontrollable From the 1400s - 1600s
between 200,00 and 9 million women were killed for being witches. A mass killing of women during
the Burning Times
29. Realism & Patriarchy Women are closer to nature than men; Nature is wild, chaotic, and
uncontrollable Therefore... Women are wild, chaotic, and uncontrollable From the 1400s - 1600s
between 200,00 and 9 million women were killed for being witches. A mass killing of women during
the Burning Times
30. Realism & Patriarchy Women are closer to nature than men; Nature is wild, chaotic, and
uncontrollable Therefore... Women are wild, chaotic, and uncontrollable Adam & Eve
31. Realism & Patriarchy Women are closer to nature than men; Nature is wild, chaotic, and
uncontrollable Therefore... Women are wild, chaotic, and uncontrollable Adam & Eve
32. Realism & Patriarchy
For you have but to follow and as it were hound nature in her wanderings...Neither ought
a man to make scruple of entering and penetrating into these holes and corners, when th
e inquisition of truth is his whole object Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
33. Thomas Aquinas & Realism Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)argues that we can understand (Christian)
God through reasoning. Our study of nature and relying upon material things to learn are helping us
learn about (Christian) God. Late 1800s Vatican revives Aquinas philosophy (NeoThomism) in an
attempt to resolve the dispute between science and religion.
34. Positivism & Logical Positivism Using our 5 senses to determine truth = positivism Using our 5
senses and logic/mathematics to determine truth = logical positivism Both tend to treat knowledge as
truth To what extent is our process of education a truth-seeking process?
35. Logical Positivism & Todays Schools How does logical positivism inuence education today? Race
To DataSRBILeft Behind NoTesting the Top Child Teams RTI
36. Logical Positivism & Todays Schools How does logical positivism inuence education today?
Testing No Child Left Behind SRBI Race To the Top RTI Data Teams How much do these policies
and practices inuence teaching practices today?
37. Idealism Idealism relies on constructing knowledge through the interrogation thought and ideas.
Idealists argue that the material world is constantly in ux and our senses are unreliable at best.
Therefore, we cannot ground knowledge in either.
38. Idealism Idealism relies on constructing knowledge through the interrogation thought and ideas.
Idealists argue that the material world is constantly in ux and our senses are unreliable at best.
Therefore, we cannot ground knowledge in either.
39. Roots of Idealism What are the roots? Socrates & Plato use dialogue to construct knowledge and
understanding. Philosophers have the primary objective of interrogating thought in order to nd truth.
To what extent do scientists play the role of philosophers in todays societies?
40. Truth & Knowledge To what extent is there a distinction between knowledge and truth in idealism?
41. Idealist Teaching Connecting with the process of reminiscence. In other words, through dialogue and
the use of logic teacher brings out knowledge that students already know.
42. Idealism How does idealism play out in teaching and learning in todays schools? Mortimer Adler &
Classic Literature for all students Back to basics movement (Reagan and William Bennett)
43. Liberal/Progressive Education
44. Pragmatism
45. Pragmatism Focus is on doing or action Problem-based learning generally with contemporary
issues
46. Pragmatic Thinking Recognize a Problem Speculative Thought Action Results
47. John Dewey Philosopher John Dewey (1859-1952) argued that education needs to focus on action-
oriented experiences (Learn by Doing) His work began the progressive movement in education
Argued that schools ought to produce democratic students -- this led to social reconstruction or
schools being used in building a better society
48. John Dewey Chet Bowers argues that Deweys pragmatism in schools was culturally destructive
Dewey argued that Western practices were rightfully dominant in the world
49. Pragmatism & Historical Perspectives Since pragmatism focuses on a contemporary issue, it runs
the risk of: Being culturally colonizing Putting humans/technology/industry over nature (being
anthropocentric)
50. Learning By Doing? There are obvious benets to making education more experiential More
cognitive glue is generally produced Opportunities to engage more deeply and more meaningfully
with community
51. Learning By Doing? Question to consider: To what extent are we limited if we let experience be the
central resource for informing us about our practice? In other words, what is practice without theory?
52. Pragmatic Knowledge Is knowledge that is produced through pragmatism treated as truth? How is
this the same/different than idealism and realism?
53. Existentialism
54. Existentialism Existentialism - Strong focus on the individuals experience rather than a universal
truth. How does the individual make sense of the world? Liberation of the individual from the chaotic
world
55. Martin Buber I-Thou relationships whereby we encounter each other with deep respect and honor,
nurturance, and conviviality The world is not comprehensible, but it is embraceable through the
embracing of one of its beings. 1878-1965
56. Martin Buber I-It relationships whereby we turn people into objects to control and manipulate with
each group unaware or ignorant to the others essence This speaks to issues of power, but Buber
did not do much analysis of social power structures like critical theorists did 1878-1965
57. Maxine Greene Greene emphasized art, music, and drama as being portals to the I-Thou in the
context of education Describes a movement towards deep interconnectedness that one gains
through art and imagination as a wideawakeness 1917 -
58. Maxine Greene Wide-awakeness is the goal according to Greene, but she reminds us that part of
being so is to be politically and socially active. Wide-awakeness is not politically or socially neutral
Greene is drawing from both existentialism as well as critical social theories 1917 -
59. Maxine Greene Greenes work is on the border of liberal/ progressive and transformative paradigms
She combines critical social theory with existentialism 1917 -
60. Existentialist Teaching Reject any formalized approach to using methods because any method that
is not tailored to the individual learner cannot be optimally effective Focus on the individual learners
needs, interests, and ambitions. Focus on the individuals cognitive and affective needs AKA
humanist teaching AKA holistic teaching AKA aesthetic teaching
61. Limitations: Existentialism Unaware of the issues of oppression and privilege Not comfortable with
social justice issues enough to teach about them Encouraging creativity and imagination without the
connections to social injustices can be equivalent to allowing those social injustices to perpetuate
62. Transformative Education
63. Marxism
64. Neo-Marxism Focus on the social processes that perpetuate social injustices especially in the form
of class inequalities. Critique of capitalism and its processes that create and maintain haves and
have-nots. Adapted from the philosophical work of Karl Marx.
65. Karl Marx & Marxism History is dened by class struggle (as dened by the economic system of the
region). The concentration of wealth is an unfair advantage that comes with power and domination of
those who do not have wealth. Ultimately, there needs to be a distribution of capital or wealth, which
can lead to a diffusion of social power 1818-1883
66. Karl Marx & Marxism Marx argued that the wealthy, dominant elites (bourgeoisie) used violence (i.e.
military, police) to threaten the poor workers (proletariat) in order to maintain class stratication (i.e.
social order) and the concentration of wealth. Marx argued that the wealthy, dominant elites also
used ideology, or a set of beliefs, to convince the poor workers that the system was fair and just so
they did not need to resist. Antonio Gramsci called this process hegemony. 1818-1883
67. Neo-Marxism
68. Neo-Marxism Neo-Marxists addressed different problematic claims that Marx made (such as
science being able to overcome industrial unjust practices and the deemphasis of womens roles in
society). Neo-Marxists still focus on the power issues present between the classes and in labor in
contemporary society.
69. Critical Theory
70. Critical Theory in Society Focuses on hegemony. Hegemony is a) the perpetuation of some being
dominant and most being subordinated, and b) doing so without the use of violence. Types of social
injustices: racism (White domination), sexism and patriarchy (Male domination), classism
(domination of the wealthy), heterosexism (domination of heterosexuality), anthropocentrism
(domination of humans over Earth), Eurocentrism (domination of Western philosophy, science, art
and literature), and the religionism (domination of Christianity). Sources of hegemony: teachers,
media, religious leaders, family, friends, military, corporations
71. Critical Theory in Education Schools are often places where hegemony occurs. Schools perpetuate
social injustices in the forms of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, anthropocentrism,
Eurocentrism, and the human domination of the earth. Schools can be sites of hope and possibility
because teachers and students can work to understand or unlearn the roots of all forms of
domination and ultimately undo them
72. Paulo Freire Brazillian educator and philosopher, Paulo Freire wrote Pedagogy of the Oppressed in
1970 arguing that the oppressed had the capacity to know the processes of social domination and
overcome them. To be clear, Freire was not the rst to discuss these concepts in the context of
education. 1921-1997
73. Critical Pedagogy: Major Principles Class Struggle: The primary mode of analysis comes from
looking at how socioeconomics limits peoples power. Jean Anyons study of how knowledge is
treated differently based on the class of the students.
74. Class Struggle in Educational Contexts Jean Anyons (1981) study of how knowledge is treated
differently based on the class of the students. How is knowledge treated in the professional/elite
schools? Middle class schools? Working class power schools? How is knowledge treated in honors
tracks? Academic or lower tracks?
75. Critical Race Theory
76. Critical Race Theory People do not get equal treatment in society based on their race. Focus in on
institutional racism: Schools, law enforcement, judicial system
77. W .E.B. Du Bois U.S. civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, historian, author, professor First
African-American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard (1895) 1868 - 1963
78. W .E.B. Du Bois Wrote The Souls of Black Folks (1903) and The Negro (1915) Argued that all-Black
schools of his time should focus on helping students understand their power in society and ultimately
work for social change. 1868 - 1963 1868 - 1963
79. Carter G. Woodson Author, historian, journalist, teacher, and principal Second African-American to
earn a Ph.D. from Harvard (1912) Father of Black History & Founder of Black History Month
Argued that African-Americans needed to have more access to their history so that there could be
more wore work done to reform society and overcome oppression. 1875-1950
80. Carter G. Woodson Wrote The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933) Argued that U.S. schools were
not teaching Black students, but were instead indoctrinating them to assimilate to the social
structures and hierarchies Argued that ultimately Black people would have to become educated and
challenge the system because those with power do not give it up readily.

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