The Theories, Social Transmission Versus Social Transformational Theories

Dewey focused on the individual saying that “education comes through the stimulation of the child's powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself” (Dewey, 1). He believed that you have to tap into an individual’s “own powers, tastes, and interests-say” then that could be used to relate it to past, current, and potential future social situations in which to

“School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers.  School trains children to obey reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently” (Gatto 670).  In the present day school system, students are becoming more of products of an institutionalized school system

Throughout Peter Kivisto’s book Social Theory: Roots & Branches, he talks about the numerous different perspectives which essentially help distinguish our overall understanding of the contemporary

In school now, many teachers are willing to give answers to students who did not even attempt to solve the presented problem. This idea of spoon-feeding answers allows students to succeed without fully understanding the material, and when they are tested on the information, they will have a harder time scoring well because they did not learn on their own. Therefore, Emerson’s idea of independent education would allow students to challenge themselves to produce answers individually, without the help of a teacher right away, and this would make sure they have a more solid understanding of the curriculum. Emerson writes, “But this function of opening and feeding the human mind is not to be fulfilled by any mechanical or military method,” (Emerson, 191). This quote explains how immediately providing students with the correct answers is almost unnatural and the least suitable way of retaining information. Besides forcing answers upon students who are not given the time to formulate it themselves, our school district also imposes a strict curriculum.

Newman states, “the most powerful institutional agent of socialization after the family, is education” (Newman 67). The public education system is tasked with not educating, but also socializing and defining student’s sense of self as they mature through

Jean Anyon discusses the “hidden curriculum” that is distributed in various schools throughout this article. The hidden curriculum is the certain things in schools that are not “a part of the curriculum” per say, such as teamwork and collaborative skills, social engagement skills, manners, or rules. When thinking back to past articles I was able to note that Dewey was typically more concerned with the “hidden curriculum” instead of the actual content. Anyon’s article also helped the readers understand that we view the world by others who influence us. Jean Anyon researched five different schools that were

Consequently, the rational step taken is to deconsecrate schools into outwardly irreversible place of esteemed value of social order (Kozol, 3). He further noted many ways of opening the issue in complete observation of the class, which he believed can be attained by the quotation of many respected people’s word, such as Horace Mann who was diffident in articulating the real utility of public schools. Nonetheless, he also provided some other ways of embarking on this which he conscientiously noted that has exposed their conjecture of public schools as adults (Kozol, 4). Additionally, he said the best way of achieving this is by disseminating this purpose to students through dialogue as recommended by Doris Lessing (Kozol 4). Finally, he stated that there is no deceit of learning to be a responsive, affectionate or sympathetic person.

The school is the secondary agent of socialisation that children introduced to throughout growing up. School socialises children in many different ways. Children in this period of socialisation (The School) learn to become a productive member of the society, formal set of skills and knowledge such as writing, reading and maths, and strength their socials abilities by interacting with colleagues and schoolteachers. But mainly children learn that in society everyone’s equal regardless of how special they’re in their families. (Barkan 2012, p. 127)

In chapter 5, Reforming America’s Schools, I learned many things that affect me as an educator. An important fact that interests me was that there are four goals that schools should follow. The first one is academic, including a broad array of knowledge and intellectual skills. The second one is vocational, aimed at readiness for the world of work and economic responsibilities. The third one is social and civic, including skills and behavior for participating in a complex democratic society. The fourth one is personal, including the development of individual talent and self-expression. This will affect me as an educator so that I can follow and do my best to complete these goals. Now I am aware of what should be done in a classroom.

In America, the system of education has one of the greatest influences on the people of the country. From the common workers of the U.S.A, to the teachers, the entrepreneurs, and even to the parents of the students, everybody is impacted by our current education system. Most importantly, the children playing the role of the students are impacted the most from this. At the end of the day, these children are the ones receiving this experience. After all, it is the education that a person receives that shapes their future. It is the morals they grow up with, and most importantly, their educational experience at school. Sadly, this “educational experience” does not affect the students of the generation in a positive way. There are many flaws with

According to American politician Brad Henry believes, “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” As my role as the educator, it is extremely important to provide guidance and knowledge for the students within the classroom because as my role the educator, I am

Todays social epidemic is still the fallout from generations past. We are still being ‘Lynched” so to speak. Sociological’s today suggests to see what education should look like. From a structural-functional approach, “Schooling performs many vital tasks for the operation of society, including socializing the young and encouraging discovery and invention to improve our lives” (Macionis, 2009). The concept of school also helps us develop a diverse community by giving us a place to teach, learn, and share our norms and values with each other.

“Since the 1800s, the school has continually been seen as a means of eliminating poverty, crime, and social problems” (Spring, 2014, p. 83). Society and schools are closely interdependent. Changes within society cause a need for modifications within the school system. Similarly, alterations within the school system impact society. Previous sociological, historical, and reform movements resulted in drastic educational and societal changes. These movements varied from the common school reform to the attempt “to control the spread of “inferior blood” into the general population” (Stoskopf, 1999, p. 1).

When studying what curriculum would be most beneficial for our students we have to ponder these two questions. What makes a good curriculum? What makes an effective teacher? I have learned thus far that these two questions are difficult to answer because teaching and education go through a revolutionary process. They are ever changing. The instruction and content that is relevant today may not hold up to the standards that are in place ten years from now. With that said, I have learned about theorists that were innovative thinkers and viewed education as something different than the norm of their times. I have decided to address the similarities and differences between Maria Montessori and John Dewey because I feel that some of what

Education is an important structure in society that shapes the most important years of your life, and therefore many theorists have ideas about what is wrong with education, what is right, and what needs to change or develop. Education is confined a lot by social control and social reproduction. Social control is a concept that refers to how social systems control the way we feel, think, behave, and even how we should present ourselves. These can appear openly, shown as rules and laws, or they could be not openly acknowledged and just appear as the “common” thing to do. Social reproduction is the reproduction of inequalities throughout generation-to-generation, one way education does this is how it supplies “wealthy” schools more and “poor” schools less. Michael Apple and Maxine Greene both define Social reproductions and Social Control. Throughout this text, I will explain the theories of Greene and Apple, as well as comparing and contrasting them against one another while applying some of my own experiences of education.