This essay will examine the paper 'A philosophical objection to faith schools' by Michael Hand. The main argument laid out by Hand is that the teaching of religion in faith schools is necessarily indoctrinatory, and as such, faith schools should be abolished. I will analyse Hand's first premise in the paper – the premise that faith schools teach for belief in not-known-to-be-true propositions. I will then use Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory of ecological development to argue that this premise is too narrow, and doesn't take into account the wide range of external social structures that may influence a child's belief in religion.
Hand's essential claim is that faith schools are indoctrinatory, and as a result are intrinsically dangerous to children.
…show more content…
These entities may include the media, societal influence by peers and friends, and in the more contemporary sense, access to the internet which has now become a primary stage to broadcast one's views. Surely now in the golden age of technology, where even the youngest children have iPhones and hence have worlds of opinion and differing beliefs at their disposal, the media and technology are crucial actors in the spreading of beliefs and counter-beliefs.
What else can influence childhood belief in religious propositions? To answer that question, I will examine Bronfenbrenner's 'ecological systems theory' of childhood development which explains that beliefs, norms and identities that a child comes to hold are a product of combination of societal institutions that children both directly and indirectly engage in - a series of social spheres (Bronfenbrenner, 1994: 1).
Bronfenbrenner's theory argues that children are subject to four separate 'rings' of social interaction – the exosystem, the chronosystem, the microsystem and the mesosystem. According to Bronfenbrenner, each particular section has a crucial role to play in the child's development, each influencing the beliefs, norms and socialization of the child (Bronfenbrenner, 1994:
…show more content…
Harkonen uses the analogy of a parent's long working hours and the child's consequent interaction with daycare centres (which of course directly impact on the child) (Harkonen, 2007: 12). These systems, despite the child not taking part directly in either, can both consciously and unconsciously influence a child's learning and development.
In the chronosystem we see the presence of dominant ideologies, which of course depend on the child's socio-economic and cultural setting, but still, regardless, have a very important impact on the child's life. Indeed, in a growingly secular and multicultural society (Giddens and Sutton, 2013: 731), not only are children are being exposed to different religious outlooks, but also notions of atheism as well. Hand's premise that children are learning religious propositions does not take such considerations into
Patel introduces the concept of a “faith line” and its importance by describing two cases of young people’s education relating to religion. In the first, a young man was taught religious totalitarianism, a destructive and hateful
This understanding that a child 's behavior is a part of their social development is crucial
Throughout this term I learned so much about young children, anti-bias education, developmental growth and so much more. Education is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly; these are development steps of a young child that could help determine their future. Children need to be guided emotionally, academically, mentally and emotionally. Parents teach their children practices and their beliefs to help the child get ready for the world. Parents and teacher should always be involved in a child's learning process, despite of their values or beliefs. Everyone cultures are different, and how they expect their children to behave is different too. As adults, and teachers, we can’t have a set mindset on what we only believe in because, there is always
Mueller, Arnold C. "Religion in the Public Schools." In Church and State Under God, ed. Albert G. Huegli. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004.
Charles Krauthammer was the author of Let’s Have No More Monkey Trials that was in TIME. This article gives the statement that to teach science and religion together would be a wrong choice because doing so “undermines” both subjects (Krauthammer 40). For example, liking ice cream and sour candy because they are both delicious might be why a person eats them....
In the model I developed for child development there are three main groups: physical, mental, and social. Within these three groups are subcategories, many including ideas from various theorists, that I will use to support my system of child development. Throughout this paper, I will use ideas, definitions, and examples from the theorists I have chosen and from my own experience.
Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply understood as images of church, worship, traditions and other sacred pilgrimages. However, religion is more than that. It bears and carries heavier implications and definitions that cannot be merely based on practical applications and references. This influenced the overall development of their cognitive skills and emotional capacities.
...ferences and similarities as its predecessor atheism. Individuals and groups continue to assert their ideologies through their writings and critics continue to rebut these claims. As discussed, new atheism has shown evident different approaches in showing how religion has detrimental effects on society using events such as the many previous wars that have been initiated due to issues concerning religion. New atheism also addresses how these views and conceptions are forced upon children which highlight the significant developments of the ideas that have emerged since traditional atheistic times. By understanding how atheism and new atheism has developed and evolved, it can also be understood that there will be an endless and continuous arrivals of more diverse interpretations, approaches and goals of new atheism and issues revolving around religion in the future.
Bronfenbrenner’s approach was to study children in their natural environments to explore how a child experiences and interprets their world within a complex system of relationships (Berk, 2009, p. 26). His theory regards the environment of a child; taking into account the practices within that environment and how they might influence development and of the child’s individual connections to show the way in which external forces and the child interrelate to influence their development (Paquette and Ryan, n.d.). It is important to recognise how the interaction of the systems with bidirectional (adults affect children’s behaviour but children’s behaviour can also affect adults’ behaviour [Berk, 2009]) influences within and between the systems can strengthen or interrupt healthy child development as each system contains roles, norms, values, beliefs and rules that can effectively shape their development.
Kurtz questions whether collective faith is beneficial to nations as a whole. Although not all early socialization is dangerous, one could hopefully see how important it is to assess certain political and religious views in order to change them for the better and promote the welfare of our country as a whole. Examining our preconceived notions about the world around us helps to determine what may be helpful or harmful in advancing as a nation. In order to achieve maximum impact as valuable citizens, voters and consumers in our society it is important to be engaged and well informed on critical, up to date news and politics in our environment and to not solely rely on the words, beliefs or ideals of those close to us.
Bronfenbrenner theorised that there are many different influences that affect a child’s development, forming 5 systems to categorise certain events, or environments into. This theory helps me to understand the theme of Nature Vs Nurture, as it gives some context as to what environments can affect a child's development. From this, we can work out solutions for each child's situation, to ensure that their development is still progressing.
A child is like a sponge that absorbs ideas and beliefs. Beliefs are taught to a child in subtle ways such as just listening to the parents and their opinions from everything including politics, social problems, moral issues and even opinions about how others behave. It is within the family unit that a person learns their moral values. It is from their parents that a child is taught right and wrong. Often this is through religious training. Religious beliefs or the lack of religious beliefs has a great influence on a person's beliefs and values.
Infants and Children: Prenatal Through Middle Childhood. Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Cooper, J., Masi, R., & Vick, J. (2009). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Social-emotional Development in Early Childhood.
University of Michigan. “Religion in Schools: A look at how religious practices influence education.” .
and individuals can also play a role in a child’s development. Emotionally and socially, it is