Paideia and Modern Educational Policy
ABSTRACT: The lofty ideals of the classical notion of paideia, and the restatement of those principles in 1982 by Mortimer Adler and the 'paideia group' remain an unfulfilled promise in terms of the actualities of public education in the United States. The notion of an educational system for all students built upon a rigorous curriculum manifesting a framework of values to be acted out in the public and democratic forum continues to have great attraction for educators. Indeed, the notion of paideia continues to carry a sense of urgency as it should. However, the actual task of creating systems devoted to these ideals has run headlong into a political labyrinth generated by the conflict between conservative (technical/authoritative) political thought and liberal (teaching/learning theory) application. The political seductiveness of the trend towards 'standardization' currently in vogue throughout the United States (both locally and nationally) works counter to the classroom-centered/teacher-student encounter needed to educate students capable of interacting meaningfully in their social and political world. The use of the 'standard' to teach and to measure students carries the authority of the technical and reinforces the stereotype of intellectual elitism. To bring balance to this conflict and create an apolitical design requires attention to the meditative role of the teacher and the nature of learning.
There was a fundamental tension embedded in the earliest appropriation of the Greek paideia by early Christianity which continues to be acted out upon the political/ educational stage today. That tension is between valuing knowledge (text) considered as object as opposed to valuing und...
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...the object, but rather its formative power which leads to understanding is the paideia of the modern classroom just as it was for Gregory of Nyssa.
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...sts within me a sense of gratitude. I feel that I have received a better understanding of how we evolved to conceive the current belief of what it means to be a child. The essay brought to my attention the difficulty that is associated with trying to conjure up an image of minuteness and powerlessness in a society that is bent on creating divine representations. It was also made clearer to me that the Greek culture found little value in people or objects that could not contribute to their culture as a whole. There is a sense of reverence toward items that depict the Greek culture as formidable, dominant, and divinely favored.
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Chapter one, ‘Beginnings at Assisi,’ offers a vivid description of the social, political, economic, cultural, demographic description of Assisi and its inhabitants. Here, the author describes the life of Francis and the situations and circumstances prompting his journey to spread the ideal gospel life to the world. This chapter is relevant in determining the circumstances that instigated a need for reforms in the Catholic Church. This chapter is applicable in my life because it offers insight on the fundamental Christian I can rely on in my daily life.
When news came out saying that “Assis and Pergiua were in a war,” Francis eagerly joined the army. Francis was then later caught and taken as a prisoner by Pergiua. But, then he was released from the hands of Pergiua. Francis was injured. So, St. Francis had to stay in the hospital while he recovered. There were no TVs, tablets, smartphones, or computers back then, so he had to try to find a way to entertain his self. There was a book in his quarters and out of boredom, he started reading the book. The book was about the ministries of God and the scripture readings. St. Francis thought the book was very intriguing, so he read more of the book. Then he had the warm, loving feeling in his heart. While St. Francis was praying outside of the San Damiano, St. Francis he had a vision from God saying, “Francis, go and repair my church which as you can see is in ruins.” The Lord was with him! After his time in the hospital, St. Francis went out into the world and did wondrous
St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering.
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Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the American educational system has undergone much transition in response to our changing society. Though there have been many problems raised throughout the years in regard to what our school systems should be teaching our children, there have also been many developments.
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● Some people’s idea behind common core is not really that bad, they think a national educational standard is for each grade level to feed the student with the same amount of
In conclusion, education is broader than just falling into what the contemporary school system has to offer. Both Gatto and Graff proved this by explain how conforming students to certain perspectives of education limits their potential in other educational branches that interest the students. Also, curricula should bring a balance between making a school a place for obtaining information, and accommodating the educational demands for each individual student. It is imperative to understand that reforming the academic system, by fine-tuning schools to have its students learn what exactly they are interested in, will lead to having students accessing their full intellectual potential.
St. Francis of Assisi was considered to be a magnificent man. He had a very appealing way of life that people now know and talk about everyday. When learning many new items and discoveries about St. Francis, I accomplished better knowledge about him. This paper will describe the life of St. Francis in depth talking about his early life, his imprisonment and turning towards God, and his works and teachings.
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The implications for teaching presented by Connell’s article are immense. The concept of equality in education and the equality of access to education are matters that are determined by the social constructs of the society in which we live. The notion of equality in education means that educators must approach all material and subject matter with a premise of unbiased predetermination. Music, math, science, fine arts, English, Japanese, history, etc… must all be considered on a par. Our current educational system does not treat all subjects as equal in our public education system. The stereotypical reading, writing and arithmetic (primary subjects) take precedence over the fine arts and like subjects (secondary subjects). Social justice criteria as presented in this article, establish that economic variables are a means of determination for favouritism within the educational institution. Where the primary subjects receive ensured funding, the secondary subjects receive funding when deemed viable. This creates inequality at the very base of the institution itself. The result is degradation to all facets of the educational system.
This book, Dare The School Build a New Social Order by George Counts, is an examination of teachers, the Progressive Education Movement, democracy and his idea on how to reform the American economy. The book is divided into 5 different sections. The first section is all about the Progressive Education Movement. Through this, George Counts points out many downsides and weaknesses of this ideal. He also talks about how he wants teachers to lead society instead of following it. In the second section, he examines 10 widespread fallacies. These fallacies were that man is born free, that children are born free, they live in a separate world of their own, education remains unchanged, education should have no bias, the object of education is to produce professors, school is an all-powerful educational agency, ignorance rather than knowledge is the way of wisdom, and education is made to prepare an individual for social change.