Transcript Document

Modeling Democratic Ideals in
the Classroom
Presented by:
Dr. Jane Zenger ([email protected]) and
Paul Chaplin ([email protected]),
University of South Carolina
“To teach consciously for justice and ethical action is
teaching that arouses students, engages them in quest to
identify obstacles to their full humanity and the life chances
of others, to their freedom, and the then to drive and to
move against those obstacles. And so the fundamental
message of the teacher for ethical action is: You can change
the world.”
Ayers To Teach (p142)
“The strength of a learning
community is the ability of the
members to accept one another
as they are and to help one
another make changes they
value.”
Peterson Life In A Crowded Place
(p. 33)
“The assumption upon
which democracy is based
is that an informed
citizenry will be able and
willing to attend to facts,
make distinctions,
appreciate differences,
and form judgments.”
Peterson Life In A
Crowded Place (p.91)
“The social life of the learning community is
incomplete if it doesn’t include celebration, festivity,
and fantasy. All these are integral parts of the
human experience.”
Peterson Life In A Crowded Place (p.39)
“Bringing students together as a group and nurturing
tolerance for their ways and beliefs while celebrating
their differences challenges the talents of the most
experienced teachers.”
Peterson Life In A Crowded Place (p.13)
Conversation is what Oakeshott
(1959) calls and “unrehearsed
intellectual adventure.”
Peterson Life In A Crowded Place (p.50)
“The student from a low
socio/economic background
presents an educational
challenge. Extra help from a
caring teacher to students
like these can close the gap
between what a student does
accomplish and what a
student can accomplish.”
Ed. Psych. Sternberg &
Williams 2002 p.195
“. . . Public education does not serve a public, it creates a
public. And in creating the right kind of public, the
schools contribute to strengthening the spiritual basis of
the American creed . . . the question is not ‘Does or
doesn’t public education create a public?’ The question is
‘What kind of public does it create?’”
Neal Postman, The End of Education, 1996
Current Definitions of the
School-Environment
“Teachers work in isolation from one another, stamping
students with lessons . . .”
Students often work alone “passively, listening to lectures,
memorizing facts and formulae, and engaging in
independent seatwork at their separate desks.”
--John Goodlad
Adding Democratic Ideals to the
Definition
 Increase experiences that develop serious
thinking as well as access to social
understanding
 Ensure direct experience of multiple
perspectives representative of a
democratic society
Parameters of Working in a
Democratic Classroom
 All members must have an equable opportunity
to receive and take from others
 All vantage points of separate, yet related,
interests must be communicated clearly
 Multiple perspectives should be understood as
the “glue” that holds a democratic society
together
Parameters (cont.)
 Piaget claimed the ability to appreciate
various perspectives is an indicator of
higher stages of cognitive development
 The capacity to achieve associations
beyond those of any narrow group is
required for developing democracy,
knowledge and truth
 Inquiry and cross-departmental
collaboration are key to beginning
democratic development
Characteristics of Undemocratic
Methodology
 Non-involving autocratic atmosphere
 Passive activities
 Few opportunities to discuss real questions
 Very little cooperative work
 Little or no opportunity to engage in
decision making
 Conformity and compliance strongly valued
A Foundation of Knowledge
 Before democracy can be implemented, it
must be understood.
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How a democracy works
The importance of democracy
How and why we should vote
The history of basic documents
How to stay informed in a democratic society
Capitalism’s role as the underlying economic form
of a democracy
Education’s Role in Society
 All individuals need school in order to
make a contribution in society.
 Education protects the nation from
foreign competition, military aggression
and other threats.
 High education levels will lead to a
more democratic and prosperous
society.
“The Moral Grounds of
Democracy in the Classroom”
 One [individual] should be neither dominant nor
subservient to another, neither use nor be used
by another.
 Schooling must be not only for facts, but also for
the teaching, and whenever appropriate, the
modeling of civility and proper social behavior
that will provide a better chance for social and
economic advancement.
 Enhance and imbue the curriculum with activities
that require using logic, self-researched facts and
a critical eye for information.
“The Moral Grounds of Democracy
in the Classroom” (cont)
 Teachers are on the frontline of getting the idea
across. How we address our students and
maintain justice and fairness in our classrooms is
the beginning of how our children will learn the
meaning and value of a democracy.
 For children to develop and flourish in our
society, they must experience relationships of
mutuality (made up of trust, shared generosity
and respect, and even perhaps love.)
Questions
 What does this mean in an era of
standardized tests and school report
cards?
 How can one influence and encourage
the ideal of a democratic classroom in
the preparation of pre-service and/or
new teachers?
Answers
 A teacher must know him/her self before
teaching another about character because it
demands patience and responsibility.
 Character is shaped in human relationships
and it can be enhanced via the way we model
our classrooms and design our instruction.
 Our tone of voice, our choice of language,
even the way we correct student’s work can
lead to more compliance through the
consistent modeling of democratic (mutually
respectful) behaviors.
Democratic Strategies
 Look for materials and activities that have the
potential to build democratic skills such as:
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cooperative learning
peer grouping
use of clear rubrics
learning as process
student choice in reading
test styles
question and answer sessions
Communication Strategies
 Use end-of-day questions to reflect on
student and teacher learning
 Pay attention to what I say to a child
(including tone)--Is this the way I would
want to be addressed?
 Evaluate what kinds of messages I am
sending students about how much I
value and care about them
Respecting Every Child
 Ask yourself:
 Is this the way you would want the child or
another adult to address YOU?
 Is this the way you would want another
teacher to address YOUR child?
 Have I tried to get at the root of behavior
problems? Have I lost instruction time for
a majority dealing with one or two
students who cause disruptions?
Ask Yourself:
 Am I just generally tired and frustrated
and impatient for personal or
school/logistical reasons out of control
or understanding of the child?
 Is my language confrontational, full or
slang or sarcasm?
 Are my tone and language appropriate
(think of schools as social settings and
eventual work places)?
“The best way to teach
democracy is to model
democracy.”
--Jane Zenger (2005)
Information adapted from the following
sources:
 Goodlad, J., and McMannon, T., (Eds).
(1997). The public purpose of education
and schooling. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
 Soder, R., Goodlad, J., & McMannon, T.
(Eds.). (2001). Developing democratic
character in the young. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.