Telic Vs. Popular Reforms

In re-reading Grant & Riesman's book, The Perpetual Dream, I am intrigued by their differentiation between "telic" and "popular" reforms, which they presented in 1978. I'm interested to know what you think are the differences between these two types of educational reforms and whether this model holds true of today's institutions of higher learning.

I also found enjoyable and interesting their comment on how "room must be left for the 'miraculous' (which often means recognition of the significance of a particular person) even at the cost, in some instances, of catastrophe. One should also have an invisible net under the high-wire act of bold experiments to salvage both students and faculty who would otherwise be traumatized." (p. 8) How is this description of visionary leaders exemplified at Johnston? What are your thoughts on the concept of "miraculous" colleges and their visionary leaders -- it seems that some sense of the mystery, of the dreaming and vision must be present in both our educational models and our leaders for experimental or innovative (as I like to call them) campuses to come into being and to flourish.

Your thoughts?

Epistemological Issues of Empiricism and its Implications for Education

John Dewey is a remarkable scholar but is fundamentally an empiricists.

He thinks that all truth comes from experience. Even more so, he seems to have an unquestioning faith in the scientific method. A method of trail and error, what works is what comes from experience.

There are many epistemological issues relating to this worldview. Needless to say it leaves many questions to be answered. Is experience the same as truth? Can't ones experiences lead one astray from certain types of knowledge? Isn't there anything outside of subjective experience?

I'm sure Dewey would give us a valid defense of many of the classical critiques of empiricism. Nevertheless, I think we should be careful and think about the implications of claims built around empiricists epistemological claims.

This post is designed to be brought up as a discussion in class. It's less of a reflection and more of a starting point for a discussion.

Educational History

Sorry for posting this so late!

Educational history

In the third grade I found out I was dyslectic and had several other minor learning disabilities. From then on it became my mission to “catch-up” to everyone else because I always felt left behind academically. I started working harder for everything and was rewarded with the fruits of my labor. I started in a arts magnet elementary and continued to an arts focused middle school. Both were wonderful, but by the middle of seventh grade I was already burning out.

For high school, I went to a fine public high school with an outstanding IB (International Baccauloreate) program. I didn't take full IB, but I did take all the IB classes. Some of them like, Theory of Knowledge, and History of the Americas, changed how I look at, and understand, the world. These classes helped me come to the realization that people had different worldviews, and that rationality was not the peak of human conciseness. I developed a coherence theory of truth for myself. This is that as long as it makes sense within the logic of its own worldview, then at it is “true.” I still feel there might be some universal truths, but I care little about these and want to know more about how we all think and understand the world differently.

Although this new way of thinking was wonderful, I graduated early from high school exhausted and shattered from the pressure of grades, the quantitative environment, large classes, and not feeling like I belonged. I graduated as a junior and spent a year getting to know myself. The first step happened right after school ended. I tested for my fIrst degree black belt in Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen. The test is forty-eight hours without sleep. Half is physical: forms, sparring, selfless service, the other half was meditation. That was a transformative learning experience that changed my life. When you sit with yourself that long you learn a lot.

After the test, I put the finishing touches on my own program to Indonesia. I used the resources of a college program without going on one of their trips. I did this because at that period there were no high school programs going to Indonesia and all the college programs would not except students who were not undergraduates.

I created a self made language program in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and had a life altering experience. This experience didn’t come from the external world of Indonesia per se, but from my own internal development. I learned a lot journeying by myself. Not to say the external experience of Indonesia wasn’t wonderful, the people in Java are kind and Indonesia is one of the few places I truly have felt at home.

When I returned from Indonesia, I knew I wanted to go to an alternative college and I visited many of the famous ones besides Johnston. These schools were New College of Florida, Naropa, Marlboro, Bennington, and Global College of Long Island University. My brother had gone to Prescott but his second choice was Johnston, so I decided to look there too as an afterthought. I visited, and though it was a wonderful place, I still wasn't sure where I would end up. Finally, after much deliberation (and looking at funding) I decided to go to Johnston. Since then I have blossomed as my truth self. I’m very happy here. I took my second degree black belt test last summer and I finally feel like I’m in a happy and healed place in my life because of the second degree test and my time in Johnston.

My story really has three phases. There was the era of satisfaction with school. This was when the urge to challenge myself and “catch-up” was in it’s infancy. This period lasted through an arts magnet elementary and middle school, that is until seventh grade. From that point on, I moved into the next phase which I would describe as rather misanthropic, at least in my educational life. I had been competing and had excelled in reading, and I had more or less caught up in every other subject. It meant nothing though. Who was I competing with? No one seemed to care as much as I did. For everyone else it seemed to be about the grade, not really learning. Finally, through graduating early from high school and taking a year to soul search, I entered the next era which I’m still in. This phase is truly the golden era in my education, I’ve never been happier.

I want to give other people the opportunities to challenge and grow as I have, as well as have the opportunity to find their own worldview like I have. This balance has made me who I am today and thats why my emphasis focuses on it.

syllabus updates for September 27

Please note: I've added the pages for Dewey and the correct information for the Reynolds piece. I'm not sure if the Reynolds piece has made it onto electronic reserve as of Wed. I gave to Kerry a hard copy on Monday, so perhaps Alana can check on it

If there is difficulty to link to the online editions of the books, try putting the titles in Google.

Best wishes, Patricia

Monday, September 27—An In-Depth Look at Three Early Experiments

Preparation for Class on September 27:

Negotiate Individual Contracts

Readings:

Experience and Education, John Dewey, pp. 25-50, 67-72, 89-91

“The Need of a Theory of Experience”; “Criteria of Experience”; “The Meaning of

Purpose”; “Experience: The Means and Goals of Education”

Progressive Ideals and Experimental Higher Education: The Example of John Dewey and Black Mountain College Katherine Reynolds in Education and Culture, Spring 1997 Vol. XIV. No.1 (E)

Dewey versus Hutchins: The Next Round, Thomas Ehrlich in Education and Democracy: Reimagining Liberal Learning in America, ed. Robert Orrill (E)

Robert Maynard Hutchins short essay, The Autobiography of an Uneducated Man http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/hutchins_robert_autobiography.html

Additional readings: To be divided up among seminar participants

Everyone should read ONE of the following books:

Black Mountain College: An Exploration in Community

Martin Duberman (Northwestern University Press, 1972) (P)

The Experimental College, Alexander Meiklejohn

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/UW/UW-idx?id=UW.MeikExpColl

Higher Learning in America Robert Maynard Hutchins

http://www.ditext.com/hutchins/hutch0.html

Be prepared to teach your book to the rest of the seminar. Then we will discuss the various experiments and the intellectual ancestry of each.

According to my notes, these are the assignments:

Black Mountain: Eli, Ariel and Anne

Higher Learning in America: Alec and Jake

The Experimental College: Mary and Alana

The Rally ‘Round the Flag Syndrome and its use in cultivating a Community

At the onset of the 2009-2010 academic year at the University of Redlands, the Johnston Community was struck with the news that the director of two years, Dr. Greg Salyer, had been removed from his position. The news came along with the sad news that Johnston’s beloved administrative assistant, Tabetha Johnson, an alum of the center, had been terminated as well. Less than a week before the new students were to arrive the community was devastated. The community was divided, and would continue to be divided, in their opinions of Salyer’s termination.

Enter Professor Emeritus William “Bill” McDonald. Along with the termination of Salyer and Johnson came the suggestion from the office of Dean Barbara Morris that McDonald, a 40-year veteran and founder of the center, be instated as Interim-Director of the center while a proper search for Salyer’s replacement could be conducted.

McDonald’s appointment was a well-crafted one, one of the few universally popular moves Morris and President Stewart Dorsey made in the process of removing Salyer from office. Bill was a figure many in the community held in great regard. Along with Professor Kevin O’Neill, Bill was one of two remaining of the Johnston founders, a physical representation of the mystical ideals that Johnston was founded on.

The respect that McDonald commanded allowed for Johnston’s own Rally ‘Round The Flag Syndrome, a concept used in political science and international relations to explain increased short run popular support of the President of the United States during periods of crisis or war, to take hold. The Johnston community stayed united because Bill demanded of the community that it stay united.

It’s a technique used often to develop communities in times of crisis. We see it in the case of Antioch College where Arthur Morgan successfully used the ideals of founder Horace Mann to unite the campus community and help it rise out of near obscurity into an era of prosperity. We also see it at Deep Springs College, where a copy of the letter founder L.L. Nunn sent to the college’s first class is sent to every successive incoming student to the college. Strong leadership is important in all communities, even egalitarian ones. A human incarnation of the ideals of an institution is necessary to give a community something to rally around in moments of crisis; otherwise it fails.