Chapter 11 & 14: Reform Pressures and Alternative Forms of Schooling Flashcards
Under critical pedagogy what did Paulor Freire describe as the banking model?
Banking model: teachers are simply depositing knowledge into students brains (banks) and we are on occasion make withdrawals from this knowledge, but it is not progressive
Freire argues that the banking model is oppressive and dead
What does Freire describe as critical/progressive schooling?
a. Learning should be fundamentally liberating, making life better for people and make people more aware of injustices; it should not be a deposit-withdrawal system
b. Problem posing; relating to real life meaningful situations
c. Interactive; come together, solve problems collaboratively and together
d. Related to praxis; the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, embodied, or realized
e. Must develop technical skills, such as literacy and numeracy but linked to a liberating sense, not just for the sake of learning it
What is the purpose of critical pedagogy?
- Expose oppression
- Change oppression
- Liberate all (oppressors & oppressed)
School and learning are fundamental to this success
What does Illich say in regards to schooling?
“The pupil is thereby schooled to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new. Hid imagination is schooled”
School kills creativity, it is simply educating
We say schooling is to develop critical thinking, but we are really teaching students to teach like the educator
What is Illich’s institutional critique of modern education?
a. Learning is prescribed and not self-driven or self-initiated
b. Learning becomes a quest for credentials; it becomes competitive rather than collaborative
c. Learning becomes divisive; learning should be creating different individuals for different roles
School structures hinder learning
What is Illich’s proposed solution to his critique?
Deschooled learning; schools should not exist
- Learning should be informal in real world situations, making ourselves available to teach others what we know
- Using learning webs
- References services open to the public
- Skill exchanges
- Educators-at-large
What are the advantages of Illich’s deschooling?
- More genuine and equal exchange of skills
- Less power differential based on credentials
- More self-direction
- Learning more individually meaningful material
What was created in the 1970s in regards to schooling? What were the intentions of the creation?
The 1970s were a reform movement. Free schools were invented.
Intentions:
- Democratic structures: administrators, teachers, parents & students
- Administrators and teachers are there to answer student questions and mainly as resources for students
- Students learn what they want to learn, they call the shots and choose what they do all day
- Explorative, open, self-directed, jolistic
What are the problems with free schooling?
a. Funding and access; only accessible through private school
b. Free learning and cultural capital (biggest issue); to be a free learner requires a certain amount of cultural capital, if learning is not encouraged in the home then children are unlikely to engage it in
c. Interest group struggles; been found that parents usually end up calling the shots, rather than the children
d. Commitment
Why do people choose to homeschool?
- Closer family bonds
- Tailored to the child’s individual interests and abilities
- Learning environment more relaxed and natural
- Diminished influence of peers and “peer pressure”
- More positive and broader socialization: experiences with children of various ages as well as adults
- “Shelter” from secular society: religious groups
What are the two class of parents who choose to homeschool their children?
- Ideologues: opposed to the “what” of schooling (curriculum)
- Religious fundamentalist opposition
- “School-not-challenging-enough” opposition - Pedagogies: opposed to the “how” of schooling (structure, organization)
- Hierarchy, control, structure
- Negative peer socialization
Home schoolers from both ends of political spectrum. Some home school because of geographic isolation.
What are some legal issues surrounding home schooling?
No real legislation guiding homeschooling
Parents indicate intent to homeschool to school board in writing. School boards have right to investigate homeschoolers.
Homeschooling is free of public regulations
ex. no curriculum, no tests, no attendance rules, etc.
They, however, do not receive high school diploma, except if home schoolers choose to follow provincial rules.
- Voluntary adoption of curriculum and textbooks/materials
- Students can achieve HS diploma through correspondence courses or General Education Development (GED) testing
What are some consequences of homeschooling?
It is estimated 20 000 children in Ontario are home schooled
- Educational outcomes
- Socialization; how to get along with racial diversity, other lifestyles, other opinions
- Learning opportunities and resource
ex. lack of gym, pool, music room, software, counsellors - Lack of exposure to differing viewpoints and debate
What are the counter-arguments presented by homeschoolers?
- Applied experiential learning; making all experiences a learning experience
- Non-age specific = better socialization
ex. less fearful of adults - Individual child needs/learning needs
What are the outcomes of homeschooling?
Difficult to measure: parental reason for homeschooling affects outcomes
Limited data, but suggest no disadvantage for home schooled children in tests or university admission
What is neoliberalism?
The idea that the best way to solve problems is to let the free market run the show. It gives market solutions to social issues and allows for minimal state intervention. states private solutions always better than public solutions.
ex. not have any public schools, less welfare payments but lower taxes and incentives for working
How does neoliberalism work in education?
a. Creates a distrust in public education
b. Preference for private education; creates a market for schools so it creates a competition
c. Giving parents/children educational choice; they do not all have to go to same the school in their district
d. Emphasis on accountability; schools must provide incentives and advantages to bring children in
How do tests create accountability?
a. Measure student performance
- Against curriculum/grade level expectations
- Offers diagnostic
- Create incentives
b. Measure teacher performance
- Do students learn
- Changes over time
c. Measure school performance
- Quality check
- Performance over time
d. Measuring percentage of students meeting minimum standards for literacy at the end of grade 9
- Same standards for applied and academic students
- Clearly show that streaming does not work; only 50% or less of applied students are successful on EQAOs compared to over 90% of academic students
Should we link teachers’ salaries to student outcomes? Why would it be a good idea?
This would be merit pay. If students perform well, teachers salaries are positively affected. However, if students perform poorly, it is negatively affected.
Why would this be a good idea?
- Motivates teachers
- Creates accountability for teachers (not only students)
- Pushes teachers to improve the learning and outcomes of all students
What are the problems of merit pay for teachers?
- We don’t know why they’re doing bad, could be taking away valuable needed resources
- Teachers will only teach test material
- Leads to cheating
- It’s been found that it creates greater inequality, already disadvantaged neighbourhoods are being further disadvantaged
- Teachers won’t go to teach in disadvantaged communities, since shouldn’t they be paid more?
What did the the Globe & Mail editorial “BC’s worst school may be its best” question?
The Roosevelt Park school in Prince Rupert scored last in provincial tests, but it’s in a disadvantaged community, so how can it be compared to a private all boy school in Vancouver?
What does the editorial reveal in regards to testing?
Reveals testing problems:
- Can only measure test scores
- Cannot measure community issues
- Cannot measure school initiatives
- Cannot provide a relative measure of success
Why is the worst BC school better than their test scores?
This school is better than its scores because:
- It’s in a disadvantaged community with disadvantaged students
- The school offers proactive outreach such as literacy programs for parents, different parenting programs, etc
What are some arguments against testing as accountability?
- Negatively affects learning and schooling
- Limits teacher creativity; test prepping takes precedence
- Ignores school/student context; disadvantaged students (social class, race, ethnicity) might fall through the cracks
- Narrow concept of schooling; what else is important?
- Critical and creative learning/thinking/problem solving
- Well being
- Personal development
- Equity
- Community involvement
