Chapter 6 Teachers, Schools & Society

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An educational strategy attributed to Socrates in which a teacher encourages a student's discovery of truth by questions.

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Socratic method  

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Also called social reconstructionism, this is a view of education as a way to improve the quality of life, to reduce the chances of conflict, and to create a more humane world.

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social reconstructionism  

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Similar to Darwin's notion of "survival of the fittest," this idea contends that society is a sorting system, one in which the more talented rise to the top, while those less deserving find themselves at the bottom of the social and economic pecking order.

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Social Darwinism  

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Taking from the construction field, scaffolding provides support to help a student build understanding. The teacher might use cues or encouragement or well-formulated questions to assist a student in solving a problem or mastering a concept.

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scaffolding

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The philosophy that emphasizes the power of reason and the principles of logic to derive statements about the world. Rationalists encourage schools to emphasize teaching mathematics, because mathematics involves reason and logic.

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rationalism  

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An educational philosophy that organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students.

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progressivism  

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Developed by ETS to assess teachers' competence in various areas: reading, writing, math, professional and subject area knowledge. Praxis test requirements differ among states.

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Praxis

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A philosophical belief that asserts truth is what works and rejects other views of reality.

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pragmatism  

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An approach to analyzing how past and present societies are arranged and governed and how better societies may be created in the future.

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political philosophy  

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The love of or search for wisdom; the quest to understand the meaning of life.

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philosophy

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Spoken language is the primary method for instruction in several cultures around the world. Word problems are used to teach reasoning, proverbs to instill wisdom, and stories to teach lessons about nature, history, religion, and social customs.

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oral tradition  

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The area of philosophy that examines the nature of reality.

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metaphysics  

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A philosophy focused on scientific observation and the belief that existence is only experienced in the physical realm.

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materialism

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The branch of philosophy that deals with reasoning. Logic defines the rules of reasoning, focuses on how to move from one set of assumptions to valid conclusions, and examines the rules of inference that enable us to frame our propositions and arguments.

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logic

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Schools often associated with a teacher preparation institution for practice teaching, demonstration, research, or innovation.

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laboratory schools  

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In many cultures, augments or takes the place of formal schooling as children learn adult roles through observation, conversation, assisting, and imitating.

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informal education  

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Drawing generalizations based on the observation of specific examples.

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inductive reasoning  

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A doctrine holding that knowledge is derived from ideas and emphasizing moral and spiritual reality as a preeminent source of explanation.

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idealism  

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The heart of the perennialists' curriculum that includes great works of the past in literature, philosophy, science, and other areas.

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Great Books  

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The doctrine put forth by Aristotle asserting that virtue lies in the middle ground between two extremes.

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Golden Mean  

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A philosophy that emphasizes the ability of an individual to determine the course and nature of his or her life and the importance of personal decision making.

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existentialism

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The tendency to view one's own culture as superior to others, or to fail to consider other cultures in a fair or equitable manner.

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ethnocentrism  

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The branch of philosophy that examines questions of right and wrong, good and bad.

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ethics

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An educational philosophy that emphasizes basic skills of reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, geography, and language.

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essentialism

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The branch of philosophy that examines the nature of knowledge and learning.

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epistemology

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The philosophy that maintains that sensory experiences, such as seeing, hearing, and touching, are the ultimate sources of all human knowledge. Empiricists believe that we experience the external world by sensory perception; then, through reflection, we conceptualize ideas that help us interpret the world.

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empiricism

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Working from a general rule to identify particular examples and applications to that rule.

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deductive reasoning  

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A central body of knowledge that schools require all students to study.

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core curriculum  

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With roots in cognitive psychology, this educational approach is built on the idea that people construct their understanding of the world. Constructivist teachers gauge a student's prior knowledge, then carefully orchestrate cues, classroom activities, and penetrating questions to push students to higher levels of understanding.

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constructivism  

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The belief that reality is composed of both materialism and idealism, body and mind.

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Cartesian dualism  

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A psychological theory that interprets human behavior in terms of stimuli-response.

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behaviorism  

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A strategy to alter behavior in a desired direction through the use of rewards.

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behavior modification  

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During the 1980s, a revival of the back-to-basics movement evolved out of concern for declining test scores in math, science, reading, and other areas. Although there is not a precise definition of back to basics, many consider it to include increased emphasis on reading, writing, and arithmetic; fewer electives; and more rigorous grading.

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back-to-basics  

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The branch of philosophy that examines the nature of beauty and judgments about it.

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aesthetics

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A classical secondary school in colonial America that emphasized elements of Latin and English grammar schools and by the nineteenth century became more of a college preparatory school. Also the name of the ancient Greek school founded by Plato.

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Academy