When we think about school as a social realm, I think a lot of us (myself included) are reminded of the intense, Mean Girls-esque stratified structure of the stereotypical American high school. Whether or not this reflects your own personal experience, I think we can agree that adolescence is a tough time, and that throwing a bunch of hormonal young adults together for 7 or so hours a day doesn't always leave everyone feeling warm and fuzzy.
However, I think Dewey raises some important points when he defines what exactly a school is. While I might not go so far as to say that schools need to distill the world down to an "embryonic" representation of itself, I do think that he raises some good points about how we should not just create learning institutions, but learning communities. We have to see schools as a here-and-now representation of society, of something that the students can connect to. As Dewey explains, "I believe that the school must represent present life - life as real and vital to the child as that which he carries on in the home, in the neighborhood, or on the play-ground." Schools can too easily become separated from what we consider the "real world," where we go, sit in class for a few hours, and promptly disengage as soon as the last bell rings. I think what Dewey is trying to get at here is that if we truly want to create lifelong learners, we need to make sure school isn't seen as this disconnected sphere of existence, but rather as a continuation of society as a whole.
So what would this mean for our future classrooms? How do we make our classrooms extensions of society when, in many respects, we are living in an imperfect society? Dewey was writing these ideas in 1897, at a time when it made sense to want schools to "build out of home life," because that was considered one of the most stable and sacred institutions. How do we reconcile this idea with students who may have home lives that are anything but?
I don't think I have all the answers to this, but I do think I can take the core of Dewey's argument and try to make it work today. I want my classroom to be a community. I want my students to socialize as equals within this community, and I want them to see themselves as budding members of society. I don't want there to be a line between learning and being, and I don't want education to just be seen as a means to an end. I DO want my students to foster a community and stretch their interpersonal wings. No, you don't have to be best buddies with all of your classmates, just as you don't have to feel that way about everyone you meet in the community. But you DO have to treat everyone with respect, and you DO have to learn to work and cooperate together.
Unless you plan on becoming a recluse after graduation, you'll be living in working in society for the rest of your life. That's why we need to look to Dewey and ensure that education "is a process of living and not [just] a preparation for future living."
Emily, I agree with you. Dewey does raise important points about what a school should be. Creating a community life in schools that provides life experiences and mimics society provides the best foundation for education.
ReplyDeleteThe learning community should begin at preschool and continues through out school. Students then become life-long learners and make contributions back to their school community.
I love this post! I completely identify with what you wrote - I was one of those kids. I went to school, and did what I was supposed to do. I completed my homework, I came prepared, and I listened and took notes in class. I loved school. But once the bell rang, so did the clock in my head. School was over and now life could begin. My life, the life I chose, not the one that was imposed upon me like school was. However, I also felt that our school was a community. I think our administration tried really hard to work this into our education. We weren't as successful as it seems Scarlett is but I think the thought was definitely there. However, I will admit I was on the inside. So maybe someone less accepted or involved would not have seen the community aspect as strongly as I did. I think these are two separate ideas that are equally hard to solve. First, how do we get students to incorporate their education into the rest of their lives and as you quote, make school purposeful for right now and not just the future? Secondly, how do we build a community in a school that will help us accomplish the first goal? Agree with you whole-heartedly girl. Great work!
ReplyDeleteOh yes Mean Girls! One idea is to start the movie from the end. Build that community instead of letting it run wild first. That would never happen in the real world but just a funny thought. I do wonder how many schools have such a dysfunctional community and if you are thrown into such an environment, how do you make strives to fix it? Pretty much the same questions you asked
ReplyDelete