First Legacy
What was the first legacy?
The idea that schooling must be based on an understanding of the nature of childhood and the stages to adulthood.
What is the second legacy?
The idea that an educated population is a national resource
What is the third legacy?
The assumption that an educated mind uses reason which leads to having a skeptical outlook.
What subject does Postman think is the most important? Why?
History because you can apply lessons from the past to what is happening in the present.
How old was Emile when he learned to read and write?
12
What important book from the enlightenment period was written by Rosseau?
Emile by Rousseau published in 1762
About a boy who chooses his education as he grows up, with only his mentor as a companion. It influenced the natrual education process.
What was the main idea of De la Chalotais’s essay?
It was an attack on the Jesuits. He argued “for the value to the nation of an educated populace”pg 158
What aspects of English class are the most important and why?
Logic and Rhetoric. These subjects connect language and reality in the search for truths and communicating those findings to others.
Who said this: “Do not teach by words anything which you can teach by actual experience of things as they are”?
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
What important book from the enlightenment period was written by Pestalozzi?
How Gertrude Teaches Her Children by Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi published in 1801-he said “let the child be as free as possible”, but also used corporal punishment when necessary
Why do we not teach skepticism as much as during the enlightenment period?
It could lead to people rejecting the goals of the Nation or state, it brings the risk of alienating children from their parents, the structure of our school system fights against it, and the schools want students to be “answer-givers, not question-askers...believers, not skeptics.”Pg 162
How does Postman suggest teaching competing viewpoints?
Postman thinks it is more valuable for the student to have both sides presented, scientific reasoning explained, and allowing the student to evaluate for themselves.
What three countries score higher than America's schools regularly?
Germany, Japan, Sweden
How and Why does Postman suggest technology is taught?
As technology is influencing our lives more and more, our understanding of its psychological, social, and political effects gain importance. Students must be taught to “use technology rather than to be used by it.”pg 171