The+Process+of+Education+Chapter+1

The Process of Education Chapter 1 Summary: . When planning what lessons to be taught to children, many questions come to mind especially teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The question of “what shall we teach and to what extent do we teach.” The main meaning to figuring out certain ways to teach is to know what your main objective is. Half of America found themselves excelling in graduate schools, while the other half of the century was more concerned with aptitude and achievement rather than the intellectual structure of class activities. Take into context the finding of tropism, where the inchworm example is presented. There were a series of observations and trial and error which lead to inferences and conclusion of a scientific phenomenon. This further shows that when students learn from experience, they take that with them when doing further problems. Not only are the jobs of the schools to focus on the achievements of each individual s separately, they also much contribute in social and emotional development. The teachers must take time out to deal with social ability, the use of working together with other students. “Good teaching that emphasizes the structure of a subject is probably even more valuable for the less able student than for the gifted one, for it is the former rather than the latter who is most easily thrown off the track by poor teaching” (p.9). The teaching structure is helpful to everyone but importantly to the students who need the most help. A theme in this chapter is to know that “scientific and mathematical aptitudes can be discovered earlier than other intellectual talents.” This chapter talks about how American psychologists were involved in the schools and the way they were set up.

Benjamin Franklin referred to the “dualism in our educational ideals” as “striving for a balance between the ‘useful’ and the ‘ornamental’” (p.4). One of the many struggles of education is whether or not teaching students basic knowledge and understandings of a particular subject as well as life skills (useful information), or teaching students relatively unnecessary information just for students to perform analytic steps in order to reach an answer, i.e. trigonometry, algebra, physics (ornamental information).

This chapter also goes into detail about how to present teaching in a sufficient manner as well as having a supportive structure for not only the child/student but for the teacher/parent. It discusses how a child learns better and is able to retain information for a longer period of time by trial and error and from experiences, rather than from a systematic approach.

This chapter goes to further explain curriculum building. A problem in many schools, especially those in the metropolitan and urban areas, is that the curriculum is not suited for retaining knowledge and key facts about a particular subject; the curriculum is geared to performance on tests. Bruner states that, “a curriculum as it develops should revisit [the] basic ideas [of a subject] repeatedly, building upon them until the student has grasped the full formal apparatus that goes with them” (p. 13)

Key Passages:

“Each generation gives new form to the aspirations that shape education in its time.” (p.1) “The American secondary school has tried to strike a balance between two concepts of usefulness and most often with some regard for the ornamental as well.” (p.5) “Grasping the structure of a subject is understanding it in a way that permits many other things to be related to it meaningfully. To learn structure, in short, is to learn how things are related.” (p.7) “We may take as perhaps the most general objective of education that is cultivating excellence; but it should be clear in what sense this phrase is used. It here refers not only to schooling the better student but also to helping each student achieve his optimum intellectual development. Good teaching that emphasizes the structure of a subject is probably even more valuable for the less able student than for the gifted one, for it is the former rather than the latter who is most easily thrown off track by poor teaching.” (p.9) “The early teaching of science, mathematics, social studies, and literature should be designed to teach these subjects with scrupulous intellectual honesty, but with an emphasis upon the intuitive grasp of ideas and upon the use of these basic ideas (p.13)

Important Terminology:

- A general understanding of a concept or subject further enhances one’s grasp of a subject by allowing them to make “real life” connections with the concept or subject and analyze how the relate to the larger society. Structure –how things are related to one another. A system or organization made up of interrelated parts functioning as a whole. - School structure consists of many parts leading from the superintendent, down to teachers. Each one of these levels has to perform well at their work in order for each subsequent level to be successful.

Curricula – Subjects taught and/or the information and topics that are taught in a particular class/subject. - Changes in curricula are oftentimes the result of poor student performance and the school administration tries a different approach in conveying the subject matter. Learning – to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example. To acquire knowledge of a skill in by study, instruction, or experience. - Learning is the ultimate goal of education. Learning is not to memorize facts to pass tests. Rather, it is to acquire knowledge which will later enhance future thought and understanding.

Discussion Guiding Questions: 1) Bruner says there are four themes which gives us a better understanding of teaching. What are these four themes? 2) What are some ideas that Bruner gives as to why the idea of structure is important? How does structure play a big role in educational instruction? 3) Name and discuss two ways that Bruner says that teachers can be prepared to teach.