Reflection #15

Education in Ancient Rome was very important, especially to rich people. Usually only the rich were formally educated. They had private tutors and went to schools. However, schools were mainly for boys only. Girls were educated differently. Rich girls were allowed to receive an education at home by being taught how to become a good wife and how to run a proper home. Their education consisted of music, running a kitchen, and sewing. Boys on the other hand, like I stated before did attend schools and received a full formal education. However, their education was not the most entertaining one. They barely had any subjects to choose from. Education consisted of weekly routines. Waking up at sunrise, working throughout the whole day with a small lunch break, and being back in bed by sunset. They had no weekend breaks. Their education was molded through the use of beatings. If a child got something wrong in their studies they were beaten. That is why children were so focused and determined in their work. Lessons were simply listened to and memorized, seeing as their were no textbooks. Even though education in Ancient Athena was similar, it was still quite different. Similarly only wealthy families could afford education and teachers. However, boys learned for to write and quote famous literatures. They learned how to play one specific musical instrument and they were trained from young to be in the military. The studied for the goal of becoming an effective citizen to Athena. Girls in Athena actually also learned how to read, write and do some arithmetic. The teaching were divided amongst three groups; arithmetic, music and dancing, and sports. Children had paidagogos, which was basically just a slave that accompanied the child during the day. The early stages of the child's education was basics (reading, writing, arithmetic, music). The second stage consisted of the introduction of sports into the curriculum. Schooling ended when the child turned 18 and they were then placed into military training. However some greeks continued their education after childhood. Some teenagers had mentorships with an older greek. They listened to their mentors and assisted them in any way possible. They spent a lot of time with them. Roman and Athenian education are very similar, however Athenian education seems to have had better and bigger opportunities for children. They seem to have had a more open curriculum and the opportunity for students to learn until an older age.

Reflection #14

	Aristotle created “The great chain of being”, which was basically an organization of all living things from greatest to highest. He believed that every natural thing derived from one another in a linking pattern. This leading to the highest level which would be us humans since we have the greatest thinking and logical abilities. His purpose was to compare all living things to one another. He believed that every link had a meaning and there was no empty links in between the chain. Aristotle also came up with the four causes. The four causes explains that there can be many causes to one thing, and we can categorize something even though it can have many various complete opposite causes. The first and second causes are the classificatory causes. It is the description of what kind of form the species or thing your analyzing is. This can refer to material matters. Causes three and four were the dynamic causes. It is a deeper analyzation of how things function and why they function. The way we treat a specific matter is through knowledge, and the only way of having knowledge is by having a full understanding of something is by knowing why it is the way it is, also known as understanding the cause. That is why these four causes are so crucial to the development of western education. The four causes helps students full understand the subject they are studying by having them analyze situations. Aristotle wanted students to grasp the cause of how and why things are the way they are. This plays a huge role in science for example. When conducting an experiment and mixing several chemicals it is important that one understands what chemicals cause certain reactions. In his theory of the unmoved mover, Aristotle classified humans as a substance. He believed that in order for something to last forever, it was never created nor can it be destroyed. It is something that has always and will always exist. In order for something to be a “substance” it is dependent of anything else and can stand on it’s own. He believed that everything that moves was set into motion by something else. Even though Aristotles theories are somewhat confusing, they do apply a lot to education.

Reflection #13

Plato was a famous philosopher that created many ideas about life. He created idealism along with Aristotle. It stated that ideas were the only true reality. Truth and righteousness, goodness and beauty are the basic standards of life. He believed that the world we live in is nothing but a mere copy of and intellectual and perfect “ideal” world. He believed that there are two worlds. One one that was the spiritual and mental world. It was the eternal, permanent, and regular world. Then, there was the world of appearance. The world that is derived from our senses of hearing, touching, seeing, smelling and tasting. It is a world that is unstable and imperfect. He believed there was too much focus in this sensory world. He wanted this world to be overshadowed with truth. He believed everything had universal truths and it is important for everyone to discover the truth in all things. He wanted people to reject matter and material things and accept truth to move into goodness. He also believed that all humans are born with knowledge, however it is lost when we are placed in our material body. However we have a whole lifetime to gain back all of these truths and knowledge. The place of an educator was to help all of these people regain all of their knowledge, and that is where education plays in. He wanted all of his students to have the kind of education where truth and good were the main points. He believed that everyone should have an equal opportunity in education. Girls and boys should both have the advantage of seeking truths and wisdom. However, if some showed a lack in critical and abstract thinking, there would be other methods and paths to take. He believed they should pursue careers that would focus on the practical realities of life. He also created platonic forms which are abstract entities that exist apart from the sensible world. He believed that all objects are imperfect and imitate a form. Information we gain about an object is unimportant, however genuine knowledge is reliable and valuable. He believed that things that change are unreal. Like in our education system, if 2+2=4, it is always going to equal to four. If one day we walk into class and our teacher tells us 2+2=5, we become confused and therefore it is not real. Overall plato believed that only truths were what lead to knowledge. He believed that everyone was born with a blank mind ready to grow and be filled with truths and goodness.

Reflection #12

The launch of the Sputnik satellite had a great impact on America. It was during the time of the cold war where there was a lot of political conflict and military tension amongst the United States and the USSR. This launch of the Satellite was a definite low blow for Americans. American’s have always been used to being the ones with big technological advances. America began to panic. They were afraid of being attacked and they felt vulnerable to the Soviet Union.  They did not want to be “behind” the Russians. Without anyone to blame, American put the blame on it’s education system. It became educations fault that America was not able to beat the Soviets into space. Universities were called to build intense  and strict curriculums for it’s students. These curriculums mainly focused on math, science, and foreign languages. America wanted to create scientists and leaders that would outdo the Soviets geniuses. They wanted students to focus one-hundred percent on these subjects and to actually obtain and learn the material instead of just memorizing it. The launching of Sputnik opened many doors into education. Curriculums were now forced to become more rigorous. America did not want American’s to be viewed as dumb or slow in it’s education system. Soon after the launch of Sputnik the National Defense Education Act was passed. It was a billion dollar plan intended to increase and better the education system. College students were able to receive up to a thousand dollars a year for their education. Schools that made loans received government funding. Undergraduate schools such as elementary,middle, and high schools were also modified. Teachers were educated in the subjects of math, science, and foreign languages in order to provide a better understanding to their students. These facilities in schools were expanded and so was the curriculum. Government funding for science facilities was  more available than it had ever been. The goal of these curriculums was to encourage creative thinking rather than repetition and memorization. Bright students were hand picked and placed in advanced classes. They were monitored seeing as they could serve for the United States. This launching of the Sputnik definitely started a revolution in the education system of the United States. It made America open it’s eyes to the possibility of being out done by another country. However,  America woke up and made a difference in it’s curriculums and teaching methods in order to enhance their science department. 

Reflection #11

Many of Socrates ideas have had a great impact in our modern education system. He was a great Greek philosopher that believed that once one realizes they know nothing, they start to gain knowledge. He created the idea of elenchus and the dialectic method, which was basically the use of asking questions in order to gain knowledge. According to Socrates, teachers bring out questions in the mind of a student into the world. He wanted his students to analyze situations and to use critical and logical thinking to make questions to better understand. He believed in discussion rather than lecturing. He wanted students to bring ideas forth and teachers just simply assisted in the process. Socrates also talked a lot about happiness. Unlike our modern view of happiness, Socrates believed that sometimes our happiness can be mistaken. Even though we may think we are happy, we might actually may not be happy. In our modern society that does not make much sense. We usually believe that if we feel happy, we are happy. He believed that knowledge was the gateway and foundation of happiness. This is very true if we look at it in modern day. The more knowledge and experience we have, the more opportunities we are faced with. The more opportunities usually means happiness. For example, if we graduate from a university with a degree, we are now able to get a better job. A better job implies more income for  daily necessities, relieving a lot of stress. Socrates had a huge devotion to morals and ethics. He created a system that was made up of simple human reasoning. Like I stated before, Socrates was a great believer in the use of reasoning and questioning. Socrates teaching methods are used in modern western education today. His discussions were all problem centered. He would make up a question or situation and students had to analyze it based on their experience. He listened to students responses but however, did not give them the answer. The student is to use their critical thinking to reason the question and come up with an answer. The teacher simply leads the way into a proper response by analyzing the students responses. Socrates divided knowledge by two types; ordinary knowledge and definitional knowledge. He was a great devoter of belief through the use of logic. 

Reflection #10

Philip Jackson created the term “Gatekeeper” to identify teachers. He used this term to describe how teacher interact in their classrooms. Teachers are usually the ones that control the class and decide who talks and when. Teacher are usually the ones that do all of the talking in a classroom. When you think of a classroom and a typical day, you think of a teacher lecturing, asking questions, and giving directions. Rarely through-ought this day, it engages students asking questions or students talking. Teachers ask on an average, 348 questions a day. It is rare for a student to ask a question. Why is this so? Students are so used to having to be silent through ought class periods. Some are afraid of looking “dumb” amongst their peers, or afraid of the teacher making them feel bad. Teachers usually ask questions and give students a couple of seconds to answer. If they do not answer within that time limit, the teacher moves on. The whole purpose of an education system is to get students intellectually involved in the lessons. However, this is a struggle when teachers have such a great power over the classroom. Even though the teacher having control over the classroom is a very important thing, it can affect the learning of the students if it is not done correctly. Sometimes teachers are caught up in their lectures and their talking and forget to engage students. In the usual “Pedagogical Cycle” which includes structure, questioning, responses to these questions from students, and reaction from the teachers, teachers create 85 percent of the verbal interactions. These daily classroom patterns do not encourage students to get involved in the lessons nor ask questions. Im sure we have all had instances where we are sitting in a classroom just listening to the teacher lecture. There are many times when we are confused about something that is being said or just simply we have a disagreement with the teacher. However, we do not raise our hands to ask a question or state our opinion. Why does this happen? Because we are so used to listening to our teachers and having them do all of the talking, that we are sometimes afraid to just simply ask a question. When Philip Jackson created the term “gatekeeper” for teachers, it was not with the intention to make teachers look bad. It just simply shows that teachers are usually the ones in control of their classrooms. They create their curriculums, lecture and ask questions. However, it is encouraged that teachers sometimes let students do a little bit more talking in classroom settings. Giving children the opportunity to talk, ask questions and participate in discussions definitely has a lot to do with their academic achievement. It gives them confidence and motivation in their education. 

Reflection #9

The articles, “The first schools” and “Ancient Egyptian Education” are an overview of exactly how schools were in ancient civilizations. They talk about cuneiform which was one of the first systems of writing. They used this writing system to former their education. Students had to write and copy textbooks. There were different kinds of scribes,  There was junior and high scribes, which are like our junior and high school students. There was also scribes that specialized in specific activities. In the first half of the second millennium BC, there were many tablets found with exercises and activities created by the actual students. The whole purpose of the Sumerian schools was to train students to scribe for the economic needs of the land. However, that expanded and soon studies were created in plants, animals, geography, math, writing, and so on. Many of the Sumerian professors depended on their salary for their daily living. Teachers were paid out of the students tuition fees.   Unlike education today, only the wealthy could afford it. Most students came from rich families. Most of the Sumerian students were males. Like our school system today, these schools had “principles” an “teachers”. The head of the school, which we would call the principle, they called the “School Father”. The students were called the “school son”. The assistant professors created the curriculum. They created tablets for the students to copy and made sure that they did so correctly. They also listened to the students recite their tablets. The curriculum in sumerian schools consisted of two sections; the first was semi-scientific and scholarly and the second was literary and creative. The first section was a basic overview and understanding of the Sumerian language. Making sure that the language was understood and mastered correctly. In the textbooks found there was a lot of writing about animals, cities, plants, minerals, and things of that sort, indicating zoological, botanical, and geographical studies. The second part of this curriculum consisted of copying and studying several literary works. Students copied tablets and the professors examined them to make sure they were correct. Teachers played a very big role in the students lives. They gave lectures and created most of the tablets students had to copy. They corrected students mistakes and faults and made sure that students understood the matter. I believe that teachers in Ancient Civilizations were a little bit more dedicated than teachers today. They probably enjoyed their jobs more that teachers today simply by the fact that students appreciated their education and worked hard for it. Students now a days are usually forced to attend school and do not care much for it. In Ancient Civilizations only the wealthy and fortunate had a chance for education. Their determination probably gave teachers more of a motivation and love for teaching. These articles make teachers look very important in the lives of their students.