To this point, this blog, through a series of
postings,[1]
has developed an argument that promotes a basic change to social studies,
particularly civics. That is, that that portion
of a school curriculum should focus its efforts on the social realities of students’
local communities. This would counter
the ever-increasing levels of individualism and self-centeredness that have affected
the nation and led to a good deal of dysfunctional elements within the American
society such as polarized politics.
The
last posting, “Localize It,”[2]
indicated that this posting would, as an example, describe a construct, nativist
theories, offered by Jerome Bruner.
Those theories state that the mind “is inherently or innately shaped by
a set of underlying categories, hypotheses, forms of organizing experiences.”[3]
In
other words, instruction should not be so concerned, as pedagogues have
encouraged classroom teachers to be, with teaching inductive skills, such as
with inquiry models of instruction based on the scientific method. One should recognize that the mind already
operates in such a fashion as to approximate that process. What is needed are experiences that further
the student to feel and appreciate the function of disciplinary knowledge. This idea is original with John Dewey in his
promotion of “occupations” for elementary students.[4]
More
specifically, community-based activities and skills at the secondary level can
act as a continuance of Dewey’s aim and as a bridge from the elementary school efforts
to the goals of higher education and adult communal life. The ultimate aim is for students to more
centrally view their local environs as the natural setting where political
realities come to bear on their welfare and that of their neighbors.
Cognitive
processes used for pedagogical purposes should not be limited by scientific
logic and concern. To advance the social
action skills (introduced in the last posting) and the communal agenda
described above, relevant cognitive skills should be based on a continuum
because different students act on different levels of abstraction when it comes
to schoolwork or life in general.
It
is believed by this blogger, based on his years of teaching and as a parent,
that children operate at all levels of abstraction even at the earliest grades.[5] The problem lies in applying abstract
thinking to sophisticated and to some degree foreign cognitive substance or
content. A continuum is needed by
teachers to devise activities that are both suitable for their students and
functional for handling the issues, problems, or other situations a teacher
chooses to study.
One such continuum is suggested
by an argumentation model, offered by Stephen Toulmin.[6] To see a summary account of Toulmin’s model,
see this blogger book, Toward a Federated Nation, in its subsection, “Toulmin’s
Elements of a Logical Argument.”[7] But for those not so disposed, here is a
thumbnail summary. A logical argument
contains:
- a datum statement (e.g., since Daniel is a union laborer),
- a claim (e.g., therefore, Daniel is a registered Democratic voter),
- a
warrant statement (e.g., because organized labor has a strong partisan allegiance
for the Democratic Party),
- a
backing or data statement (e.g., union workers vote Democratic at a 51%
rate as voter choices are documented by studies such as that offered by
research outfits such as PRO Morning Consult),
- a
qualifier (e.g., unless Daniel is among 23% who vote Republican or otherwise),
and
- a
rebuttal, (e.g., Daniel is not a union laborer or even human – perhaps a dog)
The distinction here, simplistic but
illustrative, between these elements and the inductive, scientific processes
that were prominent among progressive educators, is that generalization
formation – such as a scientific finding – is not the end or goal. The end is to have students generate
knowledge useful in solving issues or problems and dealing with community
sources.
If
devised and used correctly, such a continuum or taxonomy can assist students in
overcoming their apparent inability or reluctance to think abstractly. The purpose is to have students deal with it
at an appropriate level. Then the lesson
allows the students to work toward resolution in their natural fashion of
problem-solving. The next posting will
review a taxonomy this blogger has devised using Toulmin’s model to further
illustrate what this blog is promoting.
[1] This series of postings begins with the posting,
“Early On.” See Robert Gutierrez, “Early
On,” Gravitas: A Voice for Civics,
February 13, 2024, accessed March 10, 2024, URL: https://gravitascivics.blogspot.com/2024_02_11_archive.html.
[2] Robert Gutierrez, “Localize It,” Gravitas: A Voice for Civics, March 8, 2024, accessed
March 10, 2024, URL: https://gravitascivics.blogspot.com/2024_03_03_archive.html.
[3] Jerome Bruner, “Models of the Learner,” Educational
Researcher, June/July 1985, 5-8, 6.
[4] Herbert M. Kliebard, The Struggle for the American
Curriculum: 1893-1958 (New York, NY: Routledge, 1986).
[5] For example, a form or type of abstract thinking is
hypothesizing. See “Hypothesizing: How Toddlers Use Scientific Thinking to Learn,”
Baby Sparks/Cognitive, June 9, 2020, accessed March 9, 2024, URL: https://babysparks.com/2020/06/09/hypothesizing-how-toddlers-use-scientific-thinking-to-learn/.
[6] Stephen Toulmin, The Uses of Argument (New
York, NY: Cambridge University Press,
1958. For a summary review of the
Toulmin’s model, see this blogger’s book,
[7] Robert Gutierrez, Toward a Federated Nation: Implementing National Civics Standards (Tallahassee,
FL: Gravitas/Civics Books, 2020). Available through Amazon and other
booksellers. The referred to subsection
begins on page 86.
No comments:
Post a Comment