Arts Education: Compulsory Education
I
Unit: Arts Education
Theme: Compulsory Education
Introduction
Today we will discuss compulsory education, which refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling means that parents are obliged to send their children to a certain school. All children who have attained the age of 6 years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but who have not attained the age of 16 years, except as otherwise provided, are required to attend school regularly during the entire school term.
Art education is, on the other hand, the set of instructions on how to use the language of art. People understand the world and assign a meaning to it using art. It is not required nor forced on people as part of the frame created by compulsory education.
II
Learning Objectives
- Understand the disconnection between compulsory education and art education.
- Explain how compulsory education affects children's creativity
- Gather an awareness of the role of the teacher in changing the current state of the educational system
- Experience what it would be like to design a different educational system based on art education
III
Main Lesson
1
Ice-breaker
Question 1
Watch the video and share what you think is the message behind it.
2
WARM UP
Let us begin with music and warm up. Let us get on our feet, get away from our desks and follow the isolation warm up.
Let us add conscious breathing at the end of the warm up, self-affirmations and meditation.
Question 2
Is this warm up useful? Post your answer on Discussion Board.
3
Read the research on art education by clicking on the link below.
Concept Education by Art Education
Question 3
Go to the conclusion of this research (p.694) . What is the main observation made by the researcher?
BOOK REVIEW
Today we will introduce Jon Taylor Gato's work on education. Please, watch the video below and move the discussion forward by answering to the following question:
Read the 7 Lesson School Teacher and Psychopathic School
Dumbings Us Down by John Taylor Gatto
Seven Lessons Taught in School
Question 5
What is Gatto's main concern?
IV
A Note to Remember
Compulsory education does not facilitate arts education, on the contrary, it may obstruct it development.
V
Case Study
Jon Taylor Gato
John Taylor Gatto (1935 - 2018) was an American author and school teacher. After teaching for nearly 30 years he authored several books on modern education, criticizing its ideology, history, and consequences. He wrote the following books:
Dumbing Us Down
1991
Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling
2008
The Underground History of American Education
2000
A Different Kind of Teacher
2000
Write your reflection on Gato's words in this interview. Discuss it with your peers.
Abaci, Oya (n.d). Concept Education by Art Education and an Investigation on the Opinions of Teacher Candidates about the different concepts. https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com
X
Students' Work
7 Lesson School Teacher
LESSON 1: Confusion
Alison Topkis, Thayenjy Sydne, Ava Gjokaj, Mia Valente
Summary:
Kathy from Dubois, Indiana, believes children need to see their learning as part of a coherent system rather than random pieces of information. However, the writer disagrees, stating that confusion is the first lesson they teach. They describe how education overwhelms students with disconnected topics, ranging from astronomy to fire drills, leading to a fragmented learning experience. Instead of meaningful, cohesive learning, schools focus on shallow facts and slang. The writer contrasts this with natural learning processes, like walking or cooking, where everything fits together. In schools, however, lessons lack order and students are forced to accept confusion as normal.
Solution:LESSON 2: Class Position
Jake Kulikowsky, Alexis Scherago, Shayne Dubin, Ben Gerkin
Summary:
This passage, written in a sarcastic tone, explores the concept of "class position" within the educational system. It highlights how students are divided and categorized into different classes, represented by 'numbers', and emphasizes the rigid hierarchies created within schools. The numbering of students, in the author's view, dehumanizes them, reducing them to data points within a system designed to maintain order rather than foster individual growth. The teacher's role is not to question the system but to ensure that students accept their place within it.
Solution:
We think that in order to improve the class position, teachers should
address students by their first name and build lasting relationships.
The numbering system completely takes away from the students personality
and negatively affects their time in the classroom. Therefore,
implementing ice breakers at the beginning of the year where every
student can learn each others name by interacting with each-other is the solution to eradicate class position.
LESSON 3: Indifference
Madison Nguyen, Mila Nguyen, Jojo Trader, Harmon Gambill, Armeen Khazraee.
Summary:
The topic being taught is
indifference. The teacher is able to subtly enforce in kids that no
task is that important. This helps students with time management and
multitasking because they are able to adapt quickly to changes and be
able to recover if they are stuck on a problem. This also erases time
pressure so that children can learn and put their best foot forward
without worrying about completing any task in time. On the contrary, indifference is precisely the result of teachers "subtly enforcing ... that no task is that important" enough, which does not encourage students to take learning seriously.
Solution:
We would resolve the issue by allowing students to get feedback and have an opportunity for reflections to see points of improvement. We should focus on more intrinsic motivation for students so that they have a sense of accomplishment. By finding gradual, sensitive and meaningful transitions from one class to the next, which requires better planning, the teacher will be able to instill in the students that every task is important from beginning to end.
LESSON 4: Emotional Dependency
Chloe Caraballo, Kayla Trainor, Natalie Gonzalez, Michael Fletcher, Brandon Merves, Mac Zeller
Summary:
We believe in the beginning he is sarcastically referring to the grading system which can be hard for students to accept especially when they are younger. He mentions that the reward system is very corrupt and it teaches students to surrender their will which again is a hard thing for such a young student to have to do.
He also mentions that in school students don't have freedom of speech, which is one of Americans' greatest rights, and adds that this was supported by the supreme court. When they ask to go get water and go to the bathroom the students really just want to take a break from the structure that is imposed on them everyday. Lastly and one of our favorite things he says is "Individuality is a contradiction of class theory, a curse to all systems of classification."
Solution:
- encourage decision making in the classroom
- Give students more opportunity to speak freely in class
- Allow students to come up with rules and structure in order to help them feel that they are also partially in control of the classroom
LESSON 5: Intellectual Dependency
The main point of his argument is that students should be encouraged
to form their own thoughts and be an active part of their education
rather than be told what they should care about or believe. He
highlights the issue with schools restricting curiosity and focusing
solely on conformity and that this extends beyond the classroom into
daily life as everyone is constantly expected to follow the lead of the
"expert" or person designated as more knowledgeable than you.
1. creating a classroom environment focused on what the students want to learn.
2. allowing feedback from students or a space for them to voice opinions on what they are learning about.
3. discussion based classroom learning to allow students to form their own conclusions.
4. participatory activities where students determine the course of their learning and can create their own ideas/conclusions.
LESSON 6: Provisional Self-Esteem
Liam Rothberg, Jack Borowsky, Parker Needleman
Summary:
"Provisional self-esteem," where students learn to build their sense of worth through assessments from outside sources rather than their own judgement. The author says that since report cards and grades are used to continuously assess and condemn kids, self-respect becomes reliant on external judgment. Because it encourages youngsters to base their self-perceptions on evaluations from outside sources rather than introspection, this approach breeds discontent. In the end, it undermines confidence and independence by encouraging dependency on official assessments of one's own worth rather than encouraging self-evaluation.
Solution:
The problem can be
fixed by removing exams and quizzes and doing everything project and
essay-based assessments. Or you can still do exams but don't flat out
mark a student wrong if they have a good idea. Obviously, if the question
is flat out wrong you must mark it as such, but if the answer is intuitive
don't shut it down immediately.
Comments
Post a Comment