| CODE | EDS4202 | ||||||
| TITLE | Community and Education | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Education Studies | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Tentative Course Description: This unit attempts to explore the notion of community and schools: the possibility of looking at the school and the classroom as a community. In the first part of the unit the students are encouraged to read the traditional texts that deal with communitarianism and individualism, a process by means of which they become familiar with the main issues involved, the concerns of both traditions, and the problems one may encounter in advocating communitarianism over individualism or vice versa. The main focus within this discussion is the concern of the rights of the individual within the community. The first few lectures in fact deal with the philosophy of Hume, Locke, Rawls and Nozick. Reference is also made to Dewey and Habermas. Throughout these first sessions students are asked to think about the implications of these theories for the secondary classroom, the secondary school and their role as prospective teachers within such communities. In the second part of the unit the focus shifts on the class and the school as a community. Emphasis is made on communication - that between parents and teachers and the school and the community in general. Exclusion and individuality versus the common good are discussed. Dialogue, as the means of communication among and within the different kinds of communities we might pertain to, is discussed and problemitised. In the last part of the unit, the problem of whether a communitarian school is necessarily illiberal is examined within the text of two national documents, Tomorrow's Schools and The Maltese National Minimum Curriculum. Course Outline: Lecture Overview Lecture title: The Individual, The Community and The State In the first lecture I will highlight the relationship between theory and practice and show how practice develops theory and in return this generated theory effects our practice. The example taken is political theory. I will start by giving a brief outline of the main theories of the forefathers of Communitarianism and Liberalism: Hobbes and Locke. The State of Nature, to which both writers refer to, is our starting point. Reference is made to the 'laws of nature', and the concept of rights. The 'contract' between the political sovereign and the people is discussed as well as the powers of the sovereign. The idea of a 'contract' between parents and school, which would entail particular rights and duties, is also briefly discussed. Reading: 'Hobbes' by D.D. Raphael in Pelczynski Z. and Gray J. (1984) Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy. London: The Athlone Press (pp.27-38). Lecture title: John Locke and Individualism Lecture 3 and 4: John Locke is the philosopher who is considered to be the architect of today's democracy. Why is this so? Our starting point will be the social climate Locke was writing in, as well as Locke's main preoccupations with the state of affairs at his time. His Two Treatise of Government is quickly reviewed, emphasising the right to life, to liberty and to possessions. Reference will also be made to his other important work Essay Concerning Human Understanding and how his 'tabula rasa' theory influenced educational theory. Towards the end of the session we shall discuss similarities and differences between Locke and Hobbes, their vision of the state and the implication these visions might have for an educational system. Readings: 'Locke on Liberty' by James Tully in Pelczynski Zbigniew and Gray John (1984). Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy. London: The Athlone Press. pp.57-82. Locke 'Second Treatise on Civil Education'. Sections from'Chapter ii, Chapter viii and Chapter xii Lecture title: Justice as Fairness and the Minimal State Lecture 5 and 6 In this lecture I will make reference to contemporary writers, focusing among others on Rawls and Nozick. In the case of Rawls I will discuss his theory of 'justice as fairness' again making reference to the 'original state' and Rawls idea of the 'veil of ignorance'. The implications of Rawls theory to education are discussed and will be further explored in the last session when discussing the document Tomorrow's Schools. Nozick is interesting for his views on the minimal state, as compared with, for example the welfare state. The implications a minimal state has on education will be discussed. What if, for example, all schools in Malta were to become 'private schools?' How will this effect the Maltese community? Readings: Rawls on Liberty' by Jeffrey Paul in Pelczynski Zbigniew and Gray John (1984). Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy. London: The Athlone Press. pp.376 - 396. Robert Nozick (1986) 'Why do Intellectuals Oppose Capitalism' in The Future of the Private Enterprise (ed) Craig Aronoff et.al Georgia State University Business Press 1986 and reprinted in Robert Nozick (1997) Socratic Puzzels Harvard University Press. Lecture title: The School and Classroom as a Community of Learners Lecture 7 and 8 The School is a place where everyone comes together to learn. The classroom itself is a community, in which communication plays a vital role. Referring to the works of John Dewey, this relationship between community and communication is explored, especially with reference to the classroom and the school set-up. The role of the teacher is discussed, and ways into how one can transform a classroom into a community - specifically a caring community and a community of inquiry are explored. Towards the end of the session we shall also discuss the issue of whether certain 'communitarian schools' like religious schools exclude particular children and hence are sectarian and restrictive. Readings: 'The School as Community' in Boyer Ernest L. (1995) The Basic School: A Community of Learners California: Jossey-Bass Publishers pp. 15-61. 'The Class as a Community' in Halaby Mona Hajjar (2000) Belonging: Creating Community in the Classroom. Brookline Books pp.35-54. 'Communitarianism and Religiously Affiliated Schools' in Arthur Richard (1999) Schools and Community: The Communitarian Agenda in Education. Falmer Press.pp. 95-116. 'Community of Enquiry', in Fisher Robert (1998) Teaching Thinking: Philosophical Inquiry in the Classroom. London: Cassell. pp.54-93.Lecture title: Interaction: Teachers, Parents and Students Lecture title: Interaction: teachers, Parents and Students Lecture 9 and 10 Dialogue is the main tool for bringing about understanding among the different parties involved in education. But can and do all parents participate in such a dialogue? What hinders some from approaching the school? What kind of link is there between school and home? The family is one type of community, the school another. What are the similarities and differences between these communities? Can we model the school community on the family? How much of a community is the staff in the school? How do they work? Do they support one another? Do they perceive themselves as a professional community? What are the interests that bind them together? Are they concerned with minority groups in their schools? These are some of the main questions that will be tackled throughout this lecture. Readings: 'Dialogues with Parents about Education and Life' in McCaleb Sudia Paloma (1994) Building Communities of Learners: A Collaboration among Teachers, Students, Families and Community. New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp.66-95. 'Community and Teachers' Work' in Westheimer Joel (1998) Among School Teachers: Community, Autonomy and Ideology in Teachers' Work. Teachers College Press. pp.8-29. 'An Overview of Family Involvement in Education and a Rational for Building Communities of Learners' in McCaleb Sudia Paloma (1994) Building Communities of Learners: A Collaboration among Teachers, Students, Families and Community. New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp.3-27. Lecture title: Schools as Communities: Some Metaphors and Models Lecture 11 and 12 This lecture is based on a paper by Kenneth Strike published in the Journal of Philosophy of Education. In this paper the author discusses four metaphors of community: families, congregations, guilds and democratic polities. These metaphors are discussed vis-à-vis the school. The author also addresses the question on whether 'schools that are communitarians are inherently illiberal'. One aim of this lecture is to discuss in detail a paper that is highly relevant to the local situation and see whether we agree with the author and whether we can come up with our own solutions and perspectives on the issue. Readings: Strike Kenneth A. 'Schools as Communities: Four Metaphors, Three Models and a Dilemma or Two', in Journal of Philosophy of Education. Vol. 34, No.4, 2000 Lecture title: Tomorrow's Schools: Developing Effective Learning Cultures Creating the Future Together: National Minimum Curriculum Lecture 13 and 14 This concluding lecture will focus on Chapter 2 of the document: Tomorrow's Schools entitled: 'Schools as Learning Communities'. After discussing the 4E's: Entitlement, Effectiveness, Equity and Economy, we will discuss both the classroom and the school as learning communities as presented in this chapter. Such a discussion should help us to revise the main issues that emerged from this unit and examine how they can be applied in a more practical context: in this case, local schools and classrooms. The main themes of community and education are also discussed within the NMC Reading: Wain Kenneth et al. (1995) Tomorrow's Schools: Developing Effective Learning Cultures. Consultative Committee Creating the Future Together: National Minimum Curriculum. Malta: Ministry of Education Reading list: - Arthur R. (1999) Schools and Community: The Communitarian Agenda in Education. Falmer Press. - Boyer E. L. (1995) The Basic School: A Community of Learners. California: Jossey-Bass Publishers. - Burbules N. C. (1993) Dialogue in Teaching. London: Teachers College Press. - Ministry of Education (1999) Creating the Future Together: National Minimum Curriculum. Malta: Ministry of Education. - DeVitis J. L, Johns R. W. and Simpson D. J. (1998) To Serve and Learn: The Spirit of Community in Liberal Education. New York: Peter Lang. - Etzioni A. (1993) The Spirit of Community: Rights, Responsibilities and the Communitarian Agenda. London: Fontana Press. - Fisher R. (1998) Teaching Thinking: Philosophical Inquiry in the Classroom. London: Cassell. - Halaby M. H. (2000) Belonging: Creating Community in the Classroom. New York: Brookline Books. - McCaleb S. P. (1994) Building Communities of Learners: A Collaboration among Teachers, Students, Families and Community. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. - Ministry of Education (1999) Creating the Future Together: National Minimum Curriculum. Malta: Ministry of Education. - Mulhall S. and Swift A. (2000) Liberals and Communitarians (2nd ed). Oxford: Blackwell. - Nozick R. (1974) Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Oxford: Blackwell. - Paul J. (1981). Reading Nozick: Essays on Anarchy, state, and Utopia.Oxford: Blackwell. - Pelczynski Z. and Gray J. (1984) Conceptions of Liberty in Political Philosophy. London: The Athlone Press. - Plamenatz J. (1965) Readings from liberal writers: English and French London: Allen & Unwin. - Strike K. A. (2000) 'Schools as Communities: Four Metaphors, Three Models and a Dilemma or Two', in Journal of Philosophy of Education. Vol. 34, No.4, pp.617-642. - Wain K. et al. (1995) Tomorrow's Schools: Developing Effective Learning Cultures. Consultative Committee. - Wenger E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Westheimer J. (1998) Among School Teachers: Community, Autonomy and Ideology in Teachers' Work. New York: Teachers College Press. - Wolff J. (1991). Robert Nozick: property, justice and the minimal state. New York: Polity Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Standard Study-Unit | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Joseph Giordmaina |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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