DEFICIENCIES OF MODERN AMERICAN EDUCATION
©2009 by Michael Riversong
"I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him"
-- Mark Antony, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
From the very moment when the Dewey-Thorndike educational system became dominant in the United States in 1963, reforms have been attempted. Some had well-known names, and some didn't. We endured "New Math", "Outcome-Based Education", revisionist history, relevant English, and others. None of these addressed fundamental assumptions of the system.
Part of the problem is that, from the very beginning, the Dewey-Thorndike system was promoted as the only possible system. Most certified teachers have never known its real name. They know little about previous systems, and so are not aware of its historical context. This creates many problems. It also means that reforms cannot be effective, because even many experts are unaware of what is being reformed.
This system, which began in 1905, contains several fundamental assumptions. Some are examined here. These assumptions came from the origins of the system which can be traced back to the takeover of Prussia by Teutonic Knights in 1104. In reaction to their utter defeat, the Prussian people abandoned their native language and culture. It was assumed that they could only survive by becoming like their impression of German invaders: cold, militaristic, precise, and ultimately atheistic. By the early 1800s they had developed a military machine and corresponding educational system that was the envy of Europe.
Eventually, in 1879, a new pseudo-science called "Psychology" was added to the Prussian system. Government entities were interested in this because it promised the capability of training men to kill without having any conscience. This never really worked out, but it became a large influence on America's new system. Many of Psychology's fundamental assumptions are now embedded in the system, and indeed courses in it are always required for teacher certification.
A few Americans, most notably Horace Mann and later John D. Rockefeller, envied the Prussian educational system. Its elements were thoroughly studied and then adopted for the new system. One of the two men funded by Rockefeller to write up the system was a psychologist, Edward Thorndike. The other, John Dewey, was a specialist in education.
DEWEY-THORNDIKE ASSUMPTIONS OBSERVED IN PRACTICE
MILITARY STYLE REGIMENTATION AS IDEAL
It is obvious that Rockefeller firmly believed an industrial society would benefit from the widespread assumption of military principles. In his business dealings this was always evident. His normal operating procedures always involved winning at all costs. Ruination and takeover of competing companies were Rockefeller's standard procedures. His methods were so extreme that laws were passed against some of them.
Treatment of employees was often terrible whenever Rockefeller was in charge, as exemplified in the infamous Ludlow, Colorado massacre of coal miners on strike. Students were affected by this, as they came to be regarded as a peasant class under the Dewey-Thorndike system. Students by definition were to have little to no input in the way schools were run.
COURSE TRACK DETERMINED BY AUTHORITY
Each student is regarded as having a potential place in industrial society. Since most people are assumed to know little about available career paths, and indeed about their own potentials, it is regarded as essential that authorities determine each person's proper place and guide them on course tracks appropriate to that determination.
RIGID AGE GRADING
Similarly to the ancient Spartans, the Prussians believed strongly in the formation of "cohorts". These are groups of young soldiers who are educated together in order to build tight loyalty among them. It was thought that this loyalty would create greater effectiveness on the battlefield as the members of a cohort would fight harder to save each other.
We should note that within anthropological studies it has often been found that societies which have undergone rigid age grading tend to fail. By failure, we mean a downward spiral into widespread drug addiction, disruption of family ties, and chronic economic depression. This has been seen in disparate areas of our planet, including Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and South America. It would appear that free flow of information between elders and youth is essential to a sustainable society.
AUTHORITARIAN TEACHING
In any military organization a chain of command is essential. Rarely can there be opportunities for front-line soldiers to formulate their own strategy in battle. Constant innovation has no place among ordinary troops. That privilege must be reserved for senior officers and ultimately generals. That's the nature of warfare.
However, human society cannot survive with endemic war. Each side will always eventually win or lose and normal economic relations must be rebuilt. When you look at the scope of human society, economic activity, education, and family links are always far more desired and important than war has ever been.
INTERFACE BY PRESENTATION
Since controversy cannot be allowed in military ranks, information has to be given by authorities in specific manners. When extended to education this means that presentations are regarded as the most important means of learning. Reading becomes a form of presentation. Exercises on material usually stem from presentations.
This creates a number of disadvantages. In order for presentations to work, all students must be in attendance, which is usually impossible. Those who miss presentations usually cannot catch up unless the missed material was irrelevant in the first place.
NECESSARY PHYSICAL FACILITIES
Keeping order means keeping all students sequestered away from the mainstream of society. Therefore, specialized buildings have to be created and maintained. Financial costs of these facilities can often be ruinous. This is part of the reason why coercive property taxes had to be used to fund school districts.
Obsolete and decaying facilities can definitely get in the way of learning.
TIME LIMITS ON INSTRUCTION
Part of what drives time limits on presentations and exercise periods is that soldiers cannot be made too comfortable. They must always be ready to muster up and fight at a moment's notice.
Other considerations about time exist. From Psychology, it was determined that attention spans tended toward an average of 45 to 50 minutes. While this is true, it is not so in all circumstances. Also, setting up time blocks for learning tends to make time a more important factor than any subject material. Sometimes, useless work has to be made up to fill a time slot. At other times, the available time blocks are not sufficient for understanding to develop.
DE-EMPHASIS ON VOCABULARY
For many students, this characteristic of education is one of the most devastating. Psychologists, for whatever reasons, determined that learning vocabulary as such was not necessary. Meanings of words could be derived from context. This would free up more time for instructional presentations. While it is true that getting meanings from context is possible, it is not a reliable method. Many words do not always mean what they seem to mean. Incorrect definitions can result, which further impede understanding.
As mentioned elsewhere, misunderstood words can produce physical effects. These run in stages. At first, there is "blanking out". It's seen both in reading and lectures. Students may fall asleep in class or while studying elsewhere. Treating sleep as an overt act against the school does not help at all, no matter how amused other students may be when an eraser is thrown at someone.
If the original misunderstanding is not handled somehow, another stage develops. That is fidgeting. Disruptions to classes may result.
Fidgeting can eventually evolve into full-blown attempts to destroy the environment. While troubled students may not be able to articulate this, they certainly feel that a classroom environment where essential questions cannot be answered is hostile. Therefore, anything that helps to degrade or destroy that environment is regarded as good by such a student. Many passive and aggressive methods of doing this have been developed by students. These are usually met with forms of coercion by authorities, which always creates more problems.
DISSOLUTION OF THE SYSTEM
In many USA school districts, the Dewey-Thorndike system is obviously failing. Sometimes this is catastrophic, meaning that more than 30% of high school graduates those areas are functionally illiterate. Studies have shown that this is most prominent in districts that employ the highest relative ratio of psychologists and other non-teaching personnel. Interestingly enough, it has been found that funding has little to do with student abilities and achievements.
Other districts are gradually and quietly moving away from the system. This is usually most evident in high schools where increasing vocational and community college options are being made available. Grammar schools by their nature tend to be more decentralized anyway, so there are more opportunities for individual teachers to experiment with alternatives.
It is in so-called Junior High schools where stresses are most evident. Proponents of the Dewey-Thorndike system have literally never known what to do with students between the ages of 12 and 15. Neurological research has shown at that age, certain parts of the human brain normally begin to "light up". These have to do with evaluation. Still, connections between thinking and motor coordination areas of the brain are not yet functioning. What this means is that students often know something is wrong in education but don't know what to do about it.
There is a broad remedy for this level. It is instruction in Logic, which has ancient roots outside the system. You will find more on this subject at the Cheyenne Logos web site http://home.earthlink.net/~chylogos
It is expected that one way or another the Dewey-Thorndike educational system will end. Some of this will come about as economic restructuring continues and many school districts will become unable to operate. That's a type of catastrophic failure and thus not desired. Ideally in some places there will be cooperative associations of teachers, administrators, and parents who intentionally devise workable replacements for the system. Many of them will be building Network Education.
Revision 3/17/09