Tag: education

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2011 Abstracts Stage 2

What are the Problems in the British Education System?

Overview
– Over time the British education system has witnessed various changes, some of which have led to improvements.
– Whereas others have created further problems rather than solutions within a very diverse and complex system.
– Educational reformists such as Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves highlighted the following problems:
o Overload of work
o Isolation of teachers
o Lack of leadership
o Pressure of assessments
o Cost
o Poor solutions and Failed reforms

Educational Reformists Ideas
– John Dewey believed that in its “broadest sense education is the means of the social continuity of life”.
– Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves suggested that changes need to be made to the education system in order to make it more successful.
– Mary Evans stated that the problems in education were as a result of it being a heavily bureaucratically controlled system with limited funds.

Schiller’s Thoughts On Education
– Schiller believed that the aesthetic experience could transform an individual and their society because of what morality and education demands from them.
– Therefore he believed it was important to have a good education in order to understand art and beauty.

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2011 Abstracts Stage 3

The Means-End Mindset of Modernity and Beyond: How Capitalism is devaluing the Education System

This project serves to assess the contemporary situation that education finds itself in within our Western Capitalistic society, before analysing the makeup of Capitalism itself. This will provide the platform for an attack on the system, where arguments will made critiquing Capitalism’s inherent characteristics; the characteristics that quash out independent thought, rational judgement and wisdom in favour of ticking boxes and tangible exam results. Education’s value as a nurturer has been lost: it has morphed into a tool for gain rather than an intrinsic virtue that has value in and of itself. The subtle and deep-rooted power systems that Capitalism makes inevitable are the cause of this.

‘Browne Report’ Lord Browne’s report on Higher Education will provide the context for this project. The report is indicative of attitudes towards education as a means, rather than an end in itself.

Marx’s ‘Communist Manifesto’ The father of communism will be used to outline the inherent flaws of Capitalism in terms of private property and the free market and how these affect education.

Gadamer’s ‘Treatment and Dialogue’ This hermeneutical thinker’s arguments regarding the nature of intelligence will be assessed and made relevant to the situation that education finds itself in today. Contemporarily, our education system marginalizes traditional concepts of wisdom so that independent thought becomes devalued.

Foucault’s ‘Discipline and Punish’ The climax of this critique will come with Foucault and his advocacy that, though less obvious, brutal and violent than the past, we are subject to deep-rooted power systems within the West that indirectly control our desires and actions. These affirmations will be used to highlight education’s impartiality – and the deeper consequences the way we are taught has on society as a whole.

Today, we are a docile nation with a docile mind-set. This needs to stop: education is the cause; education is the cure.

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2011 Abstracts Stage 3

A Second Enlightenment: A Revolution in Education

In this project, borrowing from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, I shall argue that with the increase of technology, the spread of capitalism and the loss of ambiguity in language, a second Enlightenment is needed; in order to save man from destroying, and losing his ambiguous relationship with the world. I shall argue that the only way for man to avoid such fate is through a revolution in education. I shall draw on the educationalists Ken Robinson, and Mary Evans to demonstrate that contemporary education is failing children, for multiple reasons. Essentially modern education systems have turned into businesses, as such not only do they restrict creativity in the class room, but they are ensuring ‘cut-backs’ in creative subjects.

I shall draw on the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze to demonstrate why creativity and creative thinking are an essential attribute of any individual. Moreover I shall argue alongside Jean François Lyotard, that the modern world calls for order and structure which is dramatically limiting the creative abilities of individuals in our society. Thus my proposal is that the only way to change this ordered, scientific mind-set, inherited from the Enlightenment, is to revolutionise the way we educate children, so as to encourage creativity and critical thinking. Furthermore I shall argue that if this is not achieved, the conclusion could result in the end of mankind.

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2010 Abstracts Stage 2

Entertainment and Education. Audrey Hepburn and Friedrich Schiller: Artists and Teachers

Audrey Hepburn is synonymous with the glamour, style and beauty of a bygone age. Her films have a lasting appeal and are as popular today as they were when they were released in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They gave hope to a world which was recovering from the Second World War and offered an escape to a generation.

Escapism into art, be it music, fine art or cinema is something which is done by all at certain times in life. There is something about the arts, in particular films, which invites us to lose ourselves in the moment and forget our reality.

The concept of the betterment of man from art is not new, dating back to the writings of Romantic poet and thinker Friedrich Schiller, who believed that society’s ills could be remedied through the arts.

Through the writings of Schiller, I intend to study the ways in which these films, as an example of art, can help and improve man. The films which I employ are amongst my favourite and are studied in terms of their plots, script, costume and locations to highlight the notion of aesthetic education.

The personal connection these films have with individuals is key and so my recollections and those of others will be studied in order to show that these films, and indeed art in general, have a greater purpose than mere entertainment.

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2010 Abstracts Stage 3

The Advantage of Intelligence: How Wealth Affects Wealth

We are promised at school that a degree will grant us the highest paid jobs. The guardian recently conducted a survey in which they asked 81 students whether they would be willing to pay more in tuition fees at university if it meant that they would be guaranteed the highest paid jobs.

The majority of them agreed to this idea.

I do not attempt to criticise the state of our educational system itself in terms of what it produces. Instead, I simply suggest that something is wrong, in a system where wealth seems to determine your place within the educational ladder long before you get to secondary school.

There seems to be a cycle: Wealth governs Education which governs Wealth.

Higher education is a luxury that most cannot afford, during which career progress comes to a standstill. Is the maxim ‘speculate to accumulate’ only available to the wealthier spectre of society? The lack of income during this period is intolerable, let alone the massive debt that is incurred, yet we remain steadfast and resolute in the opinion that it will all be worth it in the end, safe in the knowledge that, if it all comes to nothing, there will be financial aid to compensate for our arrears in the form of our wealthy benefactors. This is a reality that some are unfamiliar with, and is potentially why they do not opt for a university education. They would much rather be out in the world, working, earning money.

This leads me on to talk about Marx and his ideas of the Commodification of Education. It has become something that can be bought and sold. I also use his writings on exploitation and social conflict and the tension between the bourgeoisies and the proletariat, offering an idea that ‘intelligence’ is an illusory idea that can hold people at bay.

I also look to the works of Hans-Georg Gadamer, who investigates the nature of education using the framework of medicine and healing, highlighting the difference between objective and subjective knowledge, as well as the importance of ‘practice’, within the context of Hermeneutics.

Adorno’s thought features also, using his idea of the ‘Culture Industry’ to evaluate the differing mindsets towards education; exploring the possibility that a reluctance to pursue education after the state minimum might be an issue of culture, in terms of the Marxist nature of his thought.

In terms of offering a conclusion, I feel the most important thing is that I justify and fulfil my aims in this potentially controversial territory. I choose not to offer an alternative; that is for the labour of politics. Instead I offer a critique of education’s role in society. I don’t criticise schools in terms of what they produce. Again, that would be delving into the jurisdiction of politics. Instead I argue that our relationship to academia has changed. What once was a pursuit aimed at self-improvement and development – academia for academia’s sake – has been corrupted and is now a simple vehicle for financial gain.

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2008 Abstracts Stage 3

The Introduction of Pupils to a Set of Values: the Inescapable Task of Education?

Territory: My initial study took place in West Jesmond Primary School, in Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I spent time in the school and particular classrooms collating information and observing the ways in which values are promoted within the school. Aims: My intentions were to discover the ways in which children are educated beyond the curriculum within school. I paid close attention to the following questions: • In what ways are we educated outside of the classroom? • What impact does our upbringing and initial education have on adulthood? • What consequences does education regarding values have on society as a whole? • Is there a responsibility for teachers/parents to introduce children to a set of values? Philosophy and Sources: After much deliberation I cut down my interest in philosophers to the work of Sartre and Freud. I concentrated my study on Sartre’s Existentialism and Humanism and Freud’s New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. I used documents from the National Curriculum to support my findings and in particular the Statement of values by the National Forum for Values in Education and the Community.

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2008 Abstracts Stage 2

The Commodification of Education: who Cares about Society?

The aim of this project was to investigate the changes within schools over the last forty years and evaluate them within Mill’s utilitarian theory. I found that the education system has become controlled by central government, who use schools as a training ground to promote future economic growth.This could then be evaluated within the Situationist philosophy of the commodification of society. I found that schools are a means of keeping students as the Proletariat class in order to function an ever growing economy for the Bourgeois. The morality of this needs to be considered in terms of what we deem the human function to be. If we accept our society as it is, in its commodified state then we must assume under Mill’s theory that the changes are ethical. For Mill something is ethical if it promotes the greatest amount of happiness throughout society. In a commodified society we seek to maximise economic productivity in order to for further development and hence making society more commodified, and so the changes would be ethical under Mill’s theory. If however we feel we should teach for education’s own sake and for long term societal values then the changes would have to be rejected as unethical.

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2007 Abstracts Stage 3

What would Chomsky and Foucault say about the National Literacy Strategy? Is there a universal way of acquiring language?

Chomsky maintains that children acquire language due to the principle of Universal Grammar. The child responds to the evidence in his or her environment and creates a core grammar. Children are open to acquiring any human language but ends up acquiring one in particular. Chomsky’s Projection Principle, Binding and Government principles are innate structures within the language faculty in the child’s mind. These principles are reinforced with what the child hears in his or her environment and are present from the beginning of their life. Rather than the child going through a learning process to possess these principles, it is more the case that they are applied; the child’s grammatical competence automatically incorporates them. By contrast, Foucault maintains that discourse is a regulated set of statements and refers to a set of unwritten laws and practices. Foucault distinguishes between discourse and reality—’discourse’ is a system through which we perceive reality; the term can by no means be substituted for the term ‘language.’ I have divided my project loosely into the following chapters: Background, aims and evaluation of the National Literacy Strategy — has the NLS changed in the period 1996-2006? Has it achieved its aims? How is the NLS implemented at Key Stage 1? Is it effective for children with S.E.N? Chomsky’s language acquisition and his idea of Universal Grammar, versus theories that language is acquired through social interaction — which is more convincing? Are Chomsky’s ideas of Universal Grammar relevant today? What would he say about the NLS as it is used today? Is Foucault’s discourse consistent with Chomsky’s ideas? Is Foucault useful when dis- Some primary literature I have used: Chomsky, N. Reflections on Language (1976) Pantheon Books: Great Britain; Chomsky, N. and Foucault, M. The Chomsky-Foucault Debate on Human Nature (2006) The New Press: New York; Chomsky, N. (Ed. N. Anshen) Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin and Use (1986) Praeger Publishers: New York; DfEE The Implementation of the National Literacy Strategy (1997) Government Publishing; DfEE National Literacy Strategy: Review of Research and other Related Evidence; Hardman, F., Smith, F., and Wall K. An Investigation into the Impact of the National Literacy Strategy on the Literacy Learning of Pupils with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Primary Schools University of Newcastle Upon Tyne

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2007 Abstracts Stage 2

How is the Relationship Between Student and Teacher Comparable to that of Hegel’s Lord and Bondsman Model?

Territory: My initial study took place in Saint Walburga’s Catholic Primary School, in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. I spent time within the school and particular classrooms collating information and observing the interactions between students and teachers. Aims: I aim to consider the relationships between students and teachers within the education system. I will look at the notion of dependency within this relationship and consider whether the teacher and/or student are dependent on the other. Also key to my study is the question of freedom in education and whether either student or teacher holds the most freedom. I will look to the paradox of teaching and learning and how this need not prevent teaching or learning, provided that both teacher and student willingly risk a power relationship of mastery and dependence. Philosophers and Sources: The majority of my study uses Hegel’s lord and bondsman dialectic, as found within in his Phenomenology of Spirit. However I wish to undertake an exploration of the master/slave relation beyond the Phenomenology of Spirit through the ideas of Educational Theorist Nigel Tubbs.

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2007 Abstracts Stage 3

Faith Schools and the Modern British Society

Territory: Current debate about religion in modern British society regarding the rise in faith schools (a third of all new ‘City Academies’ will be in the control of Evangelical Christians or Christian organisations) and what this means in regards to curriculum, equal opportunities and tolerance towards those of other faiths or none. I wish to examine what form religion should take in a British child’s education. Thinkers: Richard Dawkins in chapter 8 ‘What’s wrong with religion? Why be so hostile?’ and chapter 9 ‘Childhood, abuse and the escape from religion’ from his highly controversial book ‘The God Delusion’. Andrew Wright in ‘Religious Education in the Secondary School’. Also secular, religious and government reports and media. Central Themes: – Are Faith Schools ‘fair’? Is it right to discriminate against a child by refusing them entry to a local school on what is essentially the basis of their parents religion? – Do Faith Schools provide an ethos of tolerance and understanding or do they exaggerate current cultural and religious divides? – Should religious theories be taught in schools alongside science, e.g. Intelligent Design and Evolution? – Should religion be ‘public’ or ‘private’? – Does it matter? A study showed that only 12% of school leavers from a Catholic school saw themselves as being Catholic and many rejected most of the doctrinal teachings. – Where is the state/religion divide in our society?

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2007 Abstracts Stage 3

Education, Capitalism and Post-Modernity

My project will focus on the impact of capitalism on education in modern society focusing mainly on the work of Jean-Francois Lyotard. Through his work I look at Lyotard’s attempt to describe the state of knowledge and the problem of its legitimation in developed western societies. • Over the last few hundred year’s education has changed dramatically, especially within the developed world. Gone is the idea that reason alone is a sufficient guide to action. In fact the idea that rational thinking provides us with a universal guide has become increasingly problematic during post-modernity. • With the rise of capitalism as the dominant socio-economic force within the modern world, knowledge has become a commodity which can be bought and sold. For Lyotard, knowledge is now the principal force of production. This commercialisation of knowledge, according to Lyotard could raise serious questions about the nature of ethics and the very relationship between governments and large multinational companies. • My essay will judge the role of what Lyotard calls ‘performativity’ in education and the capitalist system that requires constant re-evaluation in order to generate optimal output. • Using up-to-date education statistics and recent newspaper and TV articles I will attempt to show how education is not simply about educating people. It is instead a means to produce a workforce to meet the demands of capitalism. However that very capitalist system has now infiltrated schools, with the rise of privately funded academies, and new emphasis on league tables and performance related pay. I will discuss how this has impacted on education, positively or negatively? • What impact has this also had on the individual freedom, happiness and identity? Is our culture of working exhaustive hours in order to consume and the desire to consume installed in us through education? Main Sources: Jean Francois Lyotard – The Postmodern Condition: A report on Knowledge and Just Education, Jacques Derrida – Derrida and Education, Jurgen Habermas – The Legitimation Crisis

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2007 Abstracts Stage 2

The Changing Nature of Education

Key concepts: University education system, changes in teaching methods, the idea behind university, vocational elements to further education, course structure and the general university institution set up/structure. Object and territory: The object-Is represented by the student; the student represents the consumer of the territory and is essentially the most affected and involved aspect of the movements occurring within the university education system. Within my project I have looked to the student with regards to how they are affected by changing teaching methods, different forms of institution, funding issues, course structure changes, employability aspects and government incentives etc. The territory- Is Newcastle University; this institution gives me an example of a 19th century university which offers various types of degree. In order to use this university within my project I researched into the history and future of the institution in terms of the significant changes that were either planned or has already occurred. The university was essentially used as a representative for universities nationally, because my project homes in more generally to university systems as a whole rather than one specific university. This is possible because the issues and transformations that have occurred for Newcastle are typically apparent within all universities nationally. Research methods: In order to research my topic I used a variation of methods, most of my research coming from newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, books and experience of my course itself. I also looked to the ‘Idea of a university’ put forward by John Newman in order to gain some perspective on what originally made a university; this allowed me to compare the postmodern ideas of education to a previous account of what a university institution originally represented. Essentially I wanted my research to focus on the major changes that were occurring within university education and I wanted to highlight these for individuals in order for them to note the possible future that may exist within the university system. The change: Within my project in terms of research into the university I am looking to its origins in comparison with today’s situation. This is a broad time spectrum hence obviously within this time scale I will be focussing more on the modern and contrasting it back to make the changes apparent. I also want to bring in the postmodern and consider the future of university education which will tie in specifically with Lyotard and my considerations over the possibility of computerised learning. Philosophical concepts: Within my project I want to tie in 3 key thinkers with regards to the focus of my project. Initially I will bring in the more general thinkers, Kant and Mill. Kant who will emphasise the importance of learning essentially because we are rational beings and it can be seen as a benefit to educate because it allows man to become ‘man.’ We have a duty to be educated within the world and to use this to continue to act rationally and essentially make good actions to display goodness in society. Hence my ideas on Kant will tie in with the more traditional methods of teaching which emphasis moral training. Then I will bring in Mill that will focus on the utility principle and claim education is always correct and beneficial regardless of its methods, if it benefits society and this is clearly apparent when we consider the needs of the labour market and the emphasis on low unemployment. Finally I will bring Lyotard and his ideas on the inhuman and tie them in closely with the changing teaching methods of education specifically to computer learning or Open University degrees where everything is done via a computer. Personal change/ development: I feel I have through my project developed a wide variation of skills especially my organisation and research skills; this project has ensured that I work to deadlines and collect sufficient information to ensure I produce a good end product. I have been allowed to investigate something interesting to me that I otherwise would not have had the time to look to in depth. It has taught me about the institution of which I am part of and has given me insight into something particularly relevant to myself. I can use my findings in the future to explain myself and my degree in greater detail than before undergoing this project.

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2007 Abstracts Stage 2

New Age Education or Extreme Commodity?

Territory: The territory of my choice is Newcastle University. In the perspective in which I will be looking at University, it will be easy to consider all universities the same, as the aim of this project it to illustrate the dramatic change that has happened in the educational body of this country. Therefore, though I will be dwelling on the change that Newcastle has undergone, it will be representative of University as a whole in the United Kingdom. My aim: My aim in this project is to illustrate the change in university, both in its purpose and how it has become run. In this project is to show that University has changed from a place of excellence in learning, to a place that prepares one for the world of work. Therefore the emphasis on money making is not only in the minds of the applicant but also of the University. It will be important for me to draw upon the ideas of Marx and Lucaks for the idea of the ‘commodification of education’ which will be corroborated with several other sources from modern writers.

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2006 Abstracts Stage 3

Why has Education become the Cornerstone of Today’s Society?

My Territory is the broad subject of education. To be more precise I shall be documenting the way education has developed itself to thrive in a knowledge economy. I shall be looking at the way it had affected and been affected by the economy, the government and the public since the 1950s. My Philosophy shall be Daniel Bell’s work on the ‘Post-Industrial Society,’ which I shall be using in comparison with Manuel Castells’ ‘Post-Information Society.’ My Aim is to understand why education has become the cornerstone of today’s society; it has become the locus for equal opportunities; it had become essential if one is to be successful; and it has become the foundation of our economy. With reference to Bell and Castells I wish to discover why education is now so important for the individual, the politics, and for the economy; and how it got to this stage. My Method shall be to first examine Bell’s forecast on the post-industrial society, by looking at ‘The Coming of the Post-Industrial Society,’ which he wrote in 1973. Then progress onto a thorough examination of my territory which shall be split into three; (i) Economy and education: I shall be looking at how globalization is affected by/ affects education by looking at Colin Leys’ ‘Market Driven Politics,’ and Alison Wolf’s ‘Does Education Matter.’ (ii) Politics and Education: I shall be researching every political Act that has been passed since the 1950s and discussing its importance. (iii) Attitudes of the Individual: understanding why there has been such an increase in higher and adult education as well as understanding the lengths parents will go to in order to ensure their child gets a top quality education. I shall then go on to revisit Bell so I can examine whether his forecast can be reinforced by my findings, and compare his work with that of Castells.

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2006 Abstracts Stage 2

How has the shift from Postmodern to Modern ideas of identity affected the education system for 5-11 year olds?

Object: My experience as a toddler of being punished for adding paint to the water pot rather than paper • Want to research into educational psychology—Piaget • Begin by looking at Philosophical concepts—The concept of the individual in Postmodern and Modern society • I will look at thinkers such as Descartes and Gilbert Ryle • How do children think and learn? • How does the change in ideas of identity affect the educational system today? Relate to the recent changes in education—coming into force in September, focusing on skills rather than a curriculum based system and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning • Relate to Every Child Matters

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2006 Abstracts Stage 3

Special Needs’ – still a Discriminatory Concept?

Territory: Southlands Special Secondary School in Tynemouth, Newcastle. By basing my research here, I have gained valuable primary information through interviews, observations and conversations on Special Education. Abstract: Education as a whole has seen a mass amount of change since the age of Plato and Socrates, however in this project it is a sub form of education that I am exploring, Special Education. Unlike mainstream education, special education has had to deal with different criticisms to achieve the place in acceptable society that it has now, as it suffered from a lot of discrimination, as did the children that were labelled as ‘special’. Now they have a Special Educational Needs and Disability Act to protect them, so I aim to see if these adjustments have substantially improved how they are perceived in the education system and also if they are taught fairly and correctly in conjunction with their learning difficulty. Topical issues that are raised: – What is Education? From the viewpoint of famous thinkers. (Rousseau) – What are the myths surrounding Special Education? Why do they exist? – ADHD (Learning Difficulties-behavioural/emotional)– An example of one of the medical diagnoses given to a child who attends a Special school. – Reference to educational psychologists: Piaget, Bruner and Vygotsky and how they think children should be taught. – Teaching styles – particularly in creative (art/music) classes and science classes. Differences in techniques with each other, and with general teaching styles in mainstream education. Do they improve learning? – Could a philosophical based approach to teaching for Learning Difficulties be more beneficial? Or a philosophy class? – Is Special Education still discriminated against today?

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2005 Abstracts Stage 2

Childhood to Adulthood – A Philosophical exploration of being change, development and education

My Territory – 2 students from different backgrounds. Their opinions, beliefs and desires from work and diaries in their youth to their opinions now. My aims to explore the philosophy of childhood. What is it to be a child are they merely developing organisms as Aristotle may say -”underdeveloped human organisms”. The philosophers I am using: Aristotle change and causation, Plato education is relearning, Descartes and Locke on the development of cognitive thought, Sarte on Being

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2005 Abstracts Stage 2

Plato’s Academy to Schooling Today: a study into the lack of nurture in schools today and the effect this has on the influences of school life

Territory: Wycombe Abbey School. An all girls Boarding School founded in 1896 by Dame Frances Dove, whose aim for the school was “The development of each student’s talents and the fostering of an awareness of God and an understanding of the needs of others”. “A record 98% of the 250 A-Levels taken by 76 girls were graded A or B, 78% were graded A” 2004 A level results, Daily Telegraph Saturday August 28th 2004 Aims and Objectives: • To explore the concept of nurture within schools, arguing for Plato’s concept of a boarding environment to promote a learning community thus exploring more than just results, but also development of the soul. • To discuss the lack of social interaction between students and teachers, particularly within universities, in which interaction is minimal, and Internet and e-mail have become more predominant features of communication and learning. Plato’s Noble Puppies to Warrior Kings relationship has gone as now the focus for learners is upon results, not personality development. Possible Solutions to the Problem: Montessori Schools: The Montessori Method – developed in 1912 by Maria Montessori for, “Man is not only a biological but a social product, and the social environment of individuals in the process of education, is the home” ‘Free’ Schools: E.g. Summerhill, Brookwood, Standbridge Earls. Within these schools the freedom of the individual is the most important feature. o Lessons and exams are not compulsory o School Rules are made by Pupils and Teachers equally. “The most important part is the building and maintaining an environment where members of the community can co-exist in harmony and in personal freedom” Summerhill School Webpage. Mike Tomlinson’s Report: Focus on a diploma, rather than the AS and A2 system of today, meaning vocational studies can be regarded as more important to society, giving students more freedom to express their true interests, thus putting more into school and consequently getting more out of it. Philosophic Focus: • Plato’s views on Education found in The Republic focusing on nurture as the most important element of educating • Kant’s Categorical Imperative: It is evident that Free Schools will not amount in the Categorical Imperative as whilst individuals are happy, without qualifications society cannot move on.

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2005 Abstracts Stage 2

Primary School to University: Philosophy of Education

Science behind the teaching: Learning modalities; performance standards; causal relationships; systematic enquiry. Hegellan Schooling. Primary school : “Thesis” (Building blocks of knowledge) Secondary school : “Antithesis” (Reflection and cultivation) College and Uni : “Synthesis” (Facts in and of themselves) Does being “free” mean being dependant on the influence on institutions?