Reconstructionism

Social Reconstructionism

by Kristine V. Masola

The Two Major Premises of Reconstructionism

Society is in need of constant reconstruction or change

Such social change involves a reconstruction of education and the use of education in reconstructing the society

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Reconstructionism

Is the changing of society, education, and the use of educational methods to make a social change

Advocates change that encourages individuals to try to make life better than it was or is.

Concepts such as multiple intelligences or alternative learning procedures have come from Reconstructionism

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Historical Background of Reconstructionism

Reconstructionist ideas in one form or another have existed throughout history.

Plato, in preparing his design for a future state, was a reconstructionist philosopher. He outlined a plan for a just state in which education would become the building material for a new and better society. In his book, Laws, he envisioned a time when interest charges would be forbidden, profits would be limited, and human beings would live as friends.

Stoic philosophers, particularly in their concern for a world state, promoted a reconstructionist ideal.

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Historical Background of Reconstructionism

Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and philosopher, maintained that he was a citizen of the world, not of Rome. This concept is one of that reconstructionists articulate today in their attempts to minimize nationalistic fervour and chauvinism.

Augustine preached reconstructionist reforms to bring about an ideal Christian state through his book The City of God.

Thomas More, Thomas Campanella, Johann Valentin Andreae, Samuel Gott and other Christian utopian writers also proposed things we might do to bring the state into better accord with Christian thinking.

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Historical Background of Reconstructionism

Writings of 18th and 19th century utopian socialists, such as Comte de Saint Simon, Charles Fourier and Francois Noel Babeuf, advocated reconstructionist ideals through the development of various forms of socialism.

Robert Owen and Edward Bellamy were part of the industrial revolution, but saw the use of technology not only for the production of wealth, but for improving the lot of humanity throughout the world.

Karl Marx, decrying the harm done to workers by the dehumanization of the industrial system, who pictured a reconstructed world based on international communism.

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Historical Background of Reconstructionism

After the World War, Bertrand Russell in his Principles of Social Reconstruction, listed steps that might be taken to avoid the holocaust of war.

B. F. Skinner advocates the use of conditioning or behavioural engineering in his book Walden Two. In his Beyond Freedom and Dignity, Skinner maintains that people cannot afford freedom in the traditional sense and that they must engineer a new social order based on a technology of behaviour.

Horace Mann and John Dewey view education as a tool for social reform.

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Modern Reconstructionism

Modern reconstructionism is basically pragmatic and owes a tremendous debt to Dewey. Reconstructionists promotes such things as the scientific method, problem solving, naturalism, and humanism; however, reconstructionists diverge from pragmatists in how they believe the pragmatic method should be used.

Although pragmatism advocates continuous change and a forward-looking approach to the problems of people and society it has become a tool for helping people adjust to society rather than change it.

Education, from the reconstructionists view, is a tool for immediate and continuous change.

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Philosophy of Reconstrutionism

Is more concerned with the broad social and cultural fabric in which human exist.

It concentrates on social and cultural conditions and how can these be made more palatable for full human participation.

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Leading Exponents of Reconstructionism

George S. Counts (1889-1974)

He was an educational activist-scholar whose interests were wide ranging. His writings and professional activities were more broadly concerned with social activism.

He was an acquaintance of John Dewey and was influenced greatly by that philosophers social belief.

Countss major work on reconstructionism is a small but widely read book, Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order.

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He sought to awaken educators to their strategic position in social and cultural reconstruction.

Countss message was that although education had been used historically as a means of introducing people to their cultural traditions, social and cultural conditions were so altered by modern science, technology and industrialization that education must now be used as positive force for establishing new cultural patterns and eliminating social evils.

George S. Counts (1889-1974)

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If Progressive Education is to be genuinely progressive, it must emancipate itself from the influence of this class, face squarely and courageously every social issue, come to grips with life in all of its stark reality, establish an organic relationship with the community, develop a realistic and comprehensive theory of welfare, fashion a compelling and challenging vision of human destiny, and become less frightened than it is today at bogies of imposition and indoctrination.

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He pointed out that the school should not promote any one reform, but rather it should give our children a vision of possibilities which lie ahead endeavor to enlist their loyalties and enthusiasm in the realization of the vision.

George S. Counts (1889-1974)

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Theodore Brameld (1904-1987)

He was the most influential building reconstructionism into a more fully developed Philosophy of Education.

He viewed reconstructionism as a crisis philosophy, not only in terms of education but In terms of culture, as well.

Karl Popper opposed the utopian approach because he believed that long-range utopian goals could become fixed and unyielding. And he view an open society where many possibilities are explored.

Brameld, however, saw value in both approaches.

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Saul Alinsky

Contribute far more richly to the education of grassroots of Americans than any number of superintendents of schools and professors of education.

Ralph Nader

Has long fought for consumer protection and has maintained that mass injustice ca end only if enough private citizens become public citizens.

Buckminster Fuller

Applauded for developing plans for future awareness and a humane control of technology.

Lewis Mumford

Dedicated a great deal of time to analyzing contemporary urban civilization and suggesting alternatives.

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Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

He promote the reconstructionist ideal of challenging societal norms.

In Walden, he discussed the need for a reflected life and talked about higher laws that transcended obedience to social dictates.

He championed opposition to taxes that were used to support slavery and war making.

He also set many ideas forth in his essay Civil Disobedience.

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Reconstructionist Philosophy on the whole strongly inclined toward utopian or futuristic thinking.

They believe that planning and thinking about future is good way of providing alternative societies for people to consider.

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Alvin Toffler

Coined the term future shock

He believed that future studies should be part of the curriculum on every level of schooling.

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In The Third Wave, Toffler describes 3 major changes, or waves that affected human life greatly.

First Wave

Was brought about by the development of agriculture, ending humans nomadic existence.

Second Wave

The Industrial revolution (industrial wave) began after this time and lasted until about 1955. This wave not only brought industry and technology but also change peoples thinking accordingly.

Third Wave

Emphasizes individuality, hot relationships in which people use technology at home, to work together in joint projects, and a service economy.

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In Learning for Tomorrow, Toffler says:

So long the rate of technological change in such community stay slow, so long as no wars, invasions, epidemics or other natural disasters upset the even rhythm of life, it is simple for the tribe to formulate workable image of its own future, since tomorrow merely repeats today.

Alvin Toffler

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James Herndon

In How To Survive in Your Native Land, noted that although his classes were engaged in new and creative activities, other classes in the same school slaved over lessons about ancient Egypt.

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Reconstructionist, understandably enough, are critical of contemporary society. They point out many contradictions and hypocrisies of Modern life.

Education, they think, should help students deal with these problems by trying to orient them toward becoming agents of change.

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Ivan Illiach

Founded the Center of Intercultural Documentation (CIDOC)

He distinguishes between schooling and education, and believes that education should be spread throughout society rather than being conducted only in special buildings provided for that purpose.

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Ivan Illich

He thinks that people can be educated in the job, at home, and wherever else they might be during their day-to-day activities.

He also proposed the use of learning webs through which people can pool information and talents with others.

His book, Deschooling Society, encouraged some educators, particularly educators concerned with social inequalities, to reassess the role that the school plays n the society- that is, that the school is not always a positive benefit.

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Chaos Theory

This theory was developed from mathematical theories, particularly the work of Jules Henri Pointcare.

Chaos Theory gained momentum through quantum mechanics in the field of physics.

Alvin Toffler says that research from the Brussels school of Ilaya Prigogine and his associates indicates that instead of a well-ordered Newtonian or Laplacian model of the universe, the universe is seething with change , disorder and process.

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Chaos theorists see the world in terms of vitality, turbulence and volatility.

Proponents of chaos theory apply their thinking to a wide range of discipline, such as ecology, biology, economics and government.

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George S. Counts

Theodore Brameld

Henry David Thoreau

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Alvin Toffler

Ivan Illich

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Paulo Freire

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Thank You For Listening