1	The role of philosophy in curriculum development By Craig A. Cunningham, Ph.D. Center for School Improvement University of Chicago
2	Agenda What is philosophy and what do philosophers do? What are some examples of philosophical viewpoints? What is curriculum development and what do curriculum developers do? What are some curriculum development viewpoints? What are some philosophical questions that come up in curriculum development? What can curriculum developers learn from philosophers, and vice versa? Some ideas about philosophy’s role in Jewish education Questions and discussion
3	What is philosophy and what do philosophers do? Etymology: philos + sophia (love of wisdom) Professional philosophy was invented in Ancient Greece by private tutors or teachers (called “sophists”) who trained citizens for participation in democratic public life (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) Historically, “philosophy” was used to refer to any intellectual discourse; that which was not immediately practical or material “Natural philosophy” used to refer to science, that is, involving natural events, until scientists decided that the term overemphasized reason at the expense of observation “Speculative philosophy” used to refer to all other kinds of philosophy, concerned with existence, goodness, beauty, truth
4	What is philosophy and what do philosophers do? continued “Religion” was not traditionally considered philosophy at all; rather, it was a set of beliefs and practices in which people related to God Philosophy and religion come together in “theology,” which applies speculative techniques to questions about the nature of God and of right and wrong Theology was invented by Thomas Acquinas, Ibn Rushd, and Moses Maimonides in their pursuit of a “defensible” view of God and morality They were each severely criticized by their own people for so doing, but they exemplify the drive toward reason (making sense of experience and culture) that defines humanity Many famous philosophers have blurred the line between religion and philosophy: Spinoza, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche
5	What is philosophy and what do philosophers do? continued So how do philosophers do their work? Textual exegesis: close reading and writing about ways of interpreting readings Logical analysis: setting up systems of entities and statements about those entities and testing formal relationships among them Hypothetical exploration: thought experiments about what might be true and the consequences of that Intuitive phenomenology: using one’s own experiences and reactions as data for understanding self, others, the world Genetic analysis: tracing ideas through history in the attempt to understand how words are used today Pragmatic participation: rolling up one’s sleeves and getting to work to solve a real problem, while using one’s head to seek superior solutions
6	What is philosophy and what do philosophers do? continued Some philosophers have tried to make philosophy practical by applying it to problems of the real world: Aristotle, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Dewey Each of these found in education a practical arena ripe for philosophical analysis Despite their efforts, these days, philosophy tends to be viewed as an academic discipline focused on speculation about itself: that is, most scholarly philosophy is about philosophy and not much else Unfortunately, most people consider philosophy too academic, intellectual, pie-in-the-sky, ivory-tower,eggheaded, and irrelevant Philosophy is pretty much banished from K-12 schools, American political discourse, foreign policy, and economic life
7	What are some examples of philosophical viewpoints? Idealism: ideas are really real while material things are illusory or fleeting; truth is absolute but perhaps unknowable to (ordinary) humans (Plato) Materialism: ideas are illusory while physical and economic forces control the world; truth is irrelevant since power is everything (Karl Marx) Pragmatism: ideas are real things only insofar as they affect action; ideas are true only insofar as they work in action (John Dewey) Formalism: ideas are interesting in themselves and need no connection to things or actions to be the focus of inquiry; truth can be derived from careful understanding of statements and counter-statements (Bertrand Russell)
8	What is curriculum development and what do curriculum developers do? Traditionally, curriculum development has been seen as planning for a sustained process of teaching and learning in a formal institutional setting “Curriculum” comes from Latin word for race course The “curriculum” can be likened to a race (or, better, obstacle) course through a given terrain of human endeavor The assumptions usually are: Time is too short to allow for learner self-direction The real world is too messy a place for learners and other immature people Messy reality needs to be “translated” into schemas and logical orderings (subject matter) so immature minds can grasp it quickly and avoid wasting time, materials, or injuring the learner or others
9	What is curriculum development and what do curriculum developers do? Curriculum development always involves: Assumptions about the nature of learners (and teachers) Assumptions about the purposes of schools Assumptions about what kind of knowledge is important Assumptions about what kind of world we live in Assumptions about what kind of world we want to live in (Different curriculums and different schools are more or less likely to reveal these assumptions)
10	What is curriculum development and what do curriculum developers do? While curriculum development seems on its face to be a very specialized, technical, almost clerical function, …. it can also be thought of as: The intelligent management of how learners interact with the world so that… It forms learners’ values, dispositions, habits, selves Curriculum development is the creation of a better future
11	What are some curriculum development viewpoints? Viewpoints vary along a number of dimensions: Ultimate goal Nature of child Definition of learning Selection of “texts” for study Relative importance of knowledges and skills Value of student interest and choice Whether truth/goodness/beauty are predefined or indeterminate
12	Examples of Curriculum Driver’s Education Curriculum Examples Missouri Driver’s Education Curriculum: Core Competencies and Skills Environmentally-healthy driver’s education curriculum Judaic Studies Curriculum Examples The Perfect Shabbat Egg Salad Jewish History Tour
13	What are some philosophical questions that come up in curriculum development? Should children be coddled or pushed? How important is it to achieve uniformity of behavior or belief? Should individual differences be exalted or denied? Should students be able to choose what they learn? Should schools seek to change (improve) society or sustain it? Should tolerance and understanding outweigh nationalism and distrust? (What is the school’s role in this?) Should everything that is learned have practical or economic value? Should schools seek to further parental goals or goals defined outside the family? What are the relative values of reading, writing, figuring, playing, working, sweating, debating, talking, listening, agreeing, disagreeing, relaxing, persisting, resisting, conforming, participating, expressing, creating, problem-solving, thinking, experimenting?
14	What can curriculum developers learn from philosophers, and vice versa? Philosophers can help curriculum developers: Be more explicit about assumptions Be more willing to challenge assumptions Understand more consequences of choices Expand sense of possibilities and alternatives Curriculum developers can help philosophers: Focus on what is really important Understand the consequences of their ideas and theories Come out of the ivory tower See that philosophical analysis can make a difference in the world
15	Some ideas about philosophy’s role in Jewish education Jewish cultural value on education comes from ancient relationship to the WORD The Bible as text has always been key to Jewish education; Jewish educators are more likely to take reading and discussion of reading seriously Philosophical inquiry is taught (to some extent) in context of hallachic discourse Jewish education spans the entire range of alternative viewpoints and assumptions Jewish schools have more sense of ultimate purposes than secular schools Jewish schools are more subject to parental will than other schools Jewish schools may be more likely to increase nationalism than other schools
16	Questions and discussion To get us started: Choose a partner Think for a minute about the last time you were involved in a dispute about curriculum in your school Describe your disputes to each other Choose one dispute to focus on Think about the philosophical issues underlying the dispute Did philosophy play a role in the resolution? How might philosophy have helped to resolve the dispute? Be prepared to share your discussion with the group
17	The end To contact me: My home page: http://craigcunningham.com My email: c-cunningham@uchicago.edu My phone: 773-702-4885
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