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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #176004 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Customer Reviews

A balanced and ideal structure for learning
Mortimer Adler spells out an ideal balance of learning experiences which result in highly literate and competent students. The Paideia proposal is not a recipe for what content to teach but a structure for making sure the student is not trapped in a school with only one way of processing thought. Didactic, or direct, instruction should not take up more than a fifth of the time; at least a fifth should be spent in open-ended seminars that allow students to find personal meaning in conversation about significant topics; the rest of the time should be spent in coached projects which require a synthesis of knowledge and skills. Current jargon would identify these elements with authentic assessment, multiple intelligences, and self-efficacy. This is a best practice model that assumes 'what's best for the best is best for all' and asks all teachers to consider all students capable of reflective thought and creative problem-solving. The original reading list was heavily eurocentric but the current usage is not limited in any way except that readings must have depth and meaning. In its pure form, the Paideia Proposal respects teachers as professionals who design curriculum, so it is incompatible with formulaic philosophies that use teachers as technicians. The Paideia Center in North Carolina provides training; Terry Roberts has written a recent book on it. Any parent or educator serious about deep literacy would embrace the Paideia Proposal.

Radical teaching methods
This is the American philosopher Mortimer Adler's attempt to apply his philosophy to real-world problems. His biggest concern was the inability of the educational system to teach children to think (as opposed to memorizing a string of mind-numbing facts). To accomplish this goal he, along with education professionals, developed a program based on the Socratic method of teaching.

For example, one exercise might consist of the following instructions from the teacher:

"Today I am going to show an object to you and I want you to just look at it for one minute in absolute silence, At the end of that time, please write what you saw first and what question you have about the object. Remember, no talking, because once someone talks it disrupts and alters the others' thinking."

This is a book with ideas that will challenge the way you have always thought about education. Indeed, it will make you question what our educational system is doing. If the purpose of an education is the creation of a well-rounded individual who questions and reasons and analyzes, then one will have to conclude that it has been an abject failure. Indeed, our society is increasingly split along two lines - a well-educated, erudite group that has developed a mocking attitude toward traditional conventions and manners and a non-educated group that carries a growing anti-intellectual bias.

For further information about the Paidea Proposal, you can visit the Radical Academy Site. As a father who has seen his son prosper under such a program, I would recommend that any parent seriously interested in obtaining a true education for their child explore the possibilites presented in this book.

Education being stressed, which Creates Opportunities 4 all
Literature that encourages faculty and parents to stress the academic curriculum. Mortimer Adler who hails from New York talks about the kids of today learning the basics as well as to advancing to upper level work. He believes that everyone should go to the university and not just be directed toward a fast track program. He is not saying that fast track is wrong but that options should be provided for the student. A must have book that sheds light on a subject that for the most part has been blurred. If you are tired of books that repeat things over and over but which do not provide a true answer to the educational crisis that is going in America, then get this. In the end, freedom is the key to growth for the student,but the system to some extent wants your kid McDonaldized (in terms of education).