Brameld Quotes: 1. “Here it is important to observe a difference between the way philosophy is frequently studied today and the way we now wish to study it. Courses taught in college departments of philosophy usually take two or three forms. One form is the history of the subject, although this is more often than not limited to Western philosophy to the neglect of the magnificent thought of the East. Another form is the study of subdivisions of the field—logic, ethics, and esthetics, particularly […] Still another form is the study of comparative systems of philosophy, again frequently the Western only” (Brameld, 1965, p. 11). 2. “And inquiring […] is man‟s capacity to engage actively and critically in the events of his cultural experience—to take them apart, as it were, and to rearrange them in more satisfying, efficient, workable ways than before” (Brameld, 1965, p. 56). 3. “A number of social psychologists […] prefer some such term as „self-actualization‟ [to „fulfillment‟]. By this they mean optimum expression of the whole personality—emotional, intellectual, and physical” (Brameld, 1965, p. 69). 4. “If one cultivates his private garden, let him grow all the vegetables he wants, but don‟t let him sell the vegetables at a profit by hiring gardeners and extracting surplus value from their labor power. The classless society is epitomized by this famous definition: it is a society in which each produces according to his abilities and receives according to his needs” (Brameld, 1965, p. 102). 5. “[Perennialists] believe that the solution to our educational problems will not be discovered until „virtuous‟ leaders have emerged who can lead the rest of us toward the pure light of rationality. Because such leaders are always a minority, the perennialist policy, notwithstanding protestations to the contrary, endorses an aristocratic class structure” (Brameld, 1965, p. 118). 6. “An accumulation of scientific data is also available proving the close correlation between class level and amount of education. Generally […] the higher the class, the more education, regardless of ability […] In America at least, education is itself the most important single criterion for predicting the extend of social mobility; that is, a person of only grade-school education will probably not rise in the vertical order nearly as high as a college graduate” (Brameld, 1965, p. 133). 7. “The efficiently run school is one that emulates an efficiently run business. Rules and procedures follow the traditional life-staff model, with authority centered at the top of the school structure and pointing downward through lines of principals and supervisors to the teaching staff and students. This general model remains the most prevalent one today in both American and European education. It is entirely consistent with the structures of typical profit-making enterprises” (Brameld, 1965, p. 141).
Potential Socratic Circle Questions: 1. From the tonightâ€&#x;s presentation, our discussions, and the quotes above, what connections can you make between Brameld and other texts we have read this semester? Between Brameld and our guiding questions? 2. Do you use inquiry in your classroom? Have you observed an inquiry-based lesson/classroom before? What are some of the pro/cons? 3. Referring back to the philosophy matrix, how would an inquiry classroom support a perspectival mode of thought in regards to the roles of the teacher, students, and curriculum? 4. As shown in the presentation, the reconstructionist method involves reflective inquiry and action (identifies problems, locates social origins of present arrangements, generates solutions, acts upon commitment). Do you feel that this method is too futuristic or utopian? Why/why not?