John Goodlad, Essay Example

Explain why so many people refuse to accept that education and inquiry are synonymous. How would you respond to them?

The conventional understanding of education is that education is simply memorizing facts about the world and learning how to apply them. In reality, an individual does not truly understand something unless he or she is able to generate questions about it. Therefore, an education cannot truly be gained without inquiry. Inquiry helps students gain clarifications about information, but it also allows them to develop new ideas in a manner that demonstrates mastery.

Discuss 3 ways that John Goodlad “out Deweyed” John Dewey.

John Dewey is well-known for establishing the mantra that one should learn by doing. However, Goodlad’s principles surpassed this by providing an extension to this understanding in addition to several other of Dewey’s ideas. Among these, he stated that educational aims are created from values, that objectives are created from educational aims, and that learning opportunities are created from objectives. He also stated that students may possess these values before attending school and that progressive style schools were undesirable.

Explain why in less than 3 months the faculty, administration, and Dr. Goodlad working in the Englewood School realized that in order to change the curriculum other aspects of schooling also needed to be changed. Did you agree or disagree with the changes?

Dr. Googlad recognized that the curriculum is often based on the values of a school, so it is important to change other aspects of schooling to ensure that the desired curriculum can be enforced. I agree with these changes because each school reflects a different culture and therefore produces a different environment in which certain children can succeed. It is therefore necessary to tailor the curriculum and values in a manner that supports the learning process.

The faculty at Englewood developed many innovative programs for the school. Identify these programs, select one, and describe why you agree with the program. Identify one in which you have reservations. Would you have liked to have been a member of the faculty? Why or why not?

One of the programs that Goodlad put in place was an “innovative infrastructure”. Ultimately, this set a hierarchy in place that allowed teachers and principals to receive support. I agree with this program because it is responsible for faculty to be accountable at all levels. However, I do not believe that corporative schools are necessary because what is helpful for one institution may not be helpful for another. I would not have liked to have been a member of the faculty because I believe that it would have taken many years for these policies to have stabilized and truly become effective.

References

Bahner JM. Curriculum Change in Concert: The Englewood School Project.

Strotnik KA. On Inquiry and Education.