Social Reconstructionism Full Term Research Paper PDF

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Research Paper on the Historical Background of Social Reconstructionism, and The Basic Priniciples of Social Reconstructionism, and Analysis of the DepEd K-12 Curriculum...

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Student Centered Theory of Education: Social Reconstructionism

Introduction Social reconstructionism is a philosophy that emphasizes the addressing of questions

social

and a quest to create a better society and worldwide democracy.

Reconstructionist educators focus on a curriculum that highlights social reform as the aim of education. (Curtis, 2010) Moreover, one of the founders, George S. Counts, proposed that schools and educators have a responsibility for helping to build a new social order. (Hill, 2006, p. 29) I. The Fathers of Social Reconstructionism George S. Counts (1889 - 1974) George S. Counts was an American educator and activist who, as a leading proponent of social reconstructionism, believed that schools should bring about social change. (Curtis, Jr., 2018)

Counts recognized education's role in preparing individuals to create a better society. (Paradise Valley, 2019) Theodore Brameld (1904 - 1987) Theodore Brameld was an American educator. He was best known for his theory of reconstructionism, which received widespread attention in educational circles. He held that a system of public education that is aware of the findings of the behavioral sciences can bring about fundamental changes in the social and economic structure of society. (Haindel, 2018)

Bramel founded social reconstructionism as a response to the horrors of WWII. He recognized the potential for either human annihilation through technology and human cruelty or the capacity to create a beneficent society using technology and human compassion. (Cohen, 1999)

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Historical Background In the 1920s, John Dewey suggested the name reconstructionism in the title of his book, Reconstruction in Philosophy.

In the early 1930's, a group known as the "Frontier

Thinkers" called on the school to lead the way toward the creation of a more equitable society by inculcating a loyalty to a new social order. Their leading spokesmen were George Counts and Harold Rugg. Counts wrote The American Road to Culture (1930) and Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order? (1932), and Rugg wrote Culture and Education in America (1931). At this time, progressives such as Kilpatrick and Childs also were urging educators to become more aware of their social responsibilities. But they disagreed with Counts and Rugg regarding school should commit itself to specific social ends; they preferred to stress the general end of growth through democratic cooperation. Without the progressive backing, the Frontier Thinkers declined in importance. (Kneller, 1964, p. 119-120)

Two decades later, as the progressive movement declined, further attempts were made to use Deweyan philosophy in support of socially committed educational theories. Isaac B. Berkson (1958), in his major work, The Ideal and the Community, sought a rapprochment of progressivism and essentialism. Suggesting that although the school itself should not take the lead in social reform, it should cooperate with movements already active in society that advocated a more thorough realization of American cultural values. However, it was Theodore Brameld, in 1950, who laid the foundations of social reconstructionism through education with the publication of Patterns of Educational Philosophy, followed by Philosophies of Education in Cultural Perspective (1955), Toward a Reconstructed Philosophy of Education (1956), and Cultural Foundations of Education -- An Interdisciplinary Approach (1957). (Kneller, 1964, p. 120).

II. What is Social Reconstructionism? Social Reconstructionism focused on the discrepancies between wealth and poverty in society, the social and economic reforms needed, and the possibilities of schools who, with the help of other cultural agencies, could become agents of reconstruction and reform in society (Gutek, 1997 in Hill, 2006, p. 96). Salazar, Ruth A.

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The Basic Priniciples of Reconstructionism There are six basic principles of reconstructionism and these are confined to the main themes put forward by Brameld. (Brameld, 1950, p. 204 in Kneller, 1964, p. 120) 1. The main purpose of education is to promote a clearly thought-out program of social reform. Brameld stressed that education must become the chief means for enacting a program of clear and precise social action. He rejected the progressive conception of a planning society with its emphasis on how the planning is to be done, in favor of that of a planned society with its main stress on the ends to be achieved. He criticized progressivism as "dilatory" and "inefficient." Moreover, progressivism has exaggerated the value of flexibility to the point where it has become a positive hindrance to effective social action. Instead of continually scrapping and refashioning their plans in accordance with relative and limited goals, educators should now hammer out a definite program of social and political action, whose realization will become the chief end of our educational system. (Brameld, 1950, p. 204 in Kneller, 1964, p. 121) 2. Educators must undertake this task without delay. Claiming to be the philosophy of an "age in crisis," reconstructionism sounds a note of urgency not heard in other educational theories. It declared that civilization faced the possibility of selfannihilation. Thus, education must lead to a profound change in the minds of men, so that enormous powers at their disposal, may be used to create rather than to destroy. At the same time, the advances made in behavioral sciences offered a source of knowledge by which they may discover both the nature of the society that best meets man's real aspirations and the means for firing youth with the enthusiasm to build it. In Brameld's words, "Education must commit itself here and now to the creation of a new social order which will fulfill the basic values of our culture and at the same time harmonize with the underlying social and economic forces of the modern world." Furthermore, he wrote, "Reconstructionism commits itself, first of all, to the building of a new culture. It is infused with a profound conviction that we are in the midst of a revolutionary period out of which should emerge nothing less than control of the industrial system, of public services, and of cultural and natural resources by and for the common people who, throughout the ages, have struggled for a life of security, decency, and peace for them and their children." (Brameld, 1947, p. 452 in Kneller, 1964, p. 122)

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3. The new social order must be "genuinely democratic." Brameld's also considered the major institutions and resources to be controlled by the people themselves in order to become genuinely democratic. Anything that sufficiently affects the public interest, whether pensions, health, or industry, should become the responsibility of elected popular representatives. He believed that to be able to reconstruct society, they must reeducate the members. He also treated it as a "revolution" that takes place in the minds of men, more profound and lasting than any change carried through by politicians alone or imposed by force of arms. (Brameld, 1956, pp. 328-329 in Kneller, 1964, p. 123) 4. The teacher should persuade his pupils democratically of the validity and urgency of the reconstructionist point of view. Brameld pointed out that the people must be persuaded to reconstruct the society in which they live, and this persuasion should begin in school. The teacher must allow open examination of the evidence both for and against his views; alternative solutions must be presented; and permit the students to defend their own solutions. (Brameld, 1956, p. 338 in Kneller, 1964, p. 123) The school should be future-centered, paving the way for a new order by educating the minds and characters of its pupil so that they are ready for it. This may not be forced on them but should be embraced willingly on its own merits. The teacher may indoctrinate the students if they were willing to do so. (Kneller, 1964, p. 123-124) 5. The means and ends of education must be refashioned to meet the demands of the present cultural crisis and in accordance with the findings of the behavioral sciences. Brameld also believed in the importance of the behavioral sciences, that they enabled them to discover what were the exact values in which men most strongly believed and whether or not these values were universal. With this information, they can plan a fitting social and international order. "We must look with a fresh eye," according to Brameld, at the way in which the curricula were drawn up, the subjects that they contain, the educational methods used, the structure of administration, and the methods by which teachers were trained. These must be reconstructed in accordance with the scientific view of human nature so that they contribute directly to the creation of the new order. "We must therefore construct a curriculum whose subjects and subdivisions are related integrally within a unified whole rather than treated as a mere sequence of knowledge components," said Brameld. (Brameld, 1959, p. 20 in Kneller, 1964, p. 124)

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6. The child, the school, and education itself are shaped largely by social and cultural forces. According to Brameld, civilized life was by and large group life. Hence, groups should play an important role in school, so that the educated adult would know how to use his gifts in the social milieu that he entered. Furthermore, it was also possible for society to reshape itself by educating its members so that they were aware of the need for definite social reforms and were prepared to carry them out. Thus, Brameld called education "social self-realization," meaning that through it, the individual not only developed the social side of his nature but also learned how to participate in the social movements that seek to make society a planned democracy. (Brameld, 1950, p. 425 in Kneller, 1964, p. 125) To differentiate Reconstructivists from Progressivists, the latter believed that education should focus on the whole child, rather than on the content or the teacher. This educational philosophy stressed that students should test ideas by active experimentation. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world. It is active, not passive. The learner is a problem solver and thinker who makes meaning through his or her individual experience in the physical and cultural context. Effective teachers provide experiences so that students can learn by doing. Curriculum content is derived from student interests and questions. The scientific method is used by progressivist educators so that students can study matter and events systematically and first hand. (Cohen, 1999) III. Implications to Curriculum and the Teacher’s Role Social issues or social problems should be tackled by the teacher and the students. The students must be able to solve problems and provide solutions. On the other hand, the teacher must be an active agent in channeling the students towards the understanding of a social issue or problem and how it can be solved. The curriculum of Social Reconstructionists focuses on the student experience. It is also student-centered, and attempts to take on real problems of the world such as hunger, violence, oppression, and inequality. To accomplish this, and to handle controversial issues, there is a focus on inquiry, dialogue, and perspectives. (Beaudrie, J. et al., 2015) Other writers would point out that in Social Reconstructionism, the students critically analyze world events, explore controversial issues, develop vision for a new and better

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world, and promote programs of cultural renewal. The curriculum must be able to unite theory and practice and provide the students with critical thinking tools. Public education should also be the direct instrument of world reformation. Thus, attention should direct towards social and world reform. (Mondelo, 2015) The teacher then becomes a social activist, sees education as a tool for solving the problems of society. The teacher can also inform others about the nature and extent of the problem. In addition, the teacher can also suggest what one can do about these problems. Rather than being passive dispensers of knowledge, a Social Reconstructivist teacher would also become facilitators for social analysis and social change. (Mondelo, 2015) IV. Analysis of the DepEd K-12 Curriculum According to Datu, a teacher from DepEd in San Vicente Pilot School for Philippine Craftsmen, San Fernando, Pampanga, social reconstructionism is a philosophy that emphasizes the addressing of social questions and a quest to create a better society. The goals of K-12 highlight social reform, from a 10-year basic education to a 12-year plan. With the advent of the K-12 curriculum, the traditional understanding that a 10years basic education is sufficient, has been changed to improve human conditions. K-12 curriculum allows the student to experience and take social action on real problems. Community-based learning and bringing the world into the classroom are the strategies used. (Datu, 2016) Even in the late 1950s, social reconstructionism has already been in practice in Philippine education through the creation of the community schools. According to Isidro (1957), the community schools were initially used during the American Period to train the people in self-government. After the war, Filipino educators evolved the community school program. The program utilized the schools as a vital instrument for social and educational development of the community. The schools and the community were integrated. Under the community school program, the people in the rural areas were organized into small groups called "purok," which consist of twenty or more families. In the purok organization, the people under the leadership of the school principals and teachers, worked to improve their own community. (Isidro, 1957) Going back to the present K-12 curriculum, there is evidence of social constructivism where the needs of national and global community are being addressed in the

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curriculum framework. These are (1) Poverty reduction and human development (2) Strengthening the moral fiber of the Filipino people (3) Development of a strong sense of nationalism (4) Development of productive citizens who contribute to the building of a progressive, just and human society (5) Ensuring environmental sustainability and (6) Global partnership for development. (Andaya, 2014) How can these be addressed? It is actually a complex process of educating the learners through the different support systems and not limited to the schools or the teachers. It is a cooperation between the schools, teachers, family, curriculum developers, instructional materials board, stakeholders, media, government and non-government organizations, public and private organizations or partners, and administration. Nowadays, lessons can be delivered not only inside the classroom but also through varied media such as print, radio, television, or online through the Internet. Weltman (2002) also mentioned that social reconstructionists addressed different problems or called the attention of the people to look into the different social problems, and these are not limited to politics or government. As the years went by, the themes began to vary. For example, in the 1930s, they were concerned about domestic problems (in USA) and the consequences of economic dislocation. America then was also under the Great Depression at that time. Then came the war. After the war, they were more concerned about global issues arising out of the cold war and there were fears of nuclear holocaust. So the reconstructionists urged educators to focus on international peace and cooperation and on social democratic reconstruction on a global scale. By the 1970s, many reconstructionists have turned to ecological issues arising out of concerns about pollution, shortages of natural resources, and global warming. Fearing for environmental disaster, they now urge educators to teach peaceful coexistence between human beings and other living creatures, and the creation of a social democratic ecology. (Weltman, 2002). Aside from the K-12 curriculum, DepEd schools also follow their mission-vision. As part of the vision statement, are the core values: (1) Maka-Diyos (2) Maka-tao (3) Makakalikasan and (4) Makabansa. The core value Makakalikasan pertains to the environment and is also answering the call for environmental conservation and sustainability and in a way, promotes social democratic ecology of the social reconstructionists. How is it manifested in school? Through the clean and green programs in school such as Gulayan sa Paaralan or the National Search for Sustainable and Eco-friendly Schools. Salazar, Ruth A.

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V. Analyses & Conclusions It seems ideal that a society can provide solutions to all its problems though its citizens. Social and global problems may indeed be lessened if the members of the society would cooperate and provide the solutions. One nation was cited as a social reconstructionist by Vázquez et al. (2019) is Israel and its kibbutzim (collective farms). The people collectively agreed on how to govern themselves and how to live cooperatively in order to survive in a harsh environment. Their schools became instrumental in successfully educating the learners on how to study, work, and contribute to the country. According to Vázquez et al. (2019), the most striking feature of the kibbutz education was that the parents forgo rearing and educating their offspring themselves and instead hand the children over to professional educators, sometimes immediately after birth. The kibbutzim type of education developed for both practical and economic reasons, but gradually four educational considerations gained prominence: (1) that the kibbutz way of life makes for complete equality of the sexes, (2) that the education of children in special children’s houses is the best way of perpetuating the kibbutz way of life, (3) that collective education is more “scientific” than education within the family, inasmuch as children are reared and trained by experts (example, qualified nurses, kindergarten teachers, and other educators) in an atmosphere free of the tensions engendered by family relationships, and (4) that collective education is more democratic than traditional education and more in keeping with the spirit of cooperative living. However, there are also critics and pessimists about social reconstructionism due to its weaknesses. For example, Sutinen (2014, p. 28), in his paper, presented some of the weaknesses of social reconstructionism such as: (1) It is weak in social analysis (2) Believe that education can unambiguously and causally change communal activity in a better direction (3) Emotional appeal of people for radical activity to accomplish an “ideal social order” (4) They wish for happiness and social equality both politically and economically. Critics pointed out that the social reconstructionists failed to present concrete ways or plans to attain their objectives or provide specific solutions to problems. Bowers in Sutinen (2014) presented his four ideas that the social reconstructionist philosophy of education has not been able to achieve despite the goals it has set. First, the advocates of social reconstructionist philosophy of education have not presented Salazar, Ruth A.

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any systematic social analysis that would provide the outline for new communal activity. Second, they have not presented how the educator should act, if a social analysis was presented and if it was found to be realistic to put into effect. Third, which is the true operational forum for decision-making by the teachers? Fourth, the teachers' analysis of social problems and their solution, which are transferred to teaching activity, is too slow a method to s...