Educational Progressivism: Tokusan, Dewey, and Directed Meaning
2
¹ CONTI, G., 1985: 78.; FIGS. 2-3, ² HO, C., 2006: 173; ³ CONTI, 1985: 78.; ⁴ HO, 2006: 160. Introduction IN PRACTICE, THE 21ST CENTURY PROGRESSIVIST EDUCATOR HOLDS A BELIEF THAT, “ONE CANNOT SIMULTANEOUSLY LOOK AT THE INDICATOR (I.E., THE TEACHER), THE INDICATING FUNCTION (DIRECT TEACHING METHOD; ‘DELIVERING’ INTENTIONAL LANGUAGE-‘MEANING’) AND THE INDICATEE (A STUDENT’S OWN SELF-UNDERSTANDING AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE WITHIN A GIVEN CONTEXT)”.² PROGRESSIVIST EDUCATORS LIKE ABRAHAM MASLOW AND CARL ROGERS BELIEVE IN AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH – SHOW THE STUDENTS HOW TO BECOME PROBLEM-SOLVERS (WITH A LITTLE HELP).³ – NOTE: THE BELIEF THAT “TRUTH” CANNOT BE INSIGHTFULLY FOUND VIS-À- VIS PRE-FORMING INTENTIONAL LANGUAGE IS A PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINT OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH EASTERN THOUGHT, AS IT DERIVES OUT OF TRADITIONAL INDO- CHINESE CH’AN BUDDHISM ( C. 7 TH -9 TH CENTURIES ). reality language represents reality indicates language Figure 2 Figure 3 Progressivism as a general rule sees the role of the teacher to be a fluid process of facilitation, whereby participation among students allows ‘discovery’ of learning in terms each student has self-realized. As the Ch’an proverb cautions us, if gesturing upwards with, “a finger pointing toward the moon” ⁴ one should remember that “a child does not know what the moon is” as such, a teacher who always unilaterally dictates using descriptively-oriented ’information’, runs the risk of having their students be so caught up with the “finger” that they miss seeing the “moon” (objective of learning). Progressivists see the student’s attainment to discovering knowledge on their own, ‘a self-realized revelation,’ as the paramount accomplishment. I “In case the hearer could not follow, would the knower not speak in vain?” (Ho, C.H., ) Progressivism Educational Philosophy: “learner-centered”; individuals are the focus, “rather than a body of information.”¹ Type of Teacher (in short): Resource and Guide
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Brief discussion and outline describing how the Educational Progressive’s teaching style has been founded upon proximate philosophies of language, being an advocate for a more thorough approach to language-making. The likes of Abraham Maslow, John Dewey, and many others, all seemed to recognize the troublesome nature of language as vehicle of 'learning,' -- this teaching style has been conceptually paralleled in other disciplines and by various philosophers, past and present / across the globe. One such parallel in practice may be found within the domain of Ch'an Buddhism of the first millennium; two studies are included in this discussion that should help clarify this potential relationship, between Master Tokusan's and Progressivist approaches to 'teaching.' The aforementioned thinkers, it would seem, believe superficial comprehension of any 'statement of fact' (as purview to meaning and language-making) does not necessarily signify contextualized realization nor render a deeper understanding, but merely ‘stake-down’ the intentional signal which then attempts to direct learners’ attending to such, like “the finger that points to the Moon.”
Transcript of Educational Progressivism: Tokusan, Dewey, and Directed Meaning
¹ CONTI, G., 1985: 78.; FIGS. 2-3, ² HO, C., 2006: 173; ³ CONTI, 1985: 78.; ⁴ HO, 2006: 160.
Introduction
IN PRACTICE, THE 21ST CENTURY PROGRESSIVIST EDUCATOR HOLDS A BELIEF
THAT, “ONE CANNOT SIMULTANEOUSLY LOOK AT THE INDICATOR (I.E., THE
TEACHER), THE INDICATING FUNCTION (DIRECT TEACHING METHOD;
‘DELIVERING’ INTENTIONAL LANGUAGE-‘MEANING’) AND THE INDICATEE (A
STUDENT’S OWN SELF-UNDERSTANDING AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE WITHIN A GIVEN
CONTEXT)”.² PROGRESSIVIST EDUCATORS LIKE ABRAHAM MASLOW AND CARL
ROGERS BELIEVE IN AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH – SHOW THE STUDENTS HOW TO
BECOME PROBLEM-SOLVERS (WITH A LITTLE HELP).³
– NOTE: THE BELIEF THAT “TRUTH” CANNOT BE INSIGHTFULLY FOUND VIS-À-
VIS PRE-FORMING INTENTIONAL LANGUAGE IS A PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINT
OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH EASTERN THOUGHT, AS IT DERIVES OUT OF
TRADITIONAL INDO- CHINESE CH’AN BUDDHISM ( C. 7TH-9TH CENTURIES).
reality
language represents reality
indicates
language
Figure 2 Figure 3
Progressivism as a general rule sees the role of the teacher to be a fluid process of
facilitation, whereby participation among students allows ‘discovery’ of learning in
terms each student has self-realized. As the Ch’an proverb cautions us, if gesturing
upwards with, “a finger pointing toward the moon” ⁴ one should remember that
“a child does not know what the moon is” as such, a teacher who always
unilaterally dictates using descriptively-oriented ’information’, runs the risk of
having their students be so caught up with the “finger” that they miss seeing the
“moon” (objective of learning). Progressivists see the student’s attainment to
discovering knowledge on their own, ‘a self-realized revelation,’ as the paramount
accomplishment.
I “In case the hearer could
not follow, would the
knower not speak in vain?”
(Ho, C.H., )
Progressivism Educational Philosophy: “learner-centered”; individuals are the focus, “rather than a
body of information.”¹
Type of Teacher (in short): Resource and Guide
Page 2
References
Parkay, F.W. and B. Hardcastle Stanford. (2009). Becoming a teacher. (8th Ed.). Englewood
Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
Meyer, P. N. (1993). 'FINGERS POINTING AT THE MOON': NEW PERSPECTIVES ON
TEACHING LEGAL WRITING AND ANALYSIS. Connecticut Law Review, 25(777).
Conti, G. J. (1985). The relationship between teaching style andadult student learning. Adult
Education Quarterly, 35(4), 220—228.
Ho, Chien-Hsing. (2006). The finger pointing toward the moon: a philosophical analysis of the
chinese buddhist thought of reference. Chinese Philosophy in Analytical Perspectives,
Chengchi Department of Philosophy: Taipei.
