Commentary to section on critical inquiry
By P. Lather
A critique of home economics in secondary schools
By E.E. Baldwin
Glossary Terms
Dogmatic - Relating to, characteristic of, or resulting from dogma
dogmatic. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 15 2013
from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dogmatic
dogma - A doctrine or a corpus of doctrines relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth in an authoritative manner by a church.
dogma. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 15 2013
from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dogma
Banking concept – “viewing students’ action merely in terms of receiving, filing, and storing deposits for future use” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 241)
Metatheory - A theory devised to analyze theoretical systems.
metatheory. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 15 2013
from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/metatheory
Quotes
“Brown and Paolucci (1979) mission statement make it clear that home economics should “enable families, both as individual units and generally as a social institution, to build and maintain systems of action which lead (1) to maturing in individual self-formation and (2) to enlightened, cooperative participation in the critique and formulation of social goals and the means for accomplishing them” (pg. 23)” (Bladwin, 1989, pg. 237)
I found this to be interesting to know what the mission statement of home economics is. Sounds very progressive and easily altered to change with the times.
“drawing upon the substantive content of home economics, it is concerned with the content and processes of education which develop students’ cognitive, linguistic, and interactive competence and their emotional and motivational maturity.” (Brown, 1980) taken from (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 237)
This seems like a tall order to fill for teachers who experience shrinking resources and numbers. I find it very interesting that many people do not see the value and the importance of this program when it is able to teach so many skills and competences simultaneously.
“the family and the school are…two sub systems, oriented toward the status quo, will foster attitudes, values, and skills necessary for maintenance of existing social, economic, and political structures and processes.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 238)
Do we want to maintain these systems? Are they working for us? What should stay and what should change? Do we like the status quo? So many questions come up for me, there are some things that I like about the way things are but they do not work for everyone in society. How do we make changes that benefit the many? Can we solely rely on school and family to make these changes?
“Emphasizing obedience and passive acceptance of relations interwoven in bureaucratic structure, the hidden curriculum functions as a form of social control.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 240)
So what?? What happens if we do not teach social norms? Maybe it is going overboard calling it social control. Maybe not! It may depend on what is being taught.
“Emphasis on behavioral objectives to a denial of human creativity – a refusal to see human beings as reflective agents of change. Refusal to deal constructively with change and reinforcement of the status quo are characteristics of the technical curriculum model.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 240)
I can see how someone may view this model that way and it can inhibit creativity but it can also allow someone to master their creativity by giving them the skills and understanding for them to bring their creation to fruition and functionality.
“Focusing on the student as a creator of meaning, as one who is actively engaged in the process of intellectual growth, some educators have turned to interpretive rationality as a basis for curriculum development.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 242)
I think that having students help to develop the curriculum is a wonderful idea but some skills need to be taught to students for them to then continue on with what they want to learn. I think about a sewing class that has students determining what they want to sew without know how to sew. This would be absolute chaos and I think many students would not learn very much from this experience. However, if you did this with a senior class you would have far more success.
“…Foucauldian question: How do practices to discover the truth about ourselves impact on our lives?” (Lather, 1989, pg. 254)
This is an interesting question. Does it make us happier, knowing and understanding ourselves or do we find challenges in things that we never did before?
References
Lather, P. (1989). Commentary to section on critical inquiry. In F. H. Hultgren & D. L. Coomer (Eds.), Alternate modes of inquiry in home economics research. Yearbook 9, American Home Economics Association, (pp. 251-254)
Baldwin, E. E. (1989). A critique of home economics in secondary schools. In F. H. Hultgren & D. L. Coomer (Eds.), Alternate modes of inquiry in home economics research. Yearbook 9, American Home Economics Association, (pp. 236-250). Peoria, IL: Glencoe Publishing Company.
Dogmatic - Relating to, characteristic of, or resulting from dogma
dogmatic. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 15 2013
from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dogmatic
dogma - A doctrine or a corpus of doctrines relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth in an authoritative manner by a church.
dogma. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 15 2013
from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dogma
Banking concept – “viewing students’ action merely in terms of receiving, filing, and storing deposits for future use” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 241)
Metatheory - A theory devised to analyze theoretical systems.
metatheory. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. (2003). Retrieved November 15 2013
from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/metatheory
Quotes
“Brown and Paolucci (1979) mission statement make it clear that home economics should “enable families, both as individual units and generally as a social institution, to build and maintain systems of action which lead (1) to maturing in individual self-formation and (2) to enlightened, cooperative participation in the critique and formulation of social goals and the means for accomplishing them” (pg. 23)” (Bladwin, 1989, pg. 237)
I found this to be interesting to know what the mission statement of home economics is. Sounds very progressive and easily altered to change with the times.
“drawing upon the substantive content of home economics, it is concerned with the content and processes of education which develop students’ cognitive, linguistic, and interactive competence and their emotional and motivational maturity.” (Brown, 1980) taken from (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 237)
This seems like a tall order to fill for teachers who experience shrinking resources and numbers. I find it very interesting that many people do not see the value and the importance of this program when it is able to teach so many skills and competences simultaneously.
“the family and the school are…two sub systems, oriented toward the status quo, will foster attitudes, values, and skills necessary for maintenance of existing social, economic, and political structures and processes.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 238)
Do we want to maintain these systems? Are they working for us? What should stay and what should change? Do we like the status quo? So many questions come up for me, there are some things that I like about the way things are but they do not work for everyone in society. How do we make changes that benefit the many? Can we solely rely on school and family to make these changes?
“Emphasizing obedience and passive acceptance of relations interwoven in bureaucratic structure, the hidden curriculum functions as a form of social control.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 240)
So what?? What happens if we do not teach social norms? Maybe it is going overboard calling it social control. Maybe not! It may depend on what is being taught.
“Emphasis on behavioral objectives to a denial of human creativity – a refusal to see human beings as reflective agents of change. Refusal to deal constructively with change and reinforcement of the status quo are characteristics of the technical curriculum model.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 240)
I can see how someone may view this model that way and it can inhibit creativity but it can also allow someone to master their creativity by giving them the skills and understanding for them to bring their creation to fruition and functionality.
“Focusing on the student as a creator of meaning, as one who is actively engaged in the process of intellectual growth, some educators have turned to interpretive rationality as a basis for curriculum development.” (Baldwin, 1989, pg. 242)
I think that having students help to develop the curriculum is a wonderful idea but some skills need to be taught to students for them to then continue on with what they want to learn. I think about a sewing class that has students determining what they want to sew without know how to sew. This would be absolute chaos and I think many students would not learn very much from this experience. However, if you did this with a senior class you would have far more success.
“…Foucauldian question: How do practices to discover the truth about ourselves impact on our lives?” (Lather, 1989, pg. 254)
This is an interesting question. Does it make us happier, knowing and understanding ourselves or do we find challenges in things that we never did before?
References
Lather, P. (1989). Commentary to section on critical inquiry. In F. H. Hultgren & D. L. Coomer (Eds.), Alternate modes of inquiry in home economics research. Yearbook 9, American Home Economics Association, (pp. 251-254)
Baldwin, E. E. (1989). A critique of home economics in secondary schools. In F. H. Hultgren & D. L. Coomer (Eds.), Alternate modes of inquiry in home economics research. Yearbook 9, American Home Economics Association, (pp. 236-250). Peoria, IL: Glencoe Publishing Company.