Educational problem concepts and frameworks

Education Theory Case Analysis

Since the earliest history of American public education, primary and secondary schooling has emphasized the rote memorization of subject matter and educational methods that rely primarily on passive, lecture -- and-textbook-based learning. Other aspects of American public education have evolved substantially, especially since the middle of the 20th century. On the other hand, the contemporary American education model has changed comparatively little with respect to the corresponding evolution of modern understanding of human learning, particularly with respect to what cognitive psychologists and education theorists have discovered about the fundamental basis of human learning. Instead of continuing to emphasize rote-memorization of subject matter and passive, lecture-and-textbook-based learning, modern education should incorporate the considerable evidence that a wider range of educational methods and inquiry-based active learning are more conducive to optimizing learning as measured by subject-matter retention.

Identification of the Problem:

In many respects, modern American education has developed tremendously since the days of the proverbial one-room schoolhouse of the nineteenth and early 20th century in which students from several different grades (if not all grades) were combined into a single class. The modern American educational system is highly regulated and well-staffed by teachers who specialize in specific subject matter and/or particular grade levels, a comprehensive administration system, and rich extra-curricular activities and other educational and personal development programs and opportunities.

However, the modern American educational system still relies almost exclusively on rote memorization and other forms of passive, lecture-and-textbook-based learning in which (typically) teachers present lectures on subject matter covered in textbook reading assigned to students. The problem is not necessarily that this method is ineffective for all students; rather, the problem is that this approach to learning is only marginally effective for many students and optimally effective for only a relative minority of students who happen to be most predisposed to process information and learn in that particular way (Gardner, 2000; 2007).

Harvard School of Education educational theorist Howard Gardner first proposed and tested his theory of multiple intelligences twenty years ago in connection with which he has since repeatedly demonstrated the degree to which the current approach to education is not well suited to optimize learning for many students. Gardner has identified eight specific different types of human intelligence, of which only two (linguistic ability and symbolic logic) are nurtured. Meanwhile, students whose greatest learning potential is in six other types of intellectual intelligence are not provided a comparable chance of achieving educational success (Gardner, 2000; 2007).

Gardner suggests that in addition to linguistic and symbolic logic (i.e. mathematics), human learning occurs through the mechanisms of musical intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, spatial intelligence, and both interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence (Gardner, 2000; 2007). Since 1955, the Gardner School of Multiple Intelligences in Vancouver, Washington has implemented Gardner's multiple intelligences-approach to academic instruction and demonstrated in numerous empirical studies the benefits of this educational concept in comparison to the traditional model (Gardner, 2007).

The multiple intelligences approach to education is also consistent with concurrent research into the comparative value of active, inquiry-based learning instead of the traditional passive, lecture-and-textbook-based approach to learning that has dominated American education since its inception (Adams & Hamm, 1994; Gardner, 2000). Similarly, contemporary psychology suggests that the traditional education model largely ignores the evidence of brain-based learning that could also increase the likelihood of optimal academic achievement for many students (Gardner, 2007; Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008).

Issue Analysis:

The optimal solution to the problem would be a system-wide comprehensive reconfiguration of educational methods and materials to incorporate active, inquiry-based learning, brain-based learning, and Gardner's multiple intelligence concept. However, cost considerations and the budgetary realities of public education may limit the degree and manner in which public education can realistically be remodeled, especially in the relatively short-term. Admittedly, wide-scale adoption of the methods and materials used at the Gardner School, for example, would dramatically increase the need for additional teachers, considerable supplemental training of educators, and many of the materials necessary to emphasize every facet of human intelligence equally within the publicly-funded educational system (Gardner, 2000; 2007).

Maximizing the brain-based learning methods identified as being optimally efficient for students likely to benefit more from those changes could be implemented with less comparative increase in the need for more teachers and supplemental instruction for educational professionals. However, other costs (such as the need for more classrooms and other learning areas) may be equally cost-prohibitive, especially on a system-wide basis. Similarly, the educational materials necessary to implement inquiry-based, active learning methods are also beyond the capacity of most public education systems (Adams & Hamm, 1994). Therefore, the most appropriate approach to improving the American education system through incorporation of inquiry-based, active learning, brain-based learning, and Gardner's multiple intelligences would be to design in as many features as possible of each within the constraints of budgetary realities.

Theoretical Approach:

In principle, it would be possible to dramatically improve the American public education system by identifying the specific methods and materials conducive to maximizing learning that could be implemented in the most cost-effective manner. In that regard, traditional educational systems could be readily adapted to include certain elements of Gardner's multiple-intelligence approach to learning on a piecemeal basis; improvements attributable to such changes do not require an all-or-none choice (Gardner, 2000). Likewise, many elements of brain-based learning could be featured through changes in the learning environment without substantial expense even if more comprehensive changes of this type (such as permanent or dedicated alternative classrooms designed to emphasize brain-based learning) would be cost-prohibitive. Finally, while professionally-produced inquiry-based, active learning materials are not within the realistic budget of most public education programs, elements of that approach to learning could also be incorporated into contemporary public education without prohibitive costs (Adams & Hamm, 1994).

Selecting and Implementing a Specific Solution: