Citizenship: Alternative Definitions

This paper describes and evaluates how Horace Mann, John Dewey, and Mortimer Adler would define and structure citizenship education in today's world and also discusses their primary concerns.

There is a common thread which runs through all three educational philosophers: the concept should be available to all.

The early-nineteenth century experienced, both in Europe and the United States, the growth and development of ideas which saw popular education as an instrument of the national state. Most of these systems attempted to grant this power of reading, writing, and arithmetic; and most viewed the vital factor to be in assuring the employment of this power for the good of the state in patriotic education. Consequently, this concept in America must be thought of as only one component of a wider movement toward education for national, as opposed to purely religious or personal, objectives.

And so the question has been and still is: How can the school teach patriotism or citizenship education without teaching some type' of political creed? Once again, the answer was one of teaching values while retaining the common character of the school; or in other words, keeping the school available to all. Horace Mann had the following thoughts on this subject, which was an object of study quite close to his heart.

In Mann's Twelfth Annual Report he states: "The very terms, Public School, and Common School, bear upon their face, that they are school

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inquiry; and in modern times, philosophy has adopted a scientific viewpoint. Dewey had the belief that knowledge must be employed concretely and experimentally for the improvement of humanity. Consequently, Dewey emphasized the high importance of the values of cooperation, open-mindedness, and the dignity of the individual--a very ethical and quite humanistic approach. Very much like Horace Mann, Dewey was in favor of the public school. And so, in contemporary times, Dewey would take the position that public schools are the preferable approach toward obtaining citizenship education. To Dewey, the school is not a prelude to life; instead, it represents a society in miniature. The classroom is an ideal place in which to learn democracy because a student can learn cooperation and participation in group work. According to Dewey, students grow as they participate, and as they work out together common difficulties and common problems. Dewey was a strong believer in lifelong learning. Education does not cease with graduation, for life is to be our teacher, and we must generate a better society. The individual and society are not adversaries of one another due to the fact that a human being is a social animal and discovers exp

Category: Government - C