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Trust Children: an Analysis of Four Democratic Schools

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Trust Children: an Analysis of Four Democratic Schools TRUST CHILDREN: AN ANALYSIS OF FOUR DEMOCRATIC SCHOOLS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT EMERGED A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the Department of Graduate and Professional Studies in Education California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Education (Special Education) by Chase Baginski SPRING 2019 © 2019 Chase Baginski ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii TRUST CHILDREN:AN ANALYSIS OF FOUR DEMOCRATIC SCHOOLS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT EMERGED A Thesis by Chase Baginski Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Elva Duran, Ph. D. __________________________________, Second Reader Rachael A. Gonzales, Ed. D. _________________ Date iii Student: Chase Baginski I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator___________________ Albert Lozano, Ph.D. Date Department of Graduate and Professional Studies in Education iv Abstract of TRUST CHILDREN: AN ANALYSIS OF FOUR DEMOCRATIC SCHOOLS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT EMERGED by Chase Baginski If teachers in the 21st century desire to create a critical impact on their students and democracy, then they must strive to make their classrooms more democratically centered. They must actively cultivate an experience within their classroom that fosters democracy for their students, allowing them to live and practice democracy from an early age. Democratic Education teaches students to be socially responsible and active citizens by allowing them to balance a greater amount of freedom and responsibility, preparing them for their roles as active and civic adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the guiding principles of four democratic schools, compare their similarities, and to make recommendations for public school teachers who are interested in creating a more democratically centered classroom based on those similarities. The study examined the following four schools: Summerhill School (1921), Sudbury Valley School (1968), Windsor House School (1971,) and Lehman Alternative Community School (1974). v While it would be impossible for public school teachers to fully turn their classroom into a mini-democratic school, it is possible for them to implement strategies to increase democracy, especially in the vein of freedom and responsibility, in their classrooms. This range of strategies includes anything from rearranging the desk and tables in a classroom, to implementing Genius hours, cooperative learning, student- centered learning, and the use of UDL. If an educator wants to know if a strategy or action is going to move their class in a more democratic direction, all they have to do is ask “Is this going to offer my student more freedom in the class within the context of responsibility?” If yes, then that educator is moving towards democracy. _______________________, Committee Chair Elva Duran, Ph.D. _______________________ Date vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the countless early weekend mornings and late weekday nights I spent away from my family to work on this document. I am forever in awe of my family’s unconditional love and acceptance of those lost hours in hopes of a better future. Kymber, my love, you are an inspiration and the adventure of my life. Boys, I love you, and I can now spend Saturday morning with you making waffles. I would also like to acknowledge the generosity, creativity, and continuous guidance of Dr. Gonzales. Without her help, my thesis would have never made the leap from my brain and onto paper. She saw the potential in my ideas, added new perspective constantly, and read and reread every draft and revision. Her encouragement, deadlines, and constant reminder to “breathe” were the only reason I reached the end of this project. I would also like to thank Dr. Duran for her open door, honest opinion, and encouragement. Her advice was always direct, helping me to find a clear path to success. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements………………,,,…………………………………………………. vii List of Tables……………………...……………………………………………….......x Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………………..…………….…………………………….………1 Background of the Problem…………………………………………….…..…... 2 Statement of the Research Problem….....……….………………….………..…..4 Methodology………………………………………………………………….….5 Definition of Terms.……………………………….………………….…………6 Justification……………………………………...……………….………………6 Limitations………………………………………………...……………….…….7 2. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY….…………………………………………….. 8 Waves of Democratic Education……..……………………………..…..……….9 Korkmaz and Erden’s Characteristic of Democratic Education…………...…...13 Critical Researchers in the Field of Democratic Education………...…….……15 viii Conclusion……………….…..…………………………………………………20 3. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………...…..….. 22 Criteria Selection…………………………..………………….……..…..……..24 Selection of Schools………...……………….……………….….……….….....27 Data Collected Per School……….………..….…….…………………..………28 Conclusion………………………………………..……..……………………...40 4. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS……...………………………………..42 Recommendations for Increased Democracy…..………………………………44 Conclusion…………………………………….………………………..………56 REFERNCES………………………………………...…………………………..…….59 ix LIST OF TABLES Tables Page 1. Democratic Categories Identified by Korkmaz and Erden………...…………...14 2. Gray’s Six Optimizing Conditions for Self-Directed Learning……………......19 3. Condensed Characteristics of Four Democratic Schools………………..…......25 4. Crucial Recurring Democratic Themes…………………………………...……40 5. Technology for Increasing Freedom and Responsibility………………..……...53 x 1 Chapter 1 Introduction What is democracy? While first appearing as a simple question with a simple answer, individuals have different personal connotations attached to the word which complicates the meaning. Most commonly, democracy is defined as a “government by the people; especially : rule of the majority” and “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections” (Democracy, para. 1, 2018). While this definition rings true, democracy encompasses more than a process of government; it is also a set of values and principles which help to create the foundations for a democratic way of life. These values guide citizens through their decisions and their interactions with others within their community. According to Dewey, if individuals wish to secure their democratic way of life, then they must be given the chance to practice and learn about democratic principles early on in life (1916a). Democratic principles may even need to be practiced as early as childhood. One extreme opportunity for individuals to practice democracy as children is called Democratic Education. When students spend roughly a quarter of their childhood in a classroom which does not give them a chance to participate in its governance, proponents of Democratic Education ask how can we expect them to grow up and meaningfully participate in a democracy. Instead, proponents of Democratic Education propose a classroom where students learn to be civically active democratic citizens where 2 they are allowed to have an equal say in the governance and operation of the school and their overall education. Background of the Problem Traditional schools and methods of education offer limited chances for students to practice democracy, a limited range of accepted and “official” school knowledge, and limited opportunities for students to be active in the making of their own education (Apple & Beane, 2007). The education theorist Paulo Freire referred to this method of education in his powerful book Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970) as the banking model of education. He stated: The teacher[‘s]...task is to ‘fill” the students with the content of his narration-- contents which are detached from reality, disconnected from the totality that engendered them and could give them significance...it turns [students] into ‘containers,’ into “receptacles’ to be ‘filled’ by the teacher...Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor...this is the ‘banking’ concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filling, and storing the deposits (p. 74). The banking model of education produces individuals who meet the needs of the current economic system-- individuals who consume, cooperate smoothly, who are standardized, who can be easily influenced, and who are easily filled and manipulated. Proponents of Democratic Education seek to reverse the impact of the traditional method of education. According to Apple and Beane, “A democratic curriculum invites young people to shed the passive role of knowledge consumers and assume the active role of meaning makers” (2007, p. 7). Democratic Education encourages students to be active in their own understanding of the world, in their school’s decisions, in their community, and in their 3 own education. This form of education shapes individuals who are more active in the shaping of their own life and their world. Democratic Education encompasses both the end goal and the method of education. Students who attend a democratic school learn to be socially responsible and active citizens, but they also participate in a method of education where
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