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ABSTRACT John Dewey and Mortimer Adler on Curriculum, Teaching, and the Purpose of Schooling: How Their Views Can be Incorporated Within a Christian Philosophy of Education Claudiu Cimpean Ed.D. Mentor: J. Wesley Null Ph.D. In this dissertation, I explore the topics of curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling in the philosophies of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler. The work evaluates the educational philosophies of these two prominent thinkers for internal consistency, and then evaluates the two philosophers from a Christian perspective. This study also seeks to incorporate their views on curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling within a Christian educational philosophy. Finally, the project includes a practical, forward- looking aspect that connects the study to contemporary topics in curriculum, teaching, and schooling in the United States. The thesis of this dissertation is that the philosophies of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler with regard to curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling cannot be integrated fully into each other, but some of their views can be incorporated within a Christian philosophy of education. This dissertation does not attempt to synthesize the philosophies of Dewey and Adler as a whole; Dewey’s pragmatism and Adler’s Neo-Aristotelianism are rooted in opposing as well as irreconcilable metaphysical, epistemological, and axiological conceptions. These differences render impossible any attempt to synthesize their views into one another. Both thinkers, however, promote specific ideas regarding curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling that can be incorporated into Christian education. Thus, this study will first evaluate these conceptions from a Christian perspective and then will include only those aspects of Dewey’s and Adler’s views that are compatible with Christianity. John Dewey And Mortimer Adler On Curriculum, Teaching, And The Purpose Of Schooling: How Their Views Can Be Incorporated Within A Christian Philosophy Of Education by Claudiu Cimpean, B.A., M.S.Ed. A Dissertation Approved by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction ___________________________________ Larry J. Browning, Ed.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Approved by the Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ J. Wesley Null, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Michael D. Beaty, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Larry J. Browning, Ed.D. ___________________________________ Perry L. Glanzer, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Tony L. Talbert, Ed.D. Accepted by the Graduate School August 2008 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2008 by Claudiu Cimpean All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vi DEDICATION viii CHAPTER ONE 1 Introduction 1 Statement of the Problem 2 Rationale, Assumptions, and Research Methodology 3 Review of Existing Research 10 A Christian Perspective: A Standard for Evaluation 15 Christian Metaphysics 19 Christian Epistemology 23 Conclusion 28 CHAPTER TWO 31 John Dewey on Curriculum, Teaching, and the Purpose of Schooling 31 John Dewey’s Quest for Unity: A Journey through Idealism 31 Pragmatism: The Culmination of John Dewey’s Philosophy 43 Democracy: A Pragmatic Purpose for Schooling 50 Human Occupations: A Means of Promoting Democracy 57 John Dewey on Teaching 61 John Dewey on Curriculum 70 Conclusion 76 CHAPTER THREE 78 Mortimer Adler on Curriculum, Teaching, and the Purpose of Schooling 78 iii Neo-Aristotelian Philosophy: Mortimer Adler’s Foundation for Schooling 80 Mortimer Adler on the Myth of Perennial Progress 81 Philosophy vs. Science: Which is More Useful? 84 Democracy: Mortimer Adler’s Purpose of Schooling 85 Schooling: A Means of Promoting Democracy 91 Mortimer Adler on Teaching: Seminar, Coaching, and Didactic Instruction 94 The Seminar Method of Teaching 96 The Coaching Method of Teaching 102 The Didactic Method of Teaching 108 Mortimer Adler on Curriculum 115 English Language and Literature 122 Mathematics 125 Social Studies 128 Manual Arts 134 Conclusion 136 CHAPTER FOUR 138 A Christian Evaluation of Dewey and Adler with Regard to Curriculum, Teaching, and the Purpose of Schooling 138 A Christian Perspective on the Purpose of Schooling 139 Democracy: A Means of Serving and Loving God 149 A Christian Perspective on Curriculum 154 A Christian Perspective on Teaching 160 A Christian Evaluation of John Dewey’s Views on Curriculum, Teaching, and the Purpose of Schooling 166 A Christian Evaluation of John Dewey’s Views on the Purpose of Schooling 166 iv A Christian Evaluation of John Dewey’s Views on Curriculum 170 A Christian Evaluation of John Dewey’s Views on Teaching 174 A Christian Evaluation of Mortimer Adler’s Views on the Purpose of Schooling 182 A Christian Evaluation of Mortimer Adler’s Views on Curriculum 185 Conclusion 191 CHAPTER FIVE 196 Integrating and Applying the Views of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler on Curriculum, Teaching, and the Purpose of Schooling 196 Integrating the Views of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler 197 Integrating John Dewey’s Views on the Purpose of Schooling Within a Christian Perspective 197 Integrating Mortimer Adler’s Views on the Purpose of Schooling Within a Christian Perspective 202 Integrating John Dewey’s Views on Curriculum Within a Christian Perspective 206 Integrating Mortimer Adler’s Views on Curriculum Within a Christian Perspective 210 Integrating John Dewey’s Views on Teaching Within a Christian Perspective 213 Integrating Mortimer Adler’s Views on Teaching Within a Christian Perspective 216 Applying the Christian Philosophy of Education Developed in this Work 222 Conclusion 228 BIBLIOGRAPHY 229 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a dissertation is not a solitary endeavor, rather it is an activity that includes the participation of various individuals: educators, family members, friends, and colleagues. They all bring a substantial contribution alongside the author to the realization of the dissertation project, and they all deserve the author’s gratitude. I am thankful not only for their contribution to the intellectual development of this work, but also for being welcomed into their lives, and for having established relationships that, I hope, will last for a life time. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. J. Wesley Null, my mentor, Dissertation Chair, and Professor. I appreciate your commitment to constantly improve yourself and your students. That sometimes requires criticism. You have been a harsh but a fair critic, and for that I am grateful. You have known how to motivate me, and how to keep me on task, to use your own words. Also, I thank you for encouraging me to find my own voice in the teaching profession, even though this has often led to us disagreeing with regard to educational matters. Finally, thank you for contaminating me with the passion for teaching. I would like to address a special thank you to Dr. Betty Conaway, my Graduate Advisor and Professor. It was Dr. Conaway, who encouraged me to pursue doctoral studies at Baylor University. For that, I will be always grateful. Thanks to my professors and peers for their role in shaping, challenging, and strengthening both my intellect and character. vi I am also grateful to the members of my dissertation committee: Dr. Michael Beaty, Dr. Larry J. Browning, Dr. Perry L. Glanzer, and Dr. Tony L. Talbert. Thank you for accepting to work with me, and for your insights and challenges that have contributed to the improvement of my dissertation. A special thanks goes to my parents, who have always challenged me to further my education. I thank them for their prayers, and unconditional love and support. I thank them for their wisdom in raising me. They knew how to encourage my development into an individual who is intellectually independent. I also thank them for instilling in me strong moral habits. Without these traits, I would have never been able to accomplish what I have. I would also like to thank my friends. I am especially grateful to Dr. Ioan Stir and his wife Mihaela for helping me come to Baylor, and for their support throughout my graduate studies. I would also thank John and Diana Tomoiaga, and Sergiu Tofanel, my friends from Waco. I will cherish their friendship for the rest of my life. My graduate studies were indeed challenging, but also fulfilling. I have grown both personally and professionally. I am grateful for my experiences at Baylor, which I will treasure as long as I live. vii To Ioan and Raveca, my parents viii CHAPTER ONE Introduction This dissertation explores the topics of curriculum, teaching methods, and the purpose of schooling in the philosophies of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler. The work evaluates the educational philosophies of these two prominent thinkers for internal consistency, and then evaluates the two philosophers from a Christian perspective. This study also seeks to include their views on curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling within a Christian worldview. Finally, the project includes a practical, forward-looking aspect that connects the study to contemporary topics in curriculum, teaching, and schooling in the United States. The thesis of this dissertation is that the philosophies of John Dewey and Mortimer Adler with regard to curriculum, teaching, and the purpose of schooling cannot be integrated fully into each other, but
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