Newberg, Norman TITLE Education for Student Concerns: Affective Education Research Project
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 106 791 95 CS 001 833 AUTHOR Horton, Terry; Newberg, Norman TITLE Education for Student Concerns: Affective Education Research Project. INSTITUTION Philadelphia School District, Pa. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 72 NOTE 208p. EDRS PRICE HF-80.76 HC- $10.78 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS *Communication (Thought Transfer); *Connunications; *Curriculum Development; *Humanistic Education; Individual Development; Models; Relevance (Education); Secondary Education; Self Actualization; Self Concept; Student Development; Student Interests; *Urban Studies; Values IDENTIFIERS Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I; ESEA Title I .ABSTRACT The theoretical section of this paper briefly suggests why a period of drastic social change demands a curriculum which is more relevant to the concerns of students and presents an information processing model of man as the basis on which to develop such a curriculum. A rationale for teaching particular processes (rather than specific content) is developed, and a model sequence is outlined, as is a model for teaching a particular lesson or lessons.. Two courses built on these models are described in lesson plans, one in communications and one in urban affairs. (Author/LL). U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION &WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OP EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO OUCEO EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR 0464%1,41-AMR ORIGIN "A-TINCIT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATEO 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL oNSTs TOTE OF EOUCATION POSITION OR POLICY EDUCATION FOR STUDENT CONCERNS Affective Elicatiso Research Project TENTATIVE IMPLICATED IN NIS FIRM FIR EXPERIMENTAL AND -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPY- EVALUATIVE ISE INLI RIGHTE0 MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION Terry Borton Copyright reserved upon publication for Terry Horton and Norman Newberg Norman Newberg. TO ERIC ANO ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL IN- STITUTE OF EDUCATION FURTHER REPRO- No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, DUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM RE- QUIRES PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT or for any purPose, without written permission of the authors. OWNER_ This material was prepared during projects sponsored by the Hattie AL Strong Foundation: Title I of the United States Elementary and Secondary School Act, 1965, in cooperation with the School District of PhiladelphiaBoard of ?duration. EIZFOLikv,41i$,M11 THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA kr) 1972 2 AFFECTIVE EDUCATION RESEARCH PROJECT Co-directors Norman Newberg Terry Borton Urban Affairs Supervisor Henry Kopp le 3 TO THE TEACHERS OF COMMUNICATIONSAND URBAN AFFAIRS IN THE SECONDARY GRADES: , A Curriculum for Student Concerns supplements and enriches the standard curriculum with material that educates students in the area of feelings, values, and group interaction. The book assumes that there isa direct correlation between a student's academic achievement and his ability to control his environment, his attitudes about himself, and his relationship with other people -- an assumption recently substantiated by the largest study of education ever conducted. This study (THE COLEMAN REPORT) showed that such attitudes had a higher correlation with studentachievement than did the total of all other factors suchas social class, race, family background, school facilities, teacher's education, etc. The book also assumes that since the amount of knowledge is doublingevery ten years, it is impossible to teach all there is to knoir, and hence accepts Jerome Bruner's contention that schools ought to teach the "structure of knowledge." The book supplements this approach by teaching students par- ticular logical and psychological processes with which to gain greatercon- scious control over themselves, their inter-personal relations, and their environment. The theory and practice described in this book have developed over the last three years in the Philadelphia Cooperative Schools Summer Program and in work with the Ford Foundation. During that time there has been a basic shift from an approach which emphasized "turning kids on" by directcon- frontation, to one which explicity teaches the processes through which students can exert some control over their own growth. The 1968 Affective Education Research Project developed approximately forty detailed lesson plans (2 hours each) fOr courses in Communications and Urban Affairs. The' Communications Course concentrates on those processes whichare most important for personal and inter-personal growth. The content of thecourse centers around the study of media (print, films, sculpture, music, etc.) and the study of group interaction. The processes taught include the use of games and simulation to master complicated concepts, the conscious use of dreaming and fantasy, and the conscious use of many different roles within a group. The Urban Affairs course concentrates on those processes which are most important for social growth. The content of the course centers on the student's own neighborhood as a microcosm of the city, and uses it for the basis for studying the way the city does and does not function. Particular processes taught include developing a taxonomy with which to label the city, the use of historical perspective to understand the present crisis, and the escalation and de-escalation of pressure. v 4 The authors are very conscious that curriculum guides soon become law. This book is only a guide -- an approach toward establishinga balance between affective and cognitive learning. We need feedback based on the teachers' experience with these materials in the classroom. This book is experimental. We want your revisions, criticisms, and additions. I. EZRA STAPLES NORMAN A. NEWBERG Associate Superintendent Spec ialist in Affective Development for Instructional Services vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to acknowledge the generous cooperation of several teachers who contributed toward the development of these materials. Communications Course Urban Affairs Course Margaret Spencer Gerald Rosenthal Paula Levin Robert Cohen Cy She low James Campbell Janet Greenwalt William Brown Geraldine Moore Donald Bruce Marc Levin Robert Young Susan Lear We extend our thanks to the following Antioch Co-op Ftudents; Susan Stein, Barry Hock and Ray Rodney who contributed to less n plan development and did many of the ordinary tasks that must be done to a project and finally, to Ellen Pulleyblank for her thoughts on teacher training programs. Norman Newberg Terry Borton 1A vii Ur. CONTENTS Page SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION 1 THE TRUMPET THEORY 3 Diagram 1: Information Processing Model. 4 Diagram 2: Information Processing Model 7 Diagram 3: Information Processing Model 9 A PROCESS LESSON 11 PROCESS COURSES IN URBAN AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS 15 Diagram 4: The Trumpet in the Courses 17 PHILADELPHIA SELF-SURVEY. 19 COMMUNICATIONS COURSE OUTLINE 23 COMMUNICATIONS COURSE LESSON PLANS 33 URBAN AFFAIRS COURSE OUTLINE 125 URBAN AFFAIRS COURSE LESSON PLANS 133 BIBLIOGRAPHY 211 ix 7 SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION The theoretical section of the paper briefly suggests why a period of drastic social change demands a curriculum which is more relevant to the concerns of students, and presents an information processing model of man as the basis on which to develop such a curriculum. A rationale for teaching particular processes (rather than specific content) is developed, and a model sequence is outlined, as is a model for teaching a particular lesson or par- ticular lessons. Two courses built on these models are described in de- tailed lesson plans, one in Communications and one in Urban Affairs. We suggest that the teacher who is beginning these courses fellow the sugges- ted lessons carefully the first time through. They have been tested with a number of other teachers, and we know they can work effectively. But we are not interested inproducingslaves to a new system. We hope that after going through the lessons once and getting the feel of why they are organi- zed as they are, the teacher will take off and by improvising, extracting, re-shaping, and creating he will find his own ways to make process learning meaningful to his students. 1 8 AN INTRODUCTION TO AFFECTIVE EDUCATION COURSES IN COMMUNICATIONS AND URBAN AFFAIRS Our society, our schools:, andour students are convulsed by change. Opposing groups struggle to make educationmore relevant to the tre- mendous pressures with which the society lives. Partof the demand is for changes in leadership. Part is for curriculumcontent which speaks more directly to the very real andnew factors in student life- - the bomb, the pill, the computer, racialuproar. But there is also a powerful thrust to make the educationalprocess more human. The thrust has polemical spokesmen suchas Paul Goodman, Jonathan Kozol, and John Hot; it has activists who have staged protestsat Berkeley, Columbia, and the Philadelphia School AdministrationBuilding; and it has statistical backing from research suchas the massive federal COLEMAN REPORT which showed that attitudes suchas self-concept, sense of control, and interest in school makemore of a difference in how well children achieve academically than doesa combination of all other factors such as home background,race, class size, salary of teachers, etc. If schools are to seriously consider developingprograms which can help students meet the demands of drastic change, andat the same time respect and encourage what is human in them, then theschools must operate