Analyzing Teacher-Student Relationships in the Life and Thought of William James to Inform Educators Today DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Julia Teal Novakowski, M.Ed, MA Graduate Program in Educational Studies The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee: Bryan Warnick, Advisor Jackie Blount Antoinette Errante Copyrighted by Julia Teal Novakowski 2019 Abstract Enriching teacher-student relationships is timely considering the increase in school violence, the changing demographics in schools, and the fact that educational aims focused on high-stakes testing often ignore relationships. When applying philosophy to teacher-student relationships, we must ask both whose voices are missing from our current conversation and how we can apply their insights to improve education. While philosophers such as John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Nel Noddings have all contributed to that conversation, William James’s philosophy and pedagogy provide a unique perspective on teacher-student relationships that is largely absent within the field of philosophy of education. In this dissertation, I explore the relationship between the philosophy of James, his personality, and the productive relationships he had with students. I suggest that there is a link between his pragmatism, pluralism, and psychology, and the way he interacted with students. His philosophy can be evaluated from its actual effects in the world and by how it changes us as individuals. I suggest that the cash value, or impact in real life, of James’s philosophy in the context of education, plays out in particular forms of relationships of openness, experimentation, curiosity about others, spontaneity, and communication. ii Dedication I would like to dedicate this dissertation to the first two philosophers I knew, my parents. I would also like to dedicate this to my family; my brother Max, my husband Scott, and my dogs Riley and Hank. I also dedicate this work to anyone who has become academically engaged in the scholarship of William James and has found a historical friend in the sea of educational research. This is also dedicated to all of the teachers I have had and all of the students who have taught me. iii Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge Deb Zabloudil for being one of the first people I spoke with at Ohio State. She was my guide and sage in the navigational process to beginning my academic journey. I would like to acknowledge and thank my advisor Bryan Warnick for his patience, support, time, insight, and kindness. I would like to acknowledge my committee and professors Jackie Blount, whose critiques were thoughtful and supportive, and Antoinette Errante, whose critical lens pushed my thinking. I would like to thank all my colleagues whose office banter sharpened my argumentative skills. I would also like to thank Bruce Kimball for pushing me academically to engage in historical scholarship in the history of education, which led me to discover William James. I would like to thank the Graduate School for providing me the opportunity and funding to engage in meaningful scholarship at Ohio State. I would like to acknowledge the support of my family throughout my academic journey, and my husband for his unwavering support. iv Vita June 2004 ……………………………………Albert Einstein High School, Maryland 2008…………………………………………. B.A. History, University of Maryland 2009…………………………………………. M.Ed Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland 2009-2014……………………………………Social Studies Teacher, Maryland 2014-2017…………………………………… Graduate Teaching Associate, Educational Studies, The Ohio State University 2017…………………………………………..M.A. Educational Studies, The Ohio State University Publications Novakowski, Julia. “Revisiting Pluralism and Multiculturalism in the works of William James and W.E.B. Du Bois for Guidance in Education Today.” Philosophical Studies in Education. Ohio Valley Philosophy of Education Society. 49. (2018) 47-57. Novakowski, Julia. “A Second Wind for Philosophy of Education; The Application of The Energies of Men by William James.” Philosophical Studies in Education. Ohio Valley Philosophy of Education Society. 48. (2017) 96-106. Fields of Study Major Field: Educational Studies v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Understanding the Relevance of Teacher-Student Relationships in Education Today .................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of this Study..................................................................................................... 10 Literature Review: James and Education ...................................................................... 16 Structure of Dissertation by Chapter ............................................................................. 27 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 2: Analyzing Teacher-Student Relationships in Philosophy of Education ......... 32 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 32 Part I: Analyzing Teacher-Student Relationships through the Philosophy of John Dewey............................................................................................................................ 35 John Dewey on Teacher-Student Relationships ........................................................ 35 Teacher as Sympathetic Observer ............................................................................. 37 The Teacher-Student Relationship as Democratic Community/Participation and Meliorism................................................................................................................... 45 The Teacher-Student Relationship Focused on Experience and Environment ......... 47 Conclusion and Shortcomings of John Dewey .......................................................... 52 Part II: Analyzing Teacher-Student Relationships through the Philosophy of Paulo Freire ............................................................................................................................. 56 Freire on Teacher-Student Relationships .................................................................. 56 Teacher as Student-Liberator ..................................................................................... 58 The Teacher-Student Relationship as a Solution to Banking; Liberation, Problem- Posing, and Humanizing Pedagogies......................................................................... 61 Conclusion and Shortcomings of Freire .................................................................... 69 Part III: Analyzing Teacher-Student Relationships through the Philosophy of Nel Noddings ....................................................................................................................... 71 Nel Noddings on Teacher-Student Relationships ...................................................... 71 Teacher as Carer: Feminist Perspectives and Moral Theory ..................................... 72 Teacher as “Carer”: Criteria and Reciprocal Relationship ........................................ 75 Deconstructing the Reciprocal Relationship; Asymmetry and Responsiveness ....... 81 Happiness in Education and Democracy ................................................................... 86 Conclusion and Shortcomings of Noddings .............................................................. 89 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 90 Chapter 3: Analyzing Teacher-Student Relationships in the Life of William James ....... 91 Introduction: .................................................................................................................. 91 Part I: Educating William James: The Childhood and Development of James’s Education with a Focus on Teacher-Student Relationships. ......................................... 93 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 93 vi The Education of William James ............................................................................... 95 Freedom ..................................................................................................................... 98 Experience as Teacher (Social Activity As Teacher) .............................................. 103 Connecting with the Authentic Self; Emotion as Educator; Life and Death ........... 104 Areligious as Educative/