ABSTRACT SPRING, MARK JEREMY. Teaching a Practical Philosophy of Mind: Design, Rationale, & Illustration of a Philosophy-Based ELA Curriculum Model. (Under the direction of Drs. Angela Wiseman and Ruie Pritchard). This study presents an intricate design and illustration of a high school ELA curriculum model conceived to help students improve their critical thinking and interpretation skills. The model is infused with philosophy-based exercises that prompt students to closely examine their thinking as part of their ELA coursework. Writings by the early pragmatist philosophers, reader response theorist Louise Rosenblatt, and critical thinking scholars provide fine-grained analyses of reading, writing, and thinking, all of which inform the design for each model stage. The final two chapters of this study feature close examination of the model in action. I use qualitative content analysis to peruse 70 artifacts created by ten students who were immersed in the ELA curriculum model’s connected stages. I report my findings in three layers of analysis: close study of the teacher’s perspective; detailed analysis of a student’s complete learning arc; and comparison and contrast of artifacts that all ten study participants created throughout the course. The findings of this study provide a foundation for answering two research questions, the first concerning how high school ELA teachers can guide students to develop a practical philosophy of mind, and the second concerning how student work displays critical thinking and interpretation. These findings provide a foundation for curriculum design and open a path for focused research on how teachers in ELA and across disciplines can use studies of critical thinking, reader response, and pragmatism to create standards-aligned exercises that spark critical thinking, interpretation, and development of a practical philosophy of mind. Teaching a Practical Philosophy of Mind: Design, Rationale, & Illustration of a Philosophy- Based ELA Curriculum Model by Mark Jeremy Spring A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Curriculum and Instruction Raleigh, North Carolina 2020 APPROVED BY: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Dr. Angela M. Wiseman Dr. Ruie J. Pritchard Co-Chair of Advisory Committee Co-Chair of Advisory Committee ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Dr. Margareta M. Thomson Dr. Michael J. Maher ii DEDICATION I dedicate this study to my mother, who read to me from my first year of life and with whom I read my first books; to my father, whose constant intellectual companionship and warm, steady support buoyed me throughout many years of graduate study; to my 11th-grade English teacher, Dr. Marcia Swenson-Davis, whose visionary teaching inspired my life’s work; and to my daughter, who frequently asked about my progress on the “prehistoric dinosaur,” a.k.a., the Ph.D. Maeve, I am pleased to report some surprising news: dinosaurs live! iii BIOGRAPHY Mark Jeremy Spring has worked as a teacher of English, creative writing, philosophy, social studies, and psychology since 2000. He chose to become a teacher in belief that students’ mastery of reading, rhetorical analysis, and writing is essential for the health of American society: students’ collective critical-thinking and creativity skills will eventually form the backbone and power the imagination of the country. A citizenry that can deeply contemplate the panoramic worlds of novels, skillfully analyze the subtleties of poetry and rhetoric, and ably reproduce or surpass the richness of films and paintings in the inner theater of imagination will prove resistant to deception, remain poised amidst complexity, show courage in adversity, and use patience and reason in the midst of inspired endeavors. Spring is fascinated by the intersection of English literature with the fields of psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience, and he draws ideas from each of these fields in the lessons and units he designs for his students. He presents this dissertation as a synthesis of literature from across these disciplines in hope of making abstract ideas useful to students. He believes that teachers can position themselves to serve as conduits that connect the voices of advanced researchers and writers to the minds of a full spectrum of students, thereby helping to establish a cycle of cross-generational and multidisciplinary communication. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I have drawn inspiration and fulfillment from a vibrant community of mentors, colleagues, family members, and friends. This dissertation reflects the richness and depth of conversations I have enjoyed with people who stoked my motivation and helped me to discover ever-clearer forms of my project. It is my pleasure to consider those people here and express to them my heartfelt thanks. Dr. Ruie Pritchard strongly endorsed my application to the doctoral program, nominated me for a fellowship that enabled me to commit full-time to graduate school for two years, and helped me focus my investigations into philosophy of mind through her cogent suggestions about how to structure my research and organize my essay. She gave excellent advice, too, in helping me to navigate my course selection and sequencing throughout my time in the doctoral program. In retrospect, I do not know how I would have brought so many of my ideas into communicable form without her prompting and feedback on many drafts of this dissertation. Ruie, thank you for your patience, vision, and wisdom. I am fortunate that I met Dr. Angela Wiseman early in my doctoral studies. Dr. Wiseman devised a superb course on literacy that altered the course of my work at N. C. State, helping me to establish a clear link of my previous work in philosophy and education to the literacy theory developed by the pragmatist writer Louise Rosenblatt. Dr. Wiseman’s class provided me with essential experiences and materials that helped me to form the foundation of my research. Dr. Wiseman became my first dissertation committee member—and eventually the committee co- Chair—and for many years she offered crucial guidance that helped me to profoundly improve every aspect of my study. Her thoughtful, timely advice and encouragement shaped my work at every turn in this long process. Angela, thank you for your wisdom, devotion, and vision. v Dr. Michael Maher inspired me through his example of passionate leadership and devotion to teaching, not only in the memorable and impactful class he taught on pedagogy, but in his work as leader of the teacher training program at N. C. State. Dr. Maher’s blend of steady, kind collegiality and volcanic enthusiasm for his work awoke in me an even deeper sense of commitment to my own projects and to the larger community of schools across our state and nation. Dr. Maher, thank you for your fire, your integrity, and your follow-through. Your spirit propelled me to complete this dissertation. Dr. Margareta Thomson designed a brilliant course, “Emotion and Motivation,” which provided me with a chance to profoundly deepen my understanding of my own work. Dr. Thomson called forth my earnestness, exuberance, and grit through her combination of brilliance, intensity, and love for her research. In her energetic presence and in response to the readings she selected for our class, I conceived a model of the emotional and motivational systems that power people to acquire and apply a practical philosophy of mind. For the duration of my career, I will continue thinking about the important subjects Dr. Thomson introduced in her course. Margareta, thank you for your creativity, your insistence on high standards of writing and research, and your mentorship. Prior to my enrollment in the doctoral program at N. C. State, Dr. Michael Grimwood, Dr. Thomas Hester, and the poets John Balaban, Dorianne Laux, and Peter Makuck at N. C. State helped me to strengthen my grasp of literary analysis and creative writing throughout my studies in N. C. State’s M.F.A. program. I am forever grateful for their contributions to my life. Professors at Ohio University and the University of Toledo helped me to find my way to the M.F.A and doctoral programs at N. C. State. Dr. Ralph Martin, Dr. George Hartley, Dr. Joan Safran, and the poet Mark Halliday provided wonderful mentorship and crucial support during vi my years in Athens. During my undergraduate years at the University of Toledo, I first learned about pragmatism and became a much stronger writer and researcher, especially under the guidance of Dr. James Campbell, Dr. Thomas Barden, Dr. David Stern, Dr. Charles Blatz, and the poet Joel Lipman. To all of my mentors in Athens and Toledo, I offer my continuing and profound gratitude. This dissertation reflects my latest response to Dr. Marcia Swenson-Davis’s call to lead a life of critical and creative thinking. The year-long high school course she designed and taught in literature, language, and composition changed my approach to reading, writing, thinking, and living. In many ways, the curriculum model I present in this study and which I have developed in my classrooms over the past twenty years stems from lessons and experiences I gained in Dr. Swenson-Davis’s class in the 1990-1991 school year at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. Marcia, thank you for your belief in me and especially for your lifelong commitment to the field of teaching. Your passion and vision live on in my service to students. The longer I have taught at the high school and college levels, the more I have come to understand the profound importance of early childhood education and experience. I may owe my life in reading and scholarship to the choices my mother made to read to me from early in my first year of life, coaching me enthusiastically through all of my school years to love books. She did this for me before any large-scale studies or experiments showed to us the vital importance of literacy and language experiences in the first three years of life.