My Intro Letter for Modern Educational Theory

[I'm teaching a twice-a-week class on Modern Educational Theory this year to a (mostly) senior class. Here's my intro letter....]

To the students of Modern Educational Theory,

The American student spends approximately 16,000 hours in compulsory schooling from Kindergarten to 12th Grade, and while students can learn an incredible amount about the subjects we study, there is very little learned about the institution of school itself. So this class, then, is an attempt to turn the lens inward and study the societal construct that is school itself.

We will look at the educational movements of the 20th Century and early 21st Century in an attempt both to understand how we have gotten to this moment in time and how we may move forward to create the schools our society needs -- whatever we may decide that to be.

The class will feature a fair amount of shared readings of educational theory, and we will also look at the mass media portrayal of the American high school as well as following how the blogosphere has changed the way students, parents and educators talk about school. I'm hoping to line up guest speakers from a variety of educational perspectives to talk to us about their ideas as well. My expectations for you are that you do the pre-readings so that our discussions can be lively and spirited, and that you come to class willing to engage with the ideas of the other members of class, even when (especially when?) they challenge your own ideas. My goals for this course are for us to challenge the assumptions we come to school with and for all of us to deepen our understanding of what school can be.

Yours truly,

Mr. Lehmann