The New Republic

Audrey P., James, Kelli, Pam, Robin

1/27/04

 

The New Republic

Lesson Plan

 

Planning Tasks:

Content to be taught: Understanding of Lancasterian school system and the role of schooling during the formation of the New Republic.

 

Objective:

By way of lecture and repetition within a Lancasterian classroom setting, students will learn about the educational contributions of Noah Webster, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Joseph Lancaster regarding multiculturalism, nationalism, and moral reform.  Given instruction, students will be able to answer questions relating to the lessons given at each Lancasterian "station".

 

Conducting the Lesson:

Teacher Roles:

            Headmistress: Robin

            Monitor of Rows 1 and 2: James

            Monitor of Rows 3 and 4: Pam

            Monitor of Rows 5 and 6: Kelli

Props and Supplies:

            Bell

            Logs

            Stickers

            Slapping stick

Room Set-Up:

            On board:  Three Major Tensions in Post Revolutionary Education:

                        Produce virtuous citizens

                        Provide tools for exercise of freedom

                        Enable citizens to select their own moral and political values

            Table in front---Three rows of two columns each

            Poster on board

Row Movement:

            Rows 1 & 2 will march to rows 3 & 4

            Rows 3 & 4 will march to rows 5 & 6

Rows 5 & 6 will march efficiently, expeditiously, and quietly in a single file line behind the rows and find their assigned places in rows 1 & 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explain Goals and Establish Set: (ROBIN)

 

(on the board – maybe)Three major tensions in Post Revolutionary education.  To:  produce virtuous citizens, provide tools for exercise of freedom, and to enable citizens to select their own moral and political values. 

 

"Today, we will examine these concepts by implementing a somewhat representative Lancasterain classroom.

 

"Joseph Lancaster developed a system of education that he developed in England, and subsequently reproduced in the United States.  Historically, charity schools and juvenile reformatories developed in the early 19^th century in a general attempt to reduce crime and poverty.  Both institutions sought to perfect human character through education.  The charity school movement sought to create good moral character, to mix children of rich and poor backgrounds, and to educate influxes of freed slave and immigrant populations.

Mainly the purpose of the charity school was to correct the problems caused by the failure of parental government and isolate children from criminal contact.  The Lancasterian system was introduced into the charity school in the early 1800’s.

 

"Joseph Lancaster introduced this system to the U.S. from England.   His system could supposedly handle as many as 1000 students at a time.

 

"Students:  You are each placed in rows according to your academic achievement.  Those of you at the front of the row have almost mastered your concepts for today, and are on your way to becoming monitors.  Those in the rear have not.  Your monitor will provide you with a lesson.  You will receive instruction from your monitor, and when the bell sounds, you will move efficiently and expeditiously and quietly to the next station.

 

"Rows 1 and 2 will move to rows 3 and 4.  Rows 3 and 4 will move to rows 5 and 6.  Rows 5 and 6 will march in a single file line behind the rows and find their assigned places in rows 1 and 2.

 

"Now – repeat after me:  I will move efficiently, expeditiously, and quietly to the next station when the bell rings.

 

"Again: Remember, your good behavior will be rewarded, and poor behavior will be punished."

 

[Ring bell]

 

Instruction Phase: Allow roughly 7 minutes between transitions, and headmistress should make sure to ring the bell to signal each transition.

 

Rows 1 and 2: (JAMES)

"Class, at this station we will be reviewing the educational goals of post-Revolutionary America, and how two different historical people viewed the ways schools could attain these goals.

"The common goals for the post-Revolutionary period were: (have class repeat)  
       
       "Turning a multi-cultural society into a single-culture society dominated by Anglo-

American values.
       Creating nationalism and loyalty to the new government.
       Controlling freedom through citizenship and moral education
       Determining the best method for educating future citizens
       Using moral education to eliminate crime and poverty

"Webster believed these goals could be met by: (have class repeat)
       
       "Having moral and political values imposed on the children.
       Having schools create an emotional feeling of patriotism.
       Creating an American version of spelling and grammar books.
       These spelling books contained moral catechism that taught the moral values

necessary for maintaining order in a republican society.

"By 1801 1.5 million copies of these spellers had been sold.

"Jefferson believed the common goals could be met by: (have class repeat)

       "Providing the average citizen with the tools of reading and writing.
       Providing knowledge, reason, and a developed moral sense, which would result in a

natural order and a free society.
       Establishing a natural aristocracy by sending the best students of every graduating

class to the College of William and Mary, at the public's expense."

(Have class begin at beginning and repeat until the time is up)

Rows 3 and 4: (PAM)

"Class, at this station we will review education in colonial America.

 

"The New England colonies established policies that shaped the development of public schools in the United States. What did the New England colonies establish?  Policies that shaped the development of public schools in the United States.

 

"Themes that emerged during this period that continue today are:

·        Education as a means of preparing children to obey the authority of the government.   Repeat

·        Education as a means to eliminate crime, immorality, and poverty.   Repeat

·        Education as a means to maintain social class differences.   Repeat

·        Education as a means to provide social mobility.   Repeat

·        Government-operated schools using education as a means to inhibit intellectual freedom.   Repeat

·        Public schools adapting to meet the changing needs of the family.  Repeat

 

"Benjamin Franklin contributed to educational policy in several ways.

·        He was a proponent of English-speaking schools.

·        He played a significant role in establishing charity schools.

"How did Benjamin Franklin contribute to educational policy?

·        He was a proponent of English-speaking schools.

·        He played a significant role in establishing charity schools.

"Both of these contributions served to Anglicize the middle-colony region.

"A third contribution Ben Franklin made was his proposal for an academy written in 1749.  Academies served two needs in North America:

·        They provided a useful education.

·        They transmitted culture required for entrance into the middle class.

"What needs did the academies serve in North America?

·        They provided a useful education.

·        They transmitted culture required for entrance into the middle class.

"Therefore they provided social mobility for the average citizen.

 

"A famous quote from Franklin’s academy proposal stated,  “It would be well if (students) could be taught every Thing that is useful, and every Thing that is ornamental:  But Art is long, and their time is short.  It is therefore propos’d that thy learn those Things that are likely to be most useful and most ornamental.”

What did Franklin think should be taught?

Those Things that are likely to be most useful and most ornamental.

 

"Before the American Revolution, education mainly served to prepare individuals to lead a godly life and confer and confirm status.

What was the main function of education before the American Revolution?

To prepare individuals to lead a godly life and confer and confirm status.

 

"After the American Revolution, education was used to build nations, shape good citizens, and reform society.

What was the purpose of education after the American Revolution?

To build nations, shape good citizens, and reform society."

 

Rows 5 and 6: (KELLI)

"Class, at this station we will be looking at moral reform and faculty psychology. 

 

"First, it is important to understand that America in the nineteenth century was taken with the idea that institutions could perfect the good person and create the good society.  Educational leaders envisioned a system of common schooling that would lead to moral and political reformation of society. 

 

"What would common schooling do? 

Repeat after me:  lead to moral and political reformation of society.

 

"The belief that institutional structures could be used to develop the good society was reflected in charity schools of the early 1800’s and in establishment of special institutions for delinquent youth.  Before the Lancasterian method, the main purpose of education was to develop moral character of the child through memorization and recitation of didactic readings.  With the reforms came the idea that institutions were important to developing moral character.  In addition to didactic teaching and learning, moral character could be perfected in the WAY students interacted in school. 

 

"How could moral character be perfected? 

Repeat after me: in the way students interacted in school.

 

"This contributed to the idea of (repeat after me) school for the entire population.

 

"The basis for the belief that the good society could be created through schooling came from acceptance of the idea of the (repeat) malleability of character. 

 

"This brings us to Faculty Psychology.  The theory of faculty psychology says that the mind is divided into several parts.  Everyone?  The mind is divided into several parts.

 

"By the way, an offshoot of faculty psychology was phrenology, which Gould mentioned briefly. 

 

"Faculty Psychology also included the idea of the importance of environment on shaping character, combined with the unfolding of the inner nature of the individual.  Benjamin Rush, who by the way was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, studied medicine at Edinburgh from 1766-1768.  There he was exposed to faculty psychology.  He returned to the colonies in 1769, and assumed a Professorship at what is now The Univ of Penn.

Benjamin Rush was the leading American physician at that time.  He is often called the “Father of American Psychiatry.”

 

"Who was the father of American Psychiatry?  Repeat after me:  Benjamin Rush was the father of American Psychiatry. 

 

"In 1786 Rush argued that a moral faculty is a natural part of the human mind, and it had the function of distinguishing good and evil.  Moral actions were dependent on the development of moral faculty.

 

"Faculty psychology, then, reflected a growing belief in the perfectibility of the human being.  What belief did faculty psychology reflect?  Repeat after me:  The perfectibility of the human being.  This was the intellectual basis for reform movements in the early part of the 1800’s that produced systems of schooling to improve human character.  In other words, if you control the school environment, you control the individual, and this is a means of achieving perfection."

 

If extra time:

Repeat:

 

Common schooling leads to moral and political reformation of society.

 

Moral character can be perfected in the way students interacted in school.

 

Good society can be created through schooling because the human character is malleable.

 

The theory of faculty psychology says that the mind is divided into several parts.

 

Benjamin Rush was the father of American Psychiatry. 

 

Faculty psychology reflected a belief in perfectibility of human being. 

 

Wrap-Up: (ROBIN)

 

Ask the students to come up with the main points.  Can at that time reference the poster and put on the board something like:

Three Major Tensions:

Produce Virtuous Citizens
Provide tools for the exercise of freedom
Enable citizens to select their own moral and political values

If time, can answer questions and/or discuss.