During the 1920s, America's system of education advanced greatly and began to resemble modern education. States started to require young people to stay in school until they had graduated from high school. As a result, the amount of teenagers who graduated high school doubled in 1920. The definition of education itself was undergoing changes as people and beliefs began to influence methods of educating. Ultimately, the 1920 would bring major changes to American education.
John Dewey, a professor at Columbia University, introduced a new definition to education. His was a strong believer in pragmatism and this belief influenced his idea of education. Dewey though education should be practical; instead of learning with the blackboard, kids should learn the use of tools and taught important skills that would help them in life. These principles were part of the movement to implement this "progressive education". At the basis of progressive education is the idea that education should be "learning by doing." Supporters wanted young people to learn by experimenting and completing hands-on projects. They also supported group work and the development of social skills. The goal of progressive education is to produce kids who are compatible with society. Influences of progressive education can be seen today as high schools are starting to offer classes that are directly related to work completed in the real world. The textbook was also strayed away from because progressive education wanted school to be focused on the social aspect of life. All these changes made school more attractive, and as a result, the perception of schools was shifted from a "juvenile jail" to place where people actually wanted to be.
Evolution was a very controversial topic in the 1920's. Even though a scientific breakthrough, Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species was met with fierce opposition. Fundamentalist, who believed in the literal reading of the Bible, argued that evolution destroyed faith in God and Bible. This sentiment was strongest in the Southern States where the spirit of the Fundamentalist was most abundant. Many Fundamentalists demanded for a law to make teaching evolution illegal, and some states even banned the topic, like Tennessee. Tension continued to grow and in 1925, the two sides would meet head on in the case Scopes vs. Tennessee. The allegation was that John T. Scopes, a Tennessee biology teacher, was teaching evolution. The decision of the court was inconclusive, which was very anticlimactic considering the passion on each side. Scopes was fined $100 and the Tennessee law persisted, but it was a hollow victory for the Fundamentalists.
The 1920's brought great changes to education. Progressive education was introduced and the very concept of science was questioned. As time progressed, Americans would continue to reconcile the findings of science with religion. The 1920's was a major stepping stone for education and allowed it to evolve into its current form.
Source:
"Scopes v. State (Tenn. Sup. Ct.) - UMKC School of Law." Scopes v. State (Tenn. Sup. Ct.) - UMKC School of Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.
"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.
I think it was interesting that you compared education in the 1920s to the modern education system. I think the Scopes vs. Tennessee case helped develop nuance in your article by demonstrating there were those who challenged progress in education as well. What do you believe were causes for changes in the education system? You mention that learning became more hands- on and the purpose of this was for kids to become more compatible with the society at this time. I would argue that these changes were due to a shift in society itself, such as valuing managerial jobs compared to labor and competition in the job market. Great article!
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting how many of the things that you bring up in your post are still controversial topics in todays world. For example in a post by the Huffington post in 2013 they talk about people in Texas that do not want their kids to learn evolution, because they do not believe in evolution. Also you mentioned that schools went from being a place where people felt trapped to a place where kids wanted to be. I think something similar is going on in todays world. As you said in your post, "high schools are starting to offer classes that are directly related to work completed in the real world", and these types of classes appeal to students more because they feel that they have a larger area of room to express themselves and really try to understand what they want to do in life. This is causing schools to yet again change their ways to try and please their students
ReplyDeleteIts so intriguing that in the 1920's a massive goal that was very difficult was getting most teenagers to graduate high school. Whereas now if someone doesn't graduate high school, they are part of a very small percentage and it is thought of as strange to not graduate.
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