In chapter 9 we begin to see the progress that the American school had over the course of many years. JHS andHS begin to shape the meaning of education, beyond the basic idea of teaching morality and proper American ways. What I find most interesting, is the idea that higher education( jhs and hs) is now being taken as an important step into adulthood and becoming active member of society. It is important to note how education is affected as psychology delves into adolescent development and learning-teaching methods.
As high schools begin to spread across the country, the debate over purpose and curricula ensues. Curiously, most opinions are guided by industrialization and the main goal of the United States as a whole. Although many adolescents were provided with high school education, their studies were uneven. The Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education established a common goal for all high schools, but never established a curriculum. One could imagine that kids who were on a path to college would be taught very differently from those whose next step would be finding a job; as much as the “sense of unity” (p 245) was instilled within the school.Also,the idea of “finding your purpose within society” was fueled by the need of working people. As scientific management became the standard method of workplace dynamics, the assembly line grew and those destined to end their education after high school needed to find jobs. This in turn greatly influenced how kids were taught. Although I would like to think that the Psychologists of the time were solely interested in understanding human learning, I believe their ideas were products of their time. The belief that students learn based on stimulus response, repetition and reinforcements is somewhat rigid. Although there was a push for truly understanding adolescent development and learning, other influences were detrimental to effective teaching. Also the idea that students were born with a set intelligence marginalized those who came from poor families and became a self fulfilling prophecy of not continuing their education. Ideally, high school education should not only provide concise and extensive academic knowledge but also be a gateway for the student to find their identity and future ideals. Teachers and administrators should be very aware of the developmental stage of their pupils so that their teaching techniques are effective and unbiased.
