Hw - 45 Thoughts on School

Reading E.D. Hirsch's Curriculum for democracy, Hirsch's theory of children/teens/adults having a full advantage in reading an article, you most begin with knowing enough facts and a full understanding of common knowledge's. His idea was that students should know a lot of common facts to begin starting the progress of becoming better thinkers. Hirsch's idea of a good school curriculum should be structured around "transcendent" education which means teaching students things that will get them further in the dominant culture. He was opposed the "Immanent" education which was helping students deal with the now/present things in their life's. Such as what many of the "teachers-making-a-difference" movies do. Hirsch's theory of having full-on understanding of common-known knowledge was spot on when a writers asked a bunch of students about the Civil War, and in return the students did not know how to reply. Because they were not sure on what the Civil War was.

Sizer's idea of how students should be learning was that students must be given the skills and tools on how to learn better, basically the opposite of what Hirsch's theory was, which was for the students to know common facts and knowledge's before becoming better learners. Sizer's first attempt on figuring out what main principles where needed to teach students, he researched on what schools did not need. Many people agreed that "students need to learn how to use their minds well" but as Sizer described the "Transcendent" education, "Machines that they designed and operated." Which most of failed, furthermore the result of why the principles were made.

In the beginning, I agreed a lot with Sizer's theory because I felt that I needed to learn and be taught the skills to become a better thinker. Something that is taught in the High School I go to. After thinking about Hirsch's theory a lot, I began to think that I was almost left behind in some of my classes because I was lacking in common-knowledge's and facts I should have known. All the while, I have these skills to allow to be this better thinker. I was at lost. Sizer's theory had a disadvantage when it came to successfully excelling in the dominant culture, because these common-knowledge's and facts I needed to know, well, I just did not know. The battle between both Sizer and Hirsch on what a successful school curriculum is will be on-going but if both of their idea's/theories blend, I mean why not? It should make for a better, more advanced student.