Philosophy of Education Research Colloquia
Professor Israel Scheffler, Director
PERC homepage
Spring 2008
THE THOUGHTFUL WILL: HOW IT WORKS AND HOW IT CAN BE EDUCATED
David Perkins, Ph.D. in mathematics and artificial intelligence (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
May 6, 2008
Presented by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, the Brandeis Education Program, the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, the MA Program in Cultural Anthropology, & the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Abstract:
One time or another, we have all said to ourselves something like, "I know what to do but I can't get myself to do it!" The "it" might be an exercise program, a diet, an awkward conversation, or any number of challenges that come up in our everyday lives. The 19th century psychologist and philosopher William James famously wrote about the difficulty of getting out of bed on a cold morning! Informally we talk about such dilemmas as matters of the will -- we lack the willpower. One might suppose that notions of will and willpower are old-fashioned ideas with no scientific validity.
On the contrary, a rich body of research points to the reality of the will as a resource in directing our lives. The question is, what kind of a resource is it? We tend to think of the will as a reservoir of power that ideally, like the Energizer Bunny, can get us going and keep us going in the right direction. However, a more sophisticated conception of the will treats it more like a reservoir of strategic wisdom about self-management...the "thoughtful will." Without promising to double anyone's willpower, this discussion explores how the thoughtful will works and the prospects of educating the will.
Presenter:
David Perkins received his Ph.D. in mathematics and artificial intelligence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970. As a graduate student he also was a founding member of Harvard Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This research and development group, founded by the philosopher Nelson Goodman, was initially concerned with the psychology and philosophy of education in the arts, and later broadened greatly to encompass cognitive development and cognitive skills in both humanistic and scientific domains. David Perkins was Co-Director of Project Zero with his colleague Howard Gardner for more than 25 years and is now Senior Co-director and a member of the Project Zero steering committee. Since 2000, he has been a senior professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Among Perkins' many publications are his classic The Mind's Best Work (Harvard, 1981), Smart Schools: From Training Memories to Educating Minds (Free Press, 1992), King Arthur's Round Table: How Collaborative Conversations Create Smart Organizations (N.Y. Wiley, 2002), Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence (Free Press, 1995), and The Intelligent Eye: Learning to Think by Looking at Art (The Getty Center for Education in the Arts, 1994).
OBJECT LESSONS: HOW WE LEARN FROM ART AND ARTIFACTS IN MUSEUMS
Shari Tishman, Ed.D. in Philosophy of Education (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
April 15, 2008
Presented by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, with co-sponsorship by the Brandeis Education Program, the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, the MA Program in Cultural Anthropology, the Office of the Arts, the Fine Arts Department, the Rose Art Museum, & the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
Abstract:
Drawing on a recent study of learning in the study centers at the Harvard University Art Museums, this presentation examines the cognitive and environmental conditions that characterize, and contribute to, powerful learning experiences with works of art and artifacts. The presentation will involve hands-on demonstration as well as lecture and discussion.
Objects are as complex as they are concrete. From an antique kitchen utensil to a Master drawing, artifacts and works of art have a material reality that can be experienced directly by the senses and also stimulate inquiry into a wide range of abstract ideas, histories, and experiences. Some settings, such as study rooms in museums, are specially devoted to learning from objects. Study rooms are sometimes viewed as rarified environments, designed primarily for connoisseurs and experts. Yet looking closely at how people learn within them can inform the design of object-centered learning experiences more broadly, for young learners as well as adults, and for classroom settings as well as museums.
Presenter:
Shari Tishman received her Ed.D. in philosophy of education from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1991. She is interested in environments and instructional approaches that help people learn how to think – in schools, arts settings, and museums. Her research focuses on the teaching of thinking, learning in and through the arts, and learning in art museums. She is a principal investigator and senior research associate at Harvard's Project Zero and a lecturer in the Arts in Education Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
With co-principal investigators Steve Seidel, Lois Hetland and Ellen Winner, Tishman is currently engaged in a a multi-faceted study, funded by the Wallace Foundation, of how arts educators define and strive to create high-quality arts learning experiences for children and youth, both in and out of school. Her recent publications include: Study Center Learning: An investigation of the educational power and potential of the Harvard University Art Museums Study Centers. Tishman, S. , McKinney, A., Straughn, C. (2007). Harvard Project Zero. (http://www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/HUAM.htm); Tishman, S. (2008). The object of their attention. Educational Leadership. Vol. 25(5). 44-46; and Tishman. S. & Palmer, P. (2007). Works of art are good things to think about. In R. Niehoff & R. Wenrich (Eds.), Thinking and learning with images: Interdisciplinary approaches to aesthetic education. Kopaed Publishing, Munich.
Prior Colloquia: Spring 2007
For more information, please contact PERC@brandeis.edu.
A COLLEGE PROGRAM FOR THE DEAF AND HEARING IMPAIRED IN AN INCLUSIVE PHILIPPINE ENVIRONMENT (AN EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS STORY)
Rosario Lapus, Ph.D. in Education (University of the Philippines)
May 8, 2007
Presented by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, with co-sponsorship by the Brandeis Education Program, the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life, the Southeast Asia Club, and the Brandeis Asian American Student Association (BAASA).
Abstract:
Discussion of an inclusive college program for the deaf and hearing impaired in the Philippines, a country that traditionally has not had strong special education programs for the handicapped. Dr. Lapus suggested factors in the success of the program, focusing on the partnership between the Southeast Asian Institute for the Deaf; Miriam College, which offers the program; and Gallaudet University, which acted as consultant and evaluator. Essential were the support of the deaf child’s parents and siblings and the willingness of Miriam College to accommodate the needs of this special population. A video presentation of the program in action was shown.
Presenter:
Dr. Lapus was for many years affiliated with Miriam College, the Philippines, serving, at various times, as Professor, Vice President for Academic Affairs, College Dean, Dean of the Graduate School, and Chair of the Department of Child Development and Education. Presently in Boston, she is enrolled in the Masters degree program in gerontology at UMass Boston, and works as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer, in ABCD (Action for Boston Community Development), Elder Services. The author of over thirty scholarly publications on education, child development, teaching, and aging, she participated as an Associate member of the Philosophy of Education Research Center in several PERC colloquia at Harvard in the nineties.
THE EMOTIONS IN CLASSICAL JEWISH SOURCES: THE CASES OF ENVY AND JEALOUSY
Solomon Schimmel Ph.D. (Wayne State University)
April 30, 2007
Presented by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, with co-sponsorship by the Brandeis Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies (NEJS); Brandeis Hillel, and the Brandeis University Conservative Organization (BUCO).
Abstract:
Biblical, rabbinic, and medieval Jewish literatures discuss, analyze, and morally evaluate human emotions, among which envy and jealousy are prominent, beginning with the story of Cain and Abel. We will study several texts (in English translation), and explore the ways in which they are, and can be, used in educational contexts. We will also examine these Jewish reflections on envy and jealousy in the broader context of modern psychological and sociological analyses of them.
Presenter:
Solomon Schimmel, Ph.D. (Wayne State University) is Professor of Jewish Education and Psychology at Hebrew College. He has held visiting appointments at Cambridge University, Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University, Brandeis University, the University of Texas and, most recently, Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Aside from his numerous scholarly articles, Professor Schimmel is the author of two books, The Seven Deadly Sins: Jewish, Christian, and Classical Reflections on Human Psychology (1997), and Wounds Not Healed by Time: The Power of Repentance and Forgiveness (2002). He has recently completed the draft of a new book, on the topic of fundamentalism, tentatively titled, The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs.
SCHOOLING AT HOME, SCHOOLING FOR SOCIETY: HOMESCHOOLING AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Robert Kunzman
March 5, 2007
Presented by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, with co-sponsorship by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life; the Brandeis Education Program, and the Spencer Program for Educational Research.
Abstract:
Children, parents, and the state all have significant interests at stake in the education of American youth, and this triad bears particularly close examination when considering the ethical, curricular, legal, and civic dimensions of homeschooling. With a particular focus on the civic implications of conservative Christian homeschooling, this session considered questions such as: What degree of personal autonomy is it necessary for children to develop? What qualities of civic virtue are important to inculcate? Can state regulations help ensure these outcomes?
Presenter:
Robert Kunzman, Ph.D. (Stanford University) is Assistant Professor of Education at Indiana University at Bloomington. He is the author of Grappling with the good: Talking about religion and morality in public schools (2006; SUNY Press) as well as articles in Theory and Research in Social Education, Religious Education, Educational Leadership, and the Journal of Philosophy of Education. His research on homeschooling has been supported by a Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. He is also the recipient of a Proffitt Endowment Grant and was a fellow at the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions in 2004-2005.
Robert Kunzman also spoke on "Discussing Religion in Public Schools" later in the day. More information.
Prior Colloquia: Fall 2006
For more information, please contact PERC@brandeis.edu.
ARAB-JEWISH YOUTH PROGRAMS: SOME REFLECTIONS ON INTENT AND GOALS
Harriet Feinberg
November 14, 2006
Cosponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life; and the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education
Click for list of websites of programs discussed at the colloquium.
Click for a summary of the event.
Abstract:
For several decades a variety of programs have brought young Jews and Arabs into face-to-face contact. Typically, such programs are planned by adults for young people who would not otherwise have an intensive interaction; they engage in shared activities such as sports, music, drama, drawing, film and video, storytelling, and outings.
Within this broad rubric, the programs are quite diverse. Some take place in Israel, others in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Participants range from preschoolers to young adults. They meet at summer camps, retreats, community centers, schools, and studios. Some projects encourage discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other contentious Middle East issues; others try to create a special atmosphere away from politics. Some programs bring together Israeli Jews and Arabs; others include young people from the whole Middle East, and still others focus on young Jewish-Americans and Arab-Americans or include an international contingent.
Could such a diverse collection of projects have in common anything other than hope – the hope that somehow these encounters are building a more peaceful future for the next generation? Perhaps there is insight to be gained from an analysis of language. This presentation will examine the stated objectives of a range of such programs for commonalities and differences. Closer analysis will focus on the ‘mission statements’ of a few programs in relation to the young participants’ activities, and then raise a number of questions about the short- and long-term goals of such programs.
Presenter:
Harriet Feinberg, Ed.D. (Harvard University) has had wide educational experience. She has served as Assistant Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts in Boston; Associate Director, MIT/Wellesley Upward Bound; Supervisor in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, Harvard University; and English teacher in the Department of Basic Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She served as a Board member of Fellowship in Israel for Arab-Jewish Youth, and was on the staff and later on the Advisory Board of the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music; her responsibilities included welcoming music students from Israel and the Arab world participating in summer music activities. Her publications include "Elsie Chomsky: A Life in Jewish Education", in Courtyard, Jewish Theological Seminary of America (1999/2000); and, as Co-editor with Ruth Whitman, Poemmaking: Poets in Classrooms, Massachusetts Council of Teachers of English (1975).
Prior colloquia: Spring 2006
WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT BEING AN HISTORIAN? ON THE ALLEGED UNNATURALNESS OF HISTORICAL THINKING
March 30, 2006
Abstract:
Some people seem to think that the only reason to study history is to accumulate knowledge of historical facts. But if one believes that students of history ought to participate in the discipline of history, then the title of this paper poses an important pedagogical question, because only if we can articulate the expertise of practicing historians can we conceptualize the goals of studying history. Sam Wineburg's influential article, "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts" tried to do just that. I will argue, however, that Wineburg's thesis needs to be refined. Rather than operating at a general level of an "openness to difference", we ought to attend to the specific disciplinary contexts of our epistemic judgments -- and of our educational goals.
Click to view or download Jon Levisohn's handout (PDF).
Presenter:
Jon A. Levisohn, Ph. D. (Stanford University) is Assistant Academic Director of the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, and Assistant Professor of Jewish Education in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. His recent publications include "Probing Pragmatism: Rorty, Reforms, and Responsibility", Philosophy of Education (2004); "Patriotism and Parochialism: Why Teach American Jewish History, and How?" Journal of Jewish Education (2004), and "How to do Philosophy of Religious Education" Religious Education (2005).
THE ROLE OF ARTS TRAINING IN CHILDREN'S COGNITIVE AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
April 5, 2006
Abstract:
Does studying the arts improve cognition? Does listening to music make you smarter? I will review the empirical evidence for such claims and assess their reliability and purported rationales. A recent study of my own (with Hetland, Veenema and Sheridan) leads to testable hypotheses about which kinds of skills learned in the study of the visual arts might transfer outside of the arts. Another of my studies (with Schlaug) examines potential effects of instrumental music training on children's spatial reasoning and brain development.
Presenter:
Ellen Winner, Ph. D. (Harvard University) is Professor of Psychology at Boston College and Senior Research Associate at Harvard's Project Zero. She is the author of Invented Worlds, The Psychology of the Arts (1982), The Point of Words, Children's Understanding of Metaphor and Irony (1988), and Gifted Children: Myths and Realities (1996).
FOLK ART AND RITUAL DRAMA IN SOUTHERN INDIA
David W. Rudner
April 26, 2006
Abstract:
Indian folk arts have lately become an important site for inculcating values central to environmentalism and identity formation. These folk arts also contribute to a reorganization of tradition drastically different from the locality, caste, and temple complex that remains a bulwark for traditional folk arts. I will give a historical context for understanding these processes and outline two case studies from Tamil Nadu, South India, one a vernacular art museum, the other a performance by a folk theater troupe in an agricultural village. Both cases show how folk arts traditionalize a modern environmental movement global in scope and help the community to redefine itself in the modern world.
Presenter:
David W. Rudner, Ph. D. (University of Pennsylvania) is Research Associate at Washington University, where he teaches courses in the Department of Anthropology. A historical anthropologist of India, he has received research awards for fieldwork and archival studies in India, Sri Lanka and London from the American Institute for Indian Studies, the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies, the Social Science Research Council and the Fulbright Foundation. His book Caste and Capitalism in Colonial India: The Nattukottai Chettiars, was published in 1994.
Prior colloquia: Fall 2005
REFLECTIONS ON THE YIDDISH SECULAR SCHOOLS: A STUDY OF ETHNIC EDUCATION WITHIN A MAINSTREAM CULTURE
Sandra Aliza Parker
September 29, 2005
Abstract:
An examination of the four Yiddish secular school movements in the United States---the Farband, The International Workers’ Order, the Sholem Aleichem, and the Workmen Circle (Socialist) from an educational rather than a socio-economic or ideological perspective. I argue that initial ideological differences, such as cultural versus territorial nationalism, Yiddish versus Hebrew, and political identification prevented the movements from making a united effort to develop the materials, methods, and structures that might have enabled the Yiddish schools to continue and to offer a qualitative ethnic education. Data on Yiddish secular schools seem to indicate that ethnicity need not be a divisive force in a heterogeneous society. Aspects of Yiddish secular schooling with relevance to all ethnic groups will be noted. Finally, I argue that the quality of American society might be improved through the preservation of ethnic education.
Presenter:
Sandra Aliza Parker, Ed.D. (Harvard University) is Professor Emerita in Education at Northeastern University, where she taught courses on analysis of teaching and curriculum development in the social sciences and supervised teacher training programs. Her sabbatical research concerned the educational integration of ethnic minority populations in Israel, as well as comparisons of the schools operated by different ethnic groups in the United States. She has led educational programs at Hebrew College and for the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Most recently she was director of the elementary secular program at the Maimonides School. She has served on the board of the Cambridge Montessori School and on committees of the National Teachers Corps. She serves currently on the Academic Advisory Committee of Hebrew College.
CONNECTING BRAIN AND MIND TO EDUCATION
November 3, 2005
Abstract:
In the current Age of Biology, society is looking to neuroscience, genetics, and cognitive science to inform and improve education. Scientists and scholars need to take responsibility for building strong connections of mind, brain, and education to provide usable research-based knowledge for education. One important arena for building such connections is research on measurement of what students learn and teachers teach.
Presenter:
Kurt W. Fischer, Ph.D. (Harvard University) is the Charles W. Bigelow Professor of Education and Human Development at Harvard University and Director of the Mind, Brain, and Education Program at Harvard. He has served as President of the Jean Piaget Society and is the Founding President of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society. He is Editor of the Cambridge Press series on Cognitive and Perceptual Development, and has done research on a wide variety of problems in developmental psychology, touching on emotion, skill, aggression, and cognition, among others. He has authored over 200 research papers in psychology and two of his principal forthcoming publications are Human Behavior and the Developing Brain (with D. Coch and G. Dawson), and Mind, Brain, and Education in Learning Disorders (with J. Bernstein and M.H. Immordino-Yang).