Synopses & Reviews
David Olson offers a theoretical account of the relationship between the minds of learners and the institutional structure of the school. Why do efforts at reforming schools routinely fail? It is because schools are by and large successful in achieving their two primary responsibilities. They meet the needs of the bureaucratic society which funds them as well as the goals and beliefs of the students who attend them. In meeting the needs, however, minds and societies are altered in conspicuous and important ways that are revealed in this book.
Review
"A masterpiece. Thought provoking and persuasive...Urban reformers, educational scholars, practitioners, and students will find Olson's erudite prose, rich illuminating examples, and careful organization of material compelling." Teachers College Record"No review can fully do justice to the quality of Olson's psychological, historical, sociological, and educational echolarship and the power of the ideas contained within the pages of his volume. Although the book does not contain prescriptions or recipes for specific school changes (nor is it meant to), anyone serious about school reform (or the reform of any institution) should carefully read and consider this book." Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry"David Olson's Psychological Theory and Educational Reform is a masterpiece." Teachers College Record
Synopsis
For well over a century educational reformers have looked for a breakthrough in the sciences of psychology and pedagogy that would dramatically improve the effectiveness of schooling. This book shows why such an ambition is an illusion.
Synopsis
This book provides theoretical account of the reason behind the failure of most educational reform.
Table of Contents
Part I. The Discourse of Education: 1. The discourse of education; 2. Educational theory and educational reform; Part II. Schools as Institutions: 3. Rediscovering institutions; 4. School as a bureaucratic institution; 5. Institutionalized knowledge and personal belief; 6. Science and schooling as documentary practices; 7. The Psychology of persons in institutions; Part III. Schools as Pedagogical Environments: 8. The rediscovery of the mind; 9. Understanding and the growth of knowledge; 10. Some preliminaries to the history of schooling; 11. Some preliminaries to the history of pedagogy; 12. Pedagogy as a bridge from the subjective to the normative; Part IV. Prospects for the Study and Reform of Education: 13. Responsibilities for teaching and learning; 14. The achievement and assessment of virtue; 15. A framework for educational theory; 16. Coda: psychological theory and educational reform.