We speak with Dr. Susan Jean Mayer about her recent book, "Practicing Pragmatism Through Progressive Pedagogies: A Philosophical Lens for Grounding Classroom Teaching and Research." Dr. Mayer defines pragmatism in today's world and discusses the importance of critical exploration, democratic construction of knowledge, and openness to diversity of perspectives in the classroom. As teachers and learners, we can construct a shared set of values based on our experiential realities and come to understand these realities in coherent terms.
Overview
00:00-00:36 Intros
00:36-02:55 How to define pragmatism in today’s world
02:55-05:34 How to define final truth
05:34-06:53 How to define an ethical classroom
06:53-11:29 Ethical and democratic classrooms: the same or how they may differ
11:29-15:03 Knowledge, experience, and education
15:03-17:55 Critical exploration in the classroom
17:55-21:05 Classroom example of critical exploration
21:05-23:49 How a critical exploration teacher can intervene when students are wrong
23:49-27:25 When inviting different perspectives and belief systems doesn’t come naturally to students
27:25-28:56 Schools aren’t encouraging students to talk to one another; have succumbed to discourse of test scores
28:56-33:20 How teachers can become more comfortable with perspectives they may disagree with
33:20-37:11 How pragmatic teachers can deal with a school system structured to eliminate or minimize cultural diversity
37:11-40:47 Balancing ties to local communities with supporting students who want to break from the consensus of the community
40:47-47:19 How teachers can help create a system of education based on pragmatism
47:19- Outro
Transcript
Click here to see the full transcript of this episode.
References
Soundtrack by Poddington Bear
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