It would seem that confrontation, restructuring, or issues by themselves are not enough to change peoples' attitudes. One key factor is to what degree the people are involved in any of these tactics. We should be particularly aware of the concrete conditions within which we act and of the mood, attitudes, and...
Tag - education
In the last few years many of us have begun to question various aspects of our jobs as teachers. In part this has been due to an awakening consciousness among all teachers about the authoritarian nature of schools and the socializing function they perform. It has been due also to the broad recognition now that...
Each year, sandwiched between Christmas and New Year's days, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) holds its annual meeting in a major American city, with its headquarters in a towering hotel of a major American hotel chain. Invariably, not very far away is a major American ghetto, and of...
In a recent issue of Science for the People, the Science Teaching Group offered a critique of science courses in the schools1 The critique emphasized the role of traditional science education in maintaining the economic and social status quo. This is accomplished by fostering the myth of an apolitical, benevolent...
In the classroom, the myth of an apolitical, benevolent science prevails. The training of a scientist involves a total submersion in technical material with little if any, historical or philosophical perspective. Research productivity is the measure of worth, as the student acquires skill in a specialized field...
Two communications from Black Panthers who are presently political prisoners (Panther 21) were received in August. Ali Bey Hassan writes, " ... welcome to the just struggle for liberation of all the people ... we as a people who are struggling for survival, know that 'true freedom' cannot be given to; anyone. We...
The educational system is one of the most important means by which the power of the ruling class in this country is maintained. This process can be seen very clearly in science education. (For a more detailed statement of this position and some of the reasoning behind it, see the excerpts of our pamphlet printed in...
The January 1972 issue of Science for the People suggested that there was an interest in seeing an issue on "Science Teaching from a Radical Perspective," and with the appropriate back-to-school month staring us in the face, we looked at each other and said, "Hey, let's put out an issue on science teaching from a...