Monke (2004) also argues that before we expose our children to the world of technology, we must ensure that they understand the great power that access to the world of technology yields. Access to information can be a great thing, but also a very scary thing if you do not have the "moral and ethical strength needed to resist abusing the enormous power".
The Stages of Intellectual Development (Perry, 1981)
Perry (1981) provides us with a developmental model that marks the changes a student goes through (college aged) in terms of "seeing, knowing, and caring".
- Dualism: Dualistic thinker, sees the world in black and white, missing the shades of grey.
- Relativism: Views the world from multiple perspectives, but still looks to authority for guidance.
- Commitment: Views the world from multiple perspectives, but has a coherent belief system.
- Empathy: Genuinely sees the world as others see it, and is constantly aware of the impact of one's own belief system on the society or culture.
How do these stages relate to Monke (2004)? As I stated earlier, Monke (2004) stresses the importance of developing a strong moral and ethical base in students as one of the primary aims of education. He equates it to trying to grow a "tree without roots" by throwing our children into a world of external tools that can fix internal problems. Perry's (1981) stages of development relates to Monke (2004) in that it outlines the ongoing changes as student goes through in how he/she views the world, yet holds onto their own set of beliefs/values. It is without the development of these beliefs/values and the ability to also acknowledge others' beliefs and values that we "grow a tree without roots" by introducing technology into education too soon. (Monke, 2004)
2 comments:
Chelsea,
So do you think our schools are doing a good job of teaching moral and ethical values to our youth? This is what anchors our youth and I wonder how this would be measurered. Are the schools so focused on trying to meet the standards that this part of education is being lost?
I think that parents obviously have the strongest influence in teaching moral and ethical values...in respect to religious values, the school should not get involved...but in Popham (2008) (our book for Julie's class)there are values that can/should be taught in school: honesty, integrity, justice and freedom.
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