Creating a context for learning: Democracy in the language arts class.

Abstract

The context in which students learn is central to their ability to feel empowered, autonomous, and to be successful language users. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the historical setting in which most Americans have learned English and to offer an alternative that might better facilitate reading and writing development. The work begins by exploring the philosophy of various educational movements and how their customs helped to establish an environment that often alienated pupils and stifled independent literacy growth. Specifically, the legacy of the puritans is portrayed as a significant influence on subsequent approaches to English instruction and a model that other movements have espoused. Suggested alternatives come in less traditional learning settings, such as the home and the community college. In both environments, democracy and a license to explore often thrive and flourish. Frank Smith, Jean Piaget, and Paulo Freire lend a theoretical basis for the construction of a democratic English class as Denny Taylor and Shirley Brice Heath present empirical support. This dissertation also offers methods by which English instructors could create a context for democratic learning in their own classes.