Educational Psychology—Limitations and Possibilities

100 The Praeger Handbook of Education and Psychology
move away from the formal process of education, where teaching and learning was very linear
and rigid, to a more holistic form of education where students were not as much evaluated by
grades and standards as they were encouraged to pursue those things that made them happy and
encourage in them emotional growth. Teachers are not seen as authoritarian figures as they are
more a part of the learning and growing experience and the distinction between authoritarian and
having authority are very important in this setting.
Just because an educator is not seen as an authoritarian, does not mean they are not an
authority in something; the difference is how they present themselves to the students. One can
be an authority in something; such as a surgeon is an authority in the specific type of surgery
they perform. This does not mean they are authoritarian in how they present themselves, this
just means they have acquired certain skills and knowledge and have become an authority in
their specific field. Authoritarian and authoritarianism comes when individuals abuse their skills,
position, and power. An authoritarian educator is one who exerts his control over the students,
feels that he or she knows what is best for the students, and punishes them for attempting to learn
at their own pace or what is important to them. Rankings, tests, grades, psychological evaluations
for students who don’t perform up to standards, are all tools of an authoritarian system. Concepts
related to evaluating a student’s progress in relation to how others perform using such standard
and formal tools as grades were concepts that were not allowed in the Modern School. Students
were given the opportunity to grow and learn at their own pace and were not coerced or forced to
memorize details in a rote manner that had no interest in a child’s life. The basic foundation of
the Modern school was libratory education and the freedom of the child’s mind and spirit without
the use of authoritarian methods.
A good way to present the differences between how a school operates in a formal educational
framework and how the Modern School operated is to take a specific example of how both schools
would approach the learning process. In this example we can see how the student’s own learning
process and connection to the material that they are attempting to learn come into play.
AN EXAMPLE OF FORMAL AND MODERN SCHOOL APPROACH
Given a standard text that is required in the formal setting, generally a novel, we use this
as an example for both the formal setting and the Modern School. Both would read the book,
the difference would be how both would approach it. In the formal setting the book would be
assigned at a certain point in a person’s educational process (e.g., eighth grade). All students in
this grade would be close to the same age and academic level and the text would be assigned
in a detailed and rigid manner where the students would read certain sections by a certain time.
Specific questions may be posed to the students as they slog through the text with the pretense of
having them look at the text “critically.” But what they will actually be doing is not reflecting on
the text critically, or looking at it holistically, but more than likely memorizing specific aspects
of the text that they will be graded on and may eventually show up on a standardized, sanctioned
test. The critical aspect of the text would be more in line of agreeing with the teacher about certain
aspects of the book, which the teacher in turn is getting from a teachers guide.
In the Modern School setting the same book may be studied in a class that reflects on different
types of literature. The class makeup would be more diverse (much like the characters in the book
would probably be also). Students of different ages and academic levels may be in the class and
bring in different skills, knowledge, and experiences. Instead of just reading the text verbatim
over a period of time and then being tested on it, the teacher would work with the students on how
to bring this particular book to life and one idea that may be considered would be to enact a play
based on the book. With the concept of making this book into a performance, student’s different
levels and skills would come into play. Some students may have artistic talents and could help