ERIC Number: ED268889
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1986-Feb
Pages: 20
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A View from the Portico: Lessons from the Greeks. ASHE 1986 Annual Meeting Paper.
Stanton, Charles M.
Views on the 1985 Association of American Colleges' (AAC) report, "Integrity in the College Curriculum," are presented based on lessons from the Greeks and specifically the period 450 to 350 B.C.E. Seven inferences are made on what an Athenian might offer in response to the AAC Report. For the Greeks, the goal of education was wisdom and the development of character. Greek thinkers might find fault with the AAC Report for not emphasizing the link between virtue (values) and responsibility to society. They might view the present curriculum as focused too much on individualism, personal gain, and careerism. Memorization of facts and formulas does not produce knowledge, according to the Greeks, who valued reasoning and the art of critical thinking. They would probably reject the notion that critical thinking could be taught or learned when separated from literacy. Other recommendations congruous with Greek ideals include: formal education should not be isolated or disengaged from society; instruction, when grounded in exploration of real issues, gives rise to a shared experience that can be defined as the culture of society; adherence to a traditional and formalized curriculum should be avoided; and successful acquisition of wisdom comes through evocative styles of teaching. (SW)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A