Research on Donald Schon and Martin Buber

Martin Buber

Martin Mordechai Buber was born February 8, 1878 in Vienna. Sometime in late 1903, Martin Buber encountered the work of the Ba'al Shem Tov (1700-60), the founder of Hasidism. He began to engage with the religiousness of Judaism and the belief that man is made in the image of God (Vermes 1988: 8). There followed a period of intense study (five years). One result was a number of publications: The Tales of Rabbi Nachman (1906); The Legend of the Ba'al-Shem (1908); and Ecstatic Confessions (1909). In 1909-11 in Prague, Martin Buber delivered what were to become famous lectures on Judaism to the Jewish student organization Bar Kochba. These lectures (published in 1911 as Three Addresses on Judaism) stand in contrast to Orthodox Judaism with their emphasis on essence rather than observance. From 1916 to 1924 he edited Der Jude, an influential journal (and was working on his path breaking book I and Thou - published in 1923).
From 1924 to 1933, Martin Buber lectured in Jewish religion and philosophy at the University of Frankfurt. At this time he was also working with Franz Rosenzweig on a new German translation of the Hebrew Bible (Verdeutschung der Schrift). Under Hitler, he had to curtail his university teaching (he resigned his professorship immediately after Hitler's seizure of power) - but he continued to organize adult bible courses. In 1938 he finally left Germany to join the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
He died at home on June 13, 1965 - and was buried in the cemetery Har-Hamenuchot in Jerusalem.

The idea's of martin Buber's work

Silence, for Buber, plays a crucial part in dialogue. Indeed, it could be argued that 'attentive silence' is the basis of dialogue (Avnon 1998: 42-3). This is an idea that may seem strange at first sight, but is fundamental to the experience of groups such as the Quakers. But his method was not pedagogical in the narrow sense. He was little concerned with the how of teaching, with such matters as syllabuses, methods and examinations. What concerned him was the why; how to give the pupil a sense of his identity, of his organic unity, how to show him the way to responsibility and love. This is what Buber looked for when judging the success of a teacher. And it was this emphasis which led teachers to come to him, slowly and then sometimes in groups, not to consult him about technical problems but to ask him what they should teach, how they should reconcile conscience and faith.



The importance of Martin Buber's work

He was basically a teacher - for me, the greatest teacher of our generation. He was an educator in the true sense of the word and within the limits of his own definition of it. He did not try to impose a self-evident formula upon his pupils, but posed questions which forced them to find their own answers. He did not want his pupils to follow him docilely, but to take their own individual paths, even if this meant rebelling against him. Because for him education meant freedom, a liberation of personality. Perhaps, too, it is as a great teacher, embracing a consideration of the whole of human existence in his approach to his pupils that his influence on our time will be most enduring.
The right way to teach, he said, was 'the personal example springing spontaneously and naturally from the whole man'. This meant that the teacher should constantly examine his conscience. Indeed, every man should do this; but a teacher most of all, as he could not teach others if his own example was flawed.
The purpose of education was to develop the character of the pupil, to show him how to live humanly in society. One of his basic principles was that 'genuine education of character is genuine education for community'….'For educating characters you do not need a moral genius,' Buber declared, 'but you do need a man who is wholly alive and able to communicate himself directly to his fellow beings. His aliveness streams out to them and affects them most strongly and purely when he has no thought of affecting them.'
The real teacher, he believed, teaches most successfully when he is not consciously trying to teach at all, but when he acts spontaneously out of his own life. Then he can gain the pupil's confidence; he can convince the adolescent that there is human truth, that existence has a meaning. And when the pupil's confidence has been won, 'his resistance against being educated gives way to a singular happening: he accepts the educator as a person. He feels he may trust this man, that this man is taking part in his life, accepting him before desiring to influence him. And so he learns to ask….
But his method was not pedagogical in the narrow sense. He was little concerned with the how of teaching, with such matters as syllabuses, methods and examinations. What concerned him was the why; how to give the pupil a sense of his identity, of his organic unity, how to show him the way to responsibility and love. This is what Buber looked for when judging the success of a teacher. And it was this emphasis which led teachers to come to him, slowly and then sometimes in groups, not to consult him about technical problems but to ask him what they should teach, how they should reconcile conscience and faith.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-buber.htm#Buber%20the%20educator


Did Paulo Freire take Buber's methods and ideas eclectically?

Many people believe this to be the case - will continue at a later date. the findings of Paulo Freire is closely linked.




Donald Schon

Donald Alan Schon (1930-1997) trained as a philosopher, but it was his concern with the development of reflective practice and learning systems within organizations and communities for which he is remembered. Significantly, he was also an accomplished pianist and clarinettist – playing in both jazz and chamber groups. This interest in improvisation and structure was mirrored in his academic writing, most notably in his exploration of professional’s ability to ‘think on their feet’. On this page we review his achievements and focus on three elements of his thinking: learning systems (and learning societies and institutions); double-loop and organizational learning (arising out of his collaboration with Chris Argyris); and the relationship of reflection-in-action to professional activity.

The ideas of Donald Schon

Donald Schon (1973, first published 1971) takes as his starting point the loss of the stable state. Belief in the stable state, he suggests, is belief in ‘the unchangeability, the constancy of central aspects of our lives, or belief that we can attain such a constancy’ (Schon 1973: 9). Such a belief is strong and deep, and provides a bulwark against uncertainty. Institutions are characterized by ‘dynamic conservatism’ – ‘a tendency to fight to remain the same’ (ibid.: 30). However, with technical change continuing exponentially its pervasiveness and frequency was ‘uniquely threatening to the stable state’ (ibid.: 26). He then proceeds to build the case for a concern with learning

The importance of Schon's work

Public and private learning, and the learning society
While it is Donald Schon’s work on organizational learning and reflective practice that tends to receive the most attention in the literature, his exploration of the nature of learning systems and the significance of learning in changing societies has helped to define debates around the so called ‘learning society’. Indeed, Stewart Ranson (1998: 2) describes Donald Schon as ‘the great theorist of the learning society’. He was part of the first wave of thinkers around the notion (other key contributors include Robert M. Hutchins 1970; Amitai Etzioni 1968; and Torsten Husen 1974). Hutchins, in a book first published in 1968, had argued that a ‘learning society’ had become necessary. ‘The two essential facts are… the increasing proportion of free time and the rapidity of change. The latter requires continuous education; the former makes it possible (1970: 130). He looked to ancient Athens for a model.



This information is situated on the website below.
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-schon.htm

Dyslexia video from teachers TV

I am doing a presentation this week on Dyslexia, just in case it does not work or I do not have time to show it, here it is:

Synopsis
Lee Pascal, author and teacher, has been studying dyslexia for over 35 years. In this engaging and light-hearted workshop for TAs, he tackles the serious subject of dyslexia and offers real insight into how dyslexics think, learn and remember. He also looks at strategies and techniques for helping them with spelling and reading.
After an introduction to the subject of dyslexia, Lee talks about the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic approach to learning that dyslexics find most useful. He engages his audience with some participatory games and passes on useful tips about how to support dyslexic students with spelling.
"Joined up writing" and "joined up speaking" are just two of the methods he advocates. He also looks at spelling techniques - look, cover, learn, remember - and concludes with the moving story of a boy who grew to love reading, but only once books were made easy enough for him to understand.
Key points:
Valuable exercises and techniques to help pupils with dyslexia
Lee Pascal shares his vast experience in an engaging manner
May help you to identify and rectify problems with spelling

A fab website on SureStart Centres

I have found a fantastic website all about SureStart Centres, this was very useful when learning everything that is needed to know. Try it and let me know if you found it useful x

http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/faqs/foundation_stage/1162267/

Finance - Is it a strain?

For all of those people who feel that student life is a breeze and do not think that we actually struggle, think again. My partner has recently been made redundant, as I only work part time (under 16 hours) and a student, we thought we would be entilted to extra help.......I was totally wrong! We applied for help with Council Tax and Housing Benefit, only to learn that we do not qualify. They are taking my student loan as well as the grant as colateral, it obviously does not matter that this loan has got to be paid back with interest added when I am working full time after the course has finished. So in actual fact the money that is supposed to be for travel expenses, equipment and living expenses, actually all of this has got to go towards the rent and bills. What is the point of having help with uni expenses if nothing goes towards it?
Also my partner applied for job seekers allowance - because he was earning and paying NI contributions he gets 'Contribution based JSA', this means that he gets an extra £4 a week and we are not entitled to Free School Meals, clothing costs or extra help with any other aid. If he did not work he would have been entitled to Income - Based JSA, and we would have been entitled to Free School Meals etc. I feel that this is extremely unfair for the working class who by no fault of there own have been made reduntant. Where is the insentive to work?? The Government Stratagy is to eradicate povety by the year 2020. With all of this in place, I can't see it happening, people seem to be penalised for trying to help themselves, which is completely wrong. Everyone should get the same requardless if they had been previously working or not. Does anyone agree that this should be the case or have I totally got it wrong??

About myself

I am currently working towards a BA Honors Degree in Early Childhood Studies and I am in my second year, hoping to go on to Warwick University for the final two years. I work part time as a Ward Hostess at George Elliot Hospital in Nuneaton. I enjoy what I do as I interact with the patients and staff regulary and feel that I make a difference. I have two children - Ashleigh(aged 11), who is at Mount Grace High School in Hinckley and Jordan (aged 8) who is in the juniors at St Mary's Primary School also in Hinckley. I have two Staffy's called Jade and Sasha who are the soppiest dogs you would ever get to meet!!!