by MojaveMike » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:31 am
Chomsky is right in some ways, but he's dead wrong in other ways. At the university level creative thinking in all areas is encouraged. Whether you're talking humanities, social science, or hard science, college students are encouraged to question everything and not to just accept the status quo or to regurgitate facts. However, education before college in the USA is a two tiered system. It's not intended to be that way, but it is a de facto two tiered system nonetheless. Public schools in affluent communities do a good job teaching critical thinking, creative problem solving, and all the great stuff that we would like schools to do. Schools in less affluent neighborhoods tend to teach static facts and tend not to be intellectually stimulating. The reason for this is that students from affluent families tend to come to school eager to learn and they cooperate with teachers and so teachers can do more for them since they are not constantly dealing with behavior issues. Kids from less affluent areas sabotage their own education. None of this is by design. It's just the way things work out as a result of social dynamics. I'm sorry that I can't recall the names of any of the articles I read on this, but when you think about it, it stands to reason. Curriculum just provides a basic structure. It's what actually goes on in the classroom that counts.