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Tag: Habermas

  • Capacity to Store Information and it Affect on Truths….

    Currently, positivism is viewed “as a single reality independent of humans, and that the methods of natural science should be adopted in research on social, specifically educational, questions” (Mackenzie, 2011, p. 534).  Education research, in many circles, currently adopts this idea of truth.  However, historically “all fields until about fifty years ago and still in philosophy and the philosophy of science view the term as a rejection of the correspondence theory of truth, the denial of, or more correctly agnosticism about, the existence of a single reality independent of human beings” (Mackenzie, 2011, p. 534). The physical world and the laws of nature are immutable.  It exists independently of human’s wants or desires and is mostly beyond human control.  Humans are part of nature, and human activity is part of the natural process. 

    Social researches are often biased and have little understanding of the laws of natural sciences.  As Mackenzie (2011) points to standardized methods often blended with qualitative research ignore the evolution of language and original meanings.  Social researchers can be biased against the laws of natural sciences and selection (p. 535). 

    Humans banished many medieval superstitions that were based on observations, but humans lacked experiences and misunderstood phenomenon being observed.  Humans’ attempts to explain natural processes, natural laws independent of human existence, have proven to be mistruths.

    Natural laws are discovered through science.  Language stores science and the evolution of technology stores language.  As a result, humans have an increasing knowledge of science and an increasing knowledge of truth in a direct proportion.  The more humans experiment with science, the more we will understand the truths surrounding the sciences.  Habermas’s (1971) paradigm of the stone does prove that truths do exist in natural law (p. 265). 

    Fantasy worlds existed but in a limited context.  Monks could live in a fantasy world, but this choice was limited.  Oral tradition, cave art, the Bible, the Torah, the Koran and anime are all storage mediums for the fantasy world.  Affordable and collaborative technologies increase the human ability to exist in a fantasy world.  The natural world continues to exist, changed only by nature’s timeframe.  Man is part of nature and all of our technologies are part of the natural world.  After human consciousness ceases to exist, there will still be truth and order in the universal world. 

    Habermas, J. (1971). Knowledge and Human Interests, J. J. Shariro, trans. (Boston, MA, Beacon Press).

    Mackenzie, J. (2011). Positivism and Constructivism, Truth and “Truth.” Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43(5), 534-546.

     

     

     

     

                 

     

     

  • Expectations and New Beginings

    This year is a transition year for me as I begin a journey of becoming a research scientist and complete my administration certificate.  I am completing a 1:1 K12 initiative that I put so much energy into.  The completion of this challenge is bitter sweet.  As I review the final product and look at what all our team accomplished in the last 2 years, I am very overwhelmed at the amount of change and accomplishments made by a very small team. I feel that I did everything I could to promote and encourage critical thinking, research, global collaboration, media literacy, creation, and publication of student learning and success.  Synergy does not happen alone and everyone must buy in for the program to be successful. Being a change agent is a calling. From this experience, I have grown so much both emotionally, spiritually, and professionally. I have met some amazing and passionate educators. The network of experts I can now tap into is huge, and I feel that I cannot go back to who I was before this all began. Never give up, be the change you want to see, and perseverance were all chants that I passed along to others through this entire experience. Failure was not an option for me, but that is just it. This was and is not about me. This is about students and teachers believing in those very values and understanding that the world and teaching is fundamentally different now.  

    Most state and national assessments are administered online, which many do not understand.  We must model critical thinking, media literacy, research, global collaboration, and encourage diversity in product creation.  Teaching is not about preparing students to take a state assessment.  If teachers could stop feeling pressured to focus on that assessment and begin fostering a passion for learning, performance will improve.  It is so easy to blame technology, assessments, or leadership. However, the instructor must also understand that the technology is not the answer.  Lack of technology or no technology is also not the answer.  A balance is needed and classroom management and expectations must be enforced to ensure that learning remains a focus on questioning, research, collaboration, creation, publishing, and evaluation.

    I am having a difficult time understanding  Habermas chapter 1.  I am going to actively question, research, and collaborate with others to try to gain a better understanding of Habermas.  

    I enjoy debate and philosophy and am looking forward to understanding how to apply strategies to encourage students to think critically and view media from a variety of perspectives.  

     

    Critical Thinking Resources for K12:

    Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Resources

    Larry Ferlazzo Resources

     

    Sandra Wozniak’s Critical Thinking Blog