What is Social Reconstructionism and how is it used in the classroom?
Social Reconstructionism, also sometimes call the Critical Theory, is based on the belief that people are responsible for their social conditions. This theory was founded by Theodore Brameld and George Counts in the early 1900's. They believed that people needed education in order to reconstruct society. Many of these theorists were bothered by the fact that minorities were being deprived of many important criteria in life. The main goal of this theory is to educate people about social injustice and societies problems, and how to work towards immediate changes to ensure an ethical society. Students need to be informed about the world when they are young. Some philosophers believe that schools are isolated from mainstream society. Children are not prepared or knowledgeable about the "real world" and what lies ahead of them in their adult life, because what they experience in school are not problems reflective of problems in society.
Teacher's who use this theory try to instill strong moral values in their students to help guide them towards finding a common good. They also teach students to commit to the life they are pursuing. This is very important because student's need to be given options about what they can achieve in life, but they must also believe that they can accomplish anything they put their mind to. I feel that if students are taught about the world around them and how they can influence society, then they will be more likely to be involved in changing society. This theory is based on the idea that people need to work together to solve their problems. If people can manage this, then we will not need third parties to intervene so commonly and wars could possibly be dodged.
There are different types of movements in social reconstructionism. The first was used by Karl Marx and the Soviet Union. They spread the idea to the youth, that man is both the constructor and builder in all aspects of life. By engaging in social interactions, these theorist believed that men could develop fully mentally, morally, and spiritually. The second movement was in Israel. This is called the kibbutz. This movement involved parents giving up the right to educate their children, and handing them over to education professionals early on in life, even as early as right after birth.
I believe that it is a responsibility of the teacher to inform students about social injustice and how to go about changing society. This is the only way we are going to detach ourselves from discrimination of all kinds. I believe that teachers and parents need to work together to instill positive values in children and teach them that they are the ones who are in control of the future and are the only ones who can rid society of these injustices.
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