The Reconstructed School

Francis Bail PearsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.0

Word count: 201K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Reconstructed School by Francis B. PearsonAuthor: Pearson, Francis B. (Francis Bail), 1853-,Language: English, Class: LB: Education: Theory and practice of education, Release Date: Jan 3, 2005

Editor's review

Frances B. Pearson's The Reconstructed School is an early twentieth-century American work of educational theory, belonging to the literature of educational theory and practice. It discusses how school systems and the organization of teaching should respond to social change, and it carries a clear progressive-education concern. For today's readers, the book's main value lies in showing the problem consciousness of educational reform at the time: the school is not only a place for transmitting knowledge but also bears the function of shaping citizens and community. Its arguments can help readers understand the debates in the formation of the modern school system and the meaning of "reconstruction" in an educational context. Because it was written long ago, some of its proposals have been absorbed into contemporary educational common sense, while others are limited by their era. It is suitable as supplementary reading in the history of education and the history of educational thought, not as a ready-to-apply practical manual.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Graduate and undergraduate students in education and the history of education
Teachers concerned with changes in school systems and the history of educational thought
Curriculum developers who need original English educational texts as course materials
General readers interested in the background of progressive education

Not a good fit for

Practical teachers looking for specific classroom management techniques and lesson plans
Analysts who need contemporary education policy data and cases
Beginners with limited experience in reading original English texts

Reading tips

Read the preface and chapter titles first to grasp the author's core arguments on "school reconstruction," then read selected chapters.
Read with the background of early twentieth-century American educational history in mind to understand the real problems the book's arguments addressed.
Mark points that resonate with or contradict contemporary educational ideas as you read, and form comparative notes.
Selected chapters can be used as discussion materials for courses on the history of educational thought; reading the whole book is not necessary.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What level of education does this book discuss?

Judging from the materials, this book is a discussion of educational theory and practice that concerns the overall reconstruction of school systems and the organization of teaching, rather than a teaching-methods manual for a specific stage. Readers should understand it within the context of the history of educational thought; the specific stage it addresses must be judged from the individual chapters of the original text.

Do the book's arguments still have reference value today?

Some proposals have been absorbed into modern educational common sense and no longer seem novel; others reflect the specific social conditions of the early twentieth century and need to be evaluated in their historical context. Their reference value lies mainly in helping us understand why the school system evolved as it did, rather than in providing plans that can be directly copied.

How difficult is the original English edition to read?

This is an English public-domain book released by Project Gutenberg. Its language belongs to the early twentieth-century essay style of educational argument, with fairly regular sentence patterns and mostly common terms from educational theory. Education majors with some English proficiency can read selected parts with a dictionary, while reading the whole book requires considerable time.

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About the author

Francis Bail Pearson Author · American · 1853–1938

Francis Bail Pearson (1853–1938) was an American educator, clergyman, and writer who served as superintendent of public instruction in Ohio. Three of his works are held in this collection. His writing draws heavily on long experience in teaching and school administration, centering on how schools can provide suitable conditions for growth rather than trying to shape students by force. Reveries of a Schoolmaster follows a schoolmaster's daily observations and reflections, while The Vitalized School and The Reconstructed School discuss ways of improving education at the level of school life and organization, reflecting a gentle, practical style close to the classroom. Public information on his early life and education is limited.