In 1988, Roberts Jr. High became Roberts Paideia Academy. It presently
serves over 800 students in grades PreK-8. The Paideia Proposal, which
was developed in 1982 by Mortimer Adler, was to be an educational manifesto
calling for a radical reform of basic schooling in the United States.
Its main goal was to overcome the elitism of our school system from its
beginning to the present day,and to replace it with a truly democratic
system that aims not only to improve the quality of basic schooling in
the country, but also aims to make quality education accessible to all
children.
Definition: PAIDEIA (Py-dee-a) comes from the Greek pais or paidos,
the upbringing of the child. Main Objectives:
- Personal Development: Every child should be able
to look forward not only to growing up, but also to continued growth
in all human dimensions throughout life. Basic schooling should prepare
students to take advantage of every opportunity for personal growth
that our society offers.
- Citizenship: An adequate preparation
for discharging the duties and responsiblities of citizenship. This
requires the cultivation of the appropriate civic virtues, but also
a sufficient understanding of the framework of our government and its
fundamental principles.
- Earning a Living: Basic schooling must prepare students
for the working world by giving them the basic skills that are common
to all work in a society such as ours.
Principal Beliefs of the Paideia Method: The same quality
of education for all. Education is a life long process. Education should
be general and liberal in focus. All genuine learning is active, not passive.
Thee types of Paideia Teaching:
- Didactic: "Teaching by telling." This method
involves the acquisition of organized knowledge. It employs textbooks,
instructional materials, and is accompanied by laboratory demonstrations.
- Coaching: The emphasis is on the student's ability
to do basic skill operations. The teacher-pupil ratio is smaller than
in the didactic mode, and the teacher operates in a manner similar to
a coach of athletic skills.
- Socratic Method: This mode of teaching is called "Maieutic" because it helps the students bring "ideas
to birth." The materials are non-textbook, but rather products
of "human artistry." Though seminars and discussions, led
by the questioning method, children are encouraged and guided to raise
their appreciation of the development of ideas. The imaginiation and
creative powers of the students are stimulated.
Taken from the Roberts Paideia Academy Handbook 2004 |