Relating Process Philosophy to the Classroom: an Exploration of Alfred North Whitehead's

150 Pages·2017·8.67 MB·English

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LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School
1999
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Janis Pardue Hill
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
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Hill, Janis Pardue, "Relating Process Philosophy to the Classroom: an Exploration of Alfred North
Whitehead's Educational Vision." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7088.
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RELATING PROCESS PHILOSOPHY TO THE
CLASSROOM: AN EXPLORATION OF
ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD’S EDUCATIONAL VISION
A Dissertation
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the
Louisiana State University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction
by
Janis Pardue Hill
B.S., Northeast Louisiana University, 1969
M.A., Louisiana Tech University, 1984
December 1999
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UMI Number: 9960059
Copyright 1999 by
Hill, Janis Pardue
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©Copyright 1999
Janis Pardue Hill
All rights reserved
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A Dedication to my family
iii
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I must begin my words of appreciation with a momentous thank you to
William E. Doll, Jr., who first pointed me down that often spoken about but seldom
traveled “road not taken." For me that road “less traveled" was process
philosophy, and it was a totally new avenue of thinking. With Dr. Doll’s assistance
and encouragement, however, it became, over time, a well-worn path-much less
treacherous-and in the end, quite amazingly, a familiar and comfortable avenue.
For that I thank him. He is a kind, sagacious philosopher; and though he disagreed
with me in my early writings when I referred to him as a Whiteheadian scholar, I shall
now dare to contradict him and bestow upon him that tribute.
I am equally grateful to the other members of my committee: Dr. James L.
Byo, Dr. Earl Cheek, Jr., Dr. Flo D. Durway, Dr. Joe L Green, Dr. William F. Pinar.
I cannot verbalize accolades glorious enough to describe, perhaps, one of the
most unique combinations of talent, wisdom, and expertise ever assembled in
Peabody Hall. Each is treasured for the support and encouragement they so
willingly and cheerfully gave; I hope I have properly conveyed that to them in
person. One of the great blessings of doctoral study has been the opportunity to
study and converse with individuals who are widely acknowledged as “experts" in
their areas of interest-to make those"connections” of which Whitehead speaks.
And to Flo Durway, a special ‘thank you" for the understanding, the genuine
concern, the advice, and the insightful suggestions you made. Your greatness as
an educator rests somewhere between your English teacher “voice" and your
teacher-of-teachers wisdom. Please know that you are greatly admired.
To my family, friends, and colleagues-l thank you for your patience, your
support, and your love throughout this adventure. You are loved and appreciated.
The most magnificent discovery of this doctoral study is an even greater
appreciation for home and family; for in this I am truly blessed.
Finally, to Charles... thank you for allowing me to be me... I could not
have completed this endeavor without you. I close with one final thought... from
a beloved English poet... “Grow old along with me/ the best is yet to be" —
iv
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION.......................................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................... iv
ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................vi
CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................... 1
Process Thinking and Teaching: A Teacher’s Reflection............. 3
Process Thinking and Teaching: A Teacher’s Quest ..................14
End Notes..................................................................................14
2 MOVING TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY OF
PROCESS THINKING ............................................................. 16
William F. Pinar and Autobiography ....................................... 19
An Autobiographical Exploration............................................. 23
End Notes............................................................................... 62
3 ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD AND
PROCESS PHILOSOPHY........................................................ 64
Explication of the Process........................................................ 65
Philosophy and Teaching: Preliminary Connections................. 77
End Notes............................................................................... 80
4 THE EDUCATIONAL VISION OF
ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD...................................................82
The Early Educational Writings................................................ 84
A Vision of Education............................................................... 93
Opinions of the Critics........................................................... 100
End Notes............................................................................. 111
5 THEORY AND PRACTICE: APPLICATION OF PROCESS
PHILOSOPHY TO THE CLASSROOM................................ 113
Whitehead’s Career: A View of the Teacher......................... 115
Whitehead’s Principles: A View of the Theory....................... 122
Whitehead’s Vision: A View of the World............................... 129
End Notes...............................................................................132
REFERENCES................................................................................................134
VITA...............................................................................................................139
v
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ABSTRACT
This dissertation is an exploration of the connections between the process
philosophy and the educational thinking of Alfred North Whitehead. It develops
the theory that Whitehead’s philosophy of process is evident in “embryonic” form
in his earlier educational writings, as well as The Aims of Education and Other
Essavs (1929), and that the complexities of process thinking are as intertwined and
interconnected with the principles of process educational thought as the actual entity
is intertwined and interconnected with the complex relations involved in its
concrescence. The ultimate aim is to provide a clear picture of Whitehead’s vision
of education and the possibilities it offers the classroom teacher.
The study, a theoretical one, is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1
introduces the framework for the dissertation and a personal reflection on initial
encounters with process philosophy. Chapter 2 presents Whitehead’s idea of
"connectedness" and my natural progression toward a process mode of thought
through the course of my career. William F. Pinar’s theory of currere frames an
autobiographical exploration of my twenty-five years in the classroom and my
years of doctoral study. Chapter 3 explicates the philosophy of process,
beginning with the actual entity and including all the basic elements. Chapter 4
examines Whitehead’s educational writings, with a careful emphasis on the earlier
essays and addresses, as well as a detailed look at his rhythm of education. Also
explored is the fundamental notion of the student as a living organism and the
necessity of application. This chapter concludes with a look at the critical opinions of
philosophers and educators who have applied Whitehead’s process philosophy
to educational theory, e.g., Brumbaugh, Doll, Hendley, Holmes, and Lawrence.
Chapter 5, which is the crux of the study, applies a process philosophy of
education to the practical world of the classroom, considering the combination of the
theoretical and the practical realms of thought. The quest centers around the myriad
of possibilities process thinking offers the teacher today. It concludes with a look at
the phases of generalization and romance as windows to the very Platonic notion of
transformation in the lives of both students and teacher.
vi
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