Teach for the
Future, Not the Past
I
have two remaining serious items on my “bucket list.” One is solving the
greatest secret of the cosmos, “The Unifying Theory (which was Albert
Einstein’s motivating mystery.) I will get to that next week. The other item
was revealed to me during my doctoral work in education when I happened upon
the classic essay, The Saber-Tooth
Curriculum, written in 1939 by the fictional professor at Petaluma College,
J. Abner Peddiwell. Professor Peddiwell (aka Harold Benjamin, Dean of Education
at the Universities of Colorado and Maryland.) I believe that The Saber-Tooth Curriculum describes the
primary problem with organized education and provides a way of thinking to
correct it.
It
has been a long dream of mine to advocate for the thoughts of Dean Benjamin and
to rekindle a discussion on fixing formal education. At one time, I actually purchased
the option to the rights to The
Saber-Tooth Curriculum hoping to produce an animated film. Now, it has been
seventy-five years since the essay was published and thirty years since I
received my Doctor of Education degree. Well… better late than never.
First… From the back
page of the newest edition:
McGraw-Hill first published The Saber- Tooth Curriculum in
1939, and it has remained a classic bestseller to this date. The book is just
as relevant and applicable to the key questions in education today as it was
when it was first published.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Peddiwell takes on the
contradictions and confusion generated by conflicting philosophies of
education, outlining the patterns and progression of education itself, from its
origins at the dawn of time to its culmination in a ritualistic, deeply
entrenched social institution with rigidly prescribed norms and procedures.
This fascinating exploration is developed within a fanciful
framework of fictional lectures, given by Professor J. Abner Peddiwell, doyen
in the History of Education at Petaluma State College. In a humorous fable,
Peddiwell illustrates the progress of education and give valuable insights into
how it could continue to develop in the decades to come.
Second…
read The Saber- Tooth Curriculum. Here are some ways to acquire the book: (I
receive no royalties or kickbacks.)
AMAZON.COM
Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill; Later Edition edition (June 1,
1959)
ISBN-10: 0070491518
ISBN-13: 978-0070491519
Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
Used from $.00 New from $19.95
GO TO A LIBRARY, KENNY!
Third… read chapters 1-3 again (The meat of his essay.)
Finally… go to Part II (coming soon!) of this essay and see what I think
about the ideas in The Saber-Tooth Curriculum
I leave you to your devices… read ‘em if you got ‘em!
