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    COURSE NUMBER: ED.B. I486_
    COURSE NAME: Special Topic:
    Instructional Strategies
    for Free Schools
    SEMESTER: Summer Session 176
    (July-August)
    Course Description:
    This course offers, probes and analyzes various practical
    methods of classroom-transformation on part of teachers who
    have found most versions of the "open classroom" facile and
    inadequate to meet the needs of the present period of history.
    After brief examination of some limitations in the North
    American adaptation of Leicestershire principles, as well
    as in the views of A.S. Neill, the course will work on
    concrete day-to-day approaches to the means by which to
    overcome these limitations. The range of pupil-age for
    purposes of our discussion will be approximately ten to eigh-
    teen. This course is meant to be a sequel to EDUC. 35-4,
    but one is not "prerequisite" for the other.
    Course Information:
    Instructor
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    Dates
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    Day(s) ?
    Time(s)
    Jonathan Kozol
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    July 5-Aug. 13
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    M,T.W,R ?
    8:30 - 10:20
    Range of Topics:
    Ways to undercut the "false discovery" process during class
    discussion.
    The teacher's obligation to present his/her explicit views
    on controversial issues.
    Teaching children to denounce an unsubstantiated adult view.
    Creating a crossfire of significant disagreement in the
    classroom.
    Introduction of music, written materials and films to spark
    the catalytic process.
    Ways to avoid "counter-indoctrination" without the pre-
    tense of neutrality in ethical and political discussions.
    Children's acquisition of the tools of public contestation:
    teaching children how to issue news stories to the press,
    publish their writings, retain lawyers for self-defense
    and raise funds to support their publications.
    The conscious and intensive teaching of certain basic skills:
    applications of some practices of Paulo Freire.
    Discussions of connections between skills and moral uses.
    Various ways of helping children to turn class-discussions
    and abstract intentions into concrete deeds.
    Organizing in the "Teacher Centers," teacher unions and
    the like.
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    Other strategies of self-protection for the independent-
    minded educator.
    Reading:
    Four basic starting-points for class-discussions:
    History of IL
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    ^Z^_Ljajtgs,
    Harvey Wasserman, Harper
    a
    Row,
    1972
    Helen Keller: Her SocialiQj {ers, ed. Philip Foner,
    Internationsi Publishers, 1967.
    Lgll
    erg to
    r, The Schoolboys of Barbiana, Random
    House, 1970.
    Free Schools, Jonathan Kozol, Bantam, 1972.
    Many other readings, films, recordings will be used
    selectively once the course sequence has begun. (Note: All
    of these books are now in paperback editions)
    Course Reuirernents:
    Students will be asked to attend twelve sessions of four
    hours each, beginning July 5 and continuing five weeks.
    After the first, each session will involve a presentation
    by the instructor, a counter-presentation by two students,
    an open-ended period of concluding dialogue. Each student
    will be asked to prepare one "counter-presentation" (see
    above), to write one paper of moderate length by July 19
    and one longer paper in the first week of August. No examination.

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