Education Theory -- Book Review Essay

Finally, Erickson promotes the idea of educational curricula and teaching methods that are structured while being simultaneously much more flexible than traditional information-based education.

3. Identify at least two areas of weakness in the Erickson Provide a rationale for selecting each area of weakness identified.

If there are any weaknesses of the text, they might include the relative lack of inclusion of: 1. specific types of cognitive intelligences; and 2. specific substantive interests of students. First, modern educational theorists have embraced the concept of Multiple Intelligences pioneered by Howard Gardner of the Harvard School of Education. Gardner has demonstrated that even the best traditional curricula neglect the needs of many students. Second, there are reasons to believe that students should be allowed more autonomy in the choice of subjects long before the middle or late high school years.

4. Identify suggested methods for improving the two areas of weakness identified in question 3.

A method for addressing the first criticism would include adding lesson formats designed to exploit the other six types of cognitive intelligences identified by Gardner besides the two most commonly emphasized (i.e. linguistic and mathematical abilities) in traditional education. A method for addressing the second criticism would be designing mechanisms to allow students to play a more active role in selecting subject matter of specific interest to them instead of continuing to rely on choices made in that regard by educators who made decisions many decades ago about the specific types of material that should be covered in academic programs besides the essential skills such as reading,…