The document provides an overview of Transcendentalist education presented by Brent A. Simoneaux. It discusses how Transcendentalism was sparked by a philosophical shift from empiricism to intuitionism. It describes the teaching methodology changing from teacher-centered rote learning to student-centered conversation and discussion. It also discusses the learning environment changing from dark poorly lit classrooms to bright colorful rooms filled with books, art, and natural light to inspire creativity.

1. T ran s cend e nta l ist E du c atio n P r e sented b y: B rent A. S im o nea u x

2. Movement (noun): “ A series of organized activities working toward an objective; also : an organized effort to promote or attain an end (the civil rights movement ).” Movements Lecture Series

3. Movements are often sparked by a shift in philosophical thought. Opening Thoughts

4. 1830 - 1850 The Context

5. New England Massachusetts The Context

6. The literature of Transcendentalism was mostly non-fiction prose and poetry. The Context

7. The Context

8. The Context 1810 – 1850 Conversations with Women (1840) The Wrongs of American Women (1845) Margaret Fuller

9. The Context Amos Bronson Alcott 1799 – 1888 Orphic Sayings (1840) Conversations with Children (1836)

10. Elizabeth Peabody 1804 – 1894 Record of a School (1836) Woman (1840) The Context

11. The Philosophy Philosophy is an articulation of an understanding of who we are, the way we view the world and ourselves.

13. John Locke Knowledge is created through experience. Think: Tabula Rasa The Philosophy

14. The Philosophy Immanuel Kant knowledge is created through intuition. Think: Universal Truths

15. The Philosophy Intuition “The power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.”

16. The Philosophy So, if Lockean philosophy and the philosophy before Transcendentalism was empirical , known through the senses, then Kantian philosophy is intuitive .

17. The Philosophy These two philosophies ask and attempt to answer questions about how we know things, how we learn things .

18. The Philosophy What are the implication on education if we shift from a Lockean ( empirical ) to a Kantian ( intuitive ) understanding of how we learn?

45. T ran s cend e nta l ist E du c atio n Q ues t ion s