Week One Visual Assignment: Susan Muir- Education as Socialization

In order to understand the history and growth of education in Canada, we must first understand why decisions about education were made. The result of the industrial revolution brought about an understanding that education was inculcation. It is important that this time in history is viewed as decisions made from a social and political view point of the early 1900’s.

Figure 1.Teacher and students, county school, Saskatchewan, ca. 1920J. George Hodgins, The School House, Its Architecture, External and Internal Arrangements: With Additional Papers on Gymnastics, the Use of Apparatus, School Discipline, Methods of Teaching (Toronto: Lovell and Gibson, 1857),p. 81. Taken from: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/schoolhouse/008003-2200-e.html

Figure2. A teacher and students in a classroom at the Montreal Protestant Orphan Asylum, ca. 1900. Taken from:http://www. collectionscanada.gc.ca/schoolhouse/008003-2100-e.html

Week One Visual Assignment: Susan Muir- Education as Socialization

In order to understand the history and growth of education in Canada, we must first understand why decisions about education were made. The result of the industrial revolution brought about an understanding that education was inculcation. It is important that this time in history is viewed as decisions made from a social and political view point of the early 1900’s.

The Canadian insistence on the collective concerns of peace, order and good government has meant that state projects such as schooling are seen in terms of their overall impact on society.

From: http: / /www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/art icl istory-of-education/

Figure 3. Elia Shklanka, teacher, with students at Kalush School, Alberta, 1917. From Library and Archives Canada. Taken from:http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/schoolhouse/008003-2100-e.html

Figure 4. J.L. MacDonald, teacher, and students, School District #3, Glenelg, Ontario, 1910. From Library and Archives Canada. Taken from:http://www. collectionscanada.gc.ca/schoolhouse/008003-2100-e.html

After the decline of child labour in the early 1900’s, the focus of education was inculcating certain values or “socialization”. The progression of industry made school a compulsory way to educate students and make better workers for the future. A teacher’s job included influencing children of the ‘truths’ of the time which included society’s clear views of lessons children should learn. Most often it was the male teacher that educated the older students, whereas, the female, having a more nurturing personality, taught the younger students. Education for students included teachers teaching through universal instruction that included rote learning and long hours of repetition work. Children were forced to be obedient and learning was thought of as work rather than play. The roles of the teacher were not only to teach the desirable morals outcomes of society but the teacher also took on the role as sole administrator and janitor.