JayCee Tourtillott

Posoh

     My name is JayCee Rae Tourtillott. My mother is Andrea Fish. My father is Richard Tourtillott Jr. I am bear clan. I have two children, Rebel and Raphael Pecore. We live in Keshena. I am going to school at the College of Menominee Nation to become a early/middle childhood education teacher.

     I find the early to middle childhood stage of human development to be most fascinating. At this stage of development experiences are important in shaping healthy lifelong learning. I agree with Jerome Bruner that any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development. My philosophy of education supports the theory of social reconstructionism. In this theory of knowledge, social questions are addressed and a quest to create a better society is a high priority for education.

     I share similar beliefs as WWII Veteran Theodore Brameld, founder of social reconstructionism. After his experience in time and service he recognized the potential for either human annihilation through technology and human cruelty or the capacity to create a beneficent society using technology and human compassion.

     Reconstructionist educators like Theodore Brameld, George Counts, and critical theorists Paulo Freire focus curriculum on social reform as the goal of education and believe the systems used must be changed to overcome oppression and improve human conditions. George Counts recognized that education was the means of preparing people for creating new social order. I admire these men for their contributions to this theory of knowledge.

     As a future dual language teacher I see importance in Lev Vygotski’s views on social constructivism. In this sociological theory of knowledge, the importance of language and culture in cognitive development is emphasized. For both social reconstructionists and critical theorists, students experience and take on social action in real problems. Creating strategies for dealing with controversial issues, inquiry based learning, the use of dialogue, and embracing difference in perspectives are the focus of education and curriculum to bring real issues of the world into the classroom practice.