The Role of the Foundational Studies In The. Preparation of Elementary Teachers

Abstract

I shall begin the discussion of the role of the foundational studies in the preparation of elementary teachers by registering some dissatisfaction with the terms "foundation" and "foundational." A brave band of professors at Columbia Teachers College deserve our gratitude for the idea of foundational studies, but not for the term. Inevitably the word makes one think of the building trades, or those great philanthropic geese that lay the golden eggs for educational reform, or the art of corsetry. All these connotations have their roots in the notion of a beginning. The foundation of the edifice is the first layer of the building, and when one founds an establishment he institutes or originates it; presumably an establishment is called a foundation when its goal is to assist in the founding of other enterprises. As for the foundation garments worn by women, they too are supposed to be the first layer of clothing, as well as the means of establishing a basic contour for the figure's subsequent adornment.