Synopsis
The Dead Poets Society is a story that revolves around a group of boys who were attending a prestigious boys school together. Set in the 1950s, the parents and school culture were seen to be autocratic, where parents often dictated the lives of their children and leave them with no say. The story mainly unfolds from the perspectives of two students, Todd Anderson and Neil Perry, who are roommates. In the story, the students found inspiration from their English teacher, Mr. Keating, who has his own unique teaching philosophy and set of teaching strategies that seek to go beyond merely teaching for grades. He was instead focused on engaging students, instilling values and empowering them. Through the lessons, his students found enjoyment …show more content…
Although Charlie did get that his actions were unacceptable, he obviously did not agree with it. This is seen when he expressed disbelief that Mr. Keating was on Mr. Nolan’s side, thinking that Mr. Keating would have approved his actions.
The parents also used verbal reprimands to control their children’s behaviour, which contributed to an overall authoritarian parenting style (Baumrind, 1967 and Maccoby & Martin, 1983). This is evident especially with Neil’s father, who scolded Neil for talking back and felt that Neil was trying to challenge him. This is the general phenomenon among other parents, as Neil mentioned that his friends could only follow their parents’ orders too.
Regarding Mr. Keating
In contrast, Mr. Keating’s motivational styles were more aligned to humanistic and cognitive theories. This comes through in his interactions and management of the students’ motivational issues, which will be further explored …show more content…
He would avoid tasks that he felt he could not do well. For example, he gave up on the poem assignment and said that he had not done it at all, and refused to read aloud during the Dead Poets’ Society meetings. Linking this to Dweck’s Model of Goal Orientation (1983), Todd was displaying low persistence and an avoidance of challenges, which were signs of helplessness. He was oriented towards Performance Goals, as he sought to avoid possible negative judgments of competence from others. As Todd had low confidence in his ability, this view was detrimental and caused him to withdraw further from learning
The Dead Poets Society is a story that revolves around a group of boys who were attending a prestigious boys school together. Set in the 1950s, the parents and school culture were seen to be autocratic, where parents often dictated the lives of their children and leave them with no say. The story mainly unfolds from the perspectives of two students, Todd Anderson and Neil Perry, who are roommates. In the story, the students found inspiration from their English teacher, Mr. Keating, who has his own unique teaching philosophy and set of teaching strategies that seek to go beyond merely teaching for grades. He was instead focused on engaging students, instilling values and empowering them. Through the lessons, his students found enjoyment …show more content…
Although Charlie did get that his actions were unacceptable, he obviously did not agree with it. This is seen when he expressed disbelief that Mr. Keating was on Mr. Nolan’s side, thinking that Mr. Keating would have approved his actions.
The parents also used verbal reprimands to control their children’s behaviour, which contributed to an overall authoritarian parenting style (Baumrind, 1967 and Maccoby & Martin, 1983). This is evident especially with Neil’s father, who scolded Neil for talking back and felt that Neil was trying to challenge him. This is the general phenomenon among other parents, as Neil mentioned that his friends could only follow their parents’ orders too.
Regarding Mr. Keating
In contrast, Mr. Keating’s motivational styles were more aligned to humanistic and cognitive theories. This comes through in his interactions and management of the students’ motivational issues, which will be further explored …show more content…
He would avoid tasks that he felt he could not do well. For example, he gave up on the poem assignment and said that he had not done it at all, and refused to read aloud during the Dead Poets’ Society meetings. Linking this to Dweck’s Model of Goal Orientation (1983), Todd was displaying low persistence and an avoidance of challenges, which were signs of helplessness. He was oriented towards Performance Goals, as he sought to avoid possible negative judgments of competence from others. As Todd had low confidence in his ability, this view was detrimental and caused him to withdraw further from learning