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Applied Scholastics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article forms part of a series on Scientology |
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Applied Scholastics is a non-profit corporation founded in 1972 to promote the use of study techniques created by L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction author and the founder of the Church of Scientology. Hubbard called his theories on learning and education "study technology." Applied Scholastics runs the "Hollywood Education and Literacy Project" (HELP), the World Literacy Crusade, "Education Alive", and the "Literacy, Education and Abilities Program" (LEAP).
Applied Scholastics' declared mission is; "to promote and develop programs of effective education for educators, business trainers, tutors, parents, children and people in all walks of life who need improved study skills to enhance their scholastic, business and personal activities."
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Critics claim that Applied Scholastics is nothing but a Scientology front group, a claim that Applied Scholastics vigorously denies. Its chief executive officer Bennetta Slaughter says that "they are separate organizations ... We are strictly an educational organization. We are not part of the church." [1]
According to studytech.org (a Scientology/Dianetics watchdog site):
Applied Scholastics is indeed a legally separate corporation. However, it has so many ties to the Church of Scientology and its corporate alter ego, the Church of Spiritual Technology, that it cannot be regarded as being anything other than a Scientology subsidiary...... The organization has a number of corporate subsidiaries operating under business aliases. They are: Carroll Reese Academy & Arts; Ability Plus, Connecticut, Inc.; Ability School of Utah; Academy for Learning, also known as Mission of the Children, Inc.; Chicagoland Academy; Lewis Carroll Academy of the Arts; Renaissance Academy Inc.; and Standard Education, Inc.[2]
In Italy, "Applied Scholastics of Italy and the Mediterranean are recognized by the Government and provides the right for school personnel to be exempt from duty while taking part in this training." [3] In other countries, however, the acceptance of Applied Scholastics is less enthusiastic.
In October 2005, St. Louis Public Schools superintendent Creg Williams discovered the group's Scientology connections, and immediately put out the word to area principals to cease working with Applied Scholastics. Additionally, St. Louis' Hazelwood School District superintendent Chris Wright discovered that CEO Bennetta Slaughter had been claiming a "partnership" with Hazelwood. She admonished Mrs.Slaughter to cease and desist doing so. [4] [5]
Study Technology is billed as an exact system which teaches a person how to effectively learn. It includes the identification of the specific barriers to study, the tools to help a student grasp the material being studied, and the means to organize the basic learning environment toward the attainment of better results for both the student and teacher. The system specifies three barriers to study and spells out how to handle them.
- "Misunderstood words" are words not understood by the student. According to Hubbard, "The only reason a person gives up a study or becomes confused or unable to learn is because he has gone past a word that was not understood." This concept is so important to study technology that the preceding sentence occurs in the beginning of nearly every book published by the Church of Scientology. To remedy this, students are taught to use dictionaries extensively.
- The idea of "Gradients" is taken from the idea of a gentle slope compared to a steep one. Just as one should not attempt algebra until one has mastered arithmetic, Hubbard claims that students should not go on to a more advanced subject until the preceding one is mastered.
- "An absence of mass" means actual, physical universe mass. A rock has a lot of mass while a feather has a little mass. "An absence of mass is hard on a student," Hubbard said. He once used the example of a student learning arithmetic and suggested giving the student some apples to use so the student could demonstrate the idea of addition for himself.
While traditional educational theory recognizes that misunderstood words can hamper comprehension of material, it does not assign it the same importance as Hubbard does. Hubbard claimed that a single misunderstood word on a page can make a student unable to use the information on the page after the misunderstood word.
L. Ron Hubbard's credentials as an educator are, in general, poorly regarded outside of the Church of Scientology. His only academic qualification was a PhD from Sequoia University, a now defunct diploma mill, although he occasionally claimed to have degrees in engineering or nuclear physics. [6] His teaching experience in a secular context was limited to teaching English for a month in Guam while his father was stationed there. The "Study Technology" has never been the subject of a peer reviewed study. As such, most non-Scientologist educators dismiss it outright.
Applied Scholastics licenses their "study technology" to a small number of Scientologist-run schools throughout the world. In return, these schools pay 4% of their gross income to Applied Scholastics and "promote and protect the Hubbard Philosophy and Technology under and in connection with the Marks and the name of LRH."[1]
- ^ ABLE license contract for the use of Applied Scholastics trademarks (PDF format. Archived March 18, 2005)
- Welcome to Applied Scholastics International!. Official site.
- Scientology FAQs: What is Applied Scholastics?. Answer to a commonly asked question. CSI.
- Scientology.org: Applied Scholastics. A description of Applied Scholastics. CSI.
- Applied Scholastics International. An overview of Applied Scholastics International. CSI.
- Applied Scientology In Public Schools?. A critical article that highlight Scientology's role in Education. The Watchman Expositor.
- Applied Scholastics and The Church of Scientology. Critical site: Scientology v. Education. Studytech.org.
- Di Matteo, Enzo (1998-12-16). Scientology wants city's kids. NOW Magazine.
- Texts Highlight Scientology's Role in Education (Personal site). A critical site of Scientology and Education. Education Week; Solitarytrees.net (1997-09-17).
- Scientology-based schools and tutoring groups (Personal site). Critical site; part of "Part of Tax-exempt Child Abuse and Neglect" by Mike Gormez. Taxexemptchildabuse.net.
