In a message dated 7/17/2001 3:00:01 PM Central Daylight Time,
phillip.capper@webresearch.co.nz writes:
> But the teacher as a transformational tool for the students is the critical
> factor, not the organisation of the classroom. The greatest positive
> influence on my intellectual life was a teacher with terrifyingly rigid and
> authoritarian practices who also had an absolute and consuming passion for
> his subject (history). So powerful was this contradiction that, as I type, I
> am 17 again, simultaneously frightened and inspired. Dealing with that
> contradiction in itself was a transformational exercise in expansive
> learning for all of us in the class. I will not here bore you with the
> extraordinary life paths of so many thst he taught, and how many of them.
> like me, attribute so much to what at the time seemed to be a fundamentally
> traumatic experience.
>
I am passionate about teaching and learning as well, but to assume that the
only environment learning can take place is within the confines of a
'contrived' educational environment is egotistical and much of the problem
with education today is how I hear educational leaders talk about what their
going to 'do' with students. I say let's get away from these contrived
environments of abstract design and move to a method that addresses the
concrete aspect of true 'taught' knowledgeable behaviors, strategies and
techniques. Explaining how learning takes place at the 'google' level does
still not explain proper method of teaching. Learning is not the same as
teaching.
Tired of ivory tower thinking,
Eric
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Aug 01 2001 - 01:01:15 PDT