RE: [xmca] The power of internalization is overwhelmingly pervasive

Thank you, Elinami,

Your message is, without any doubt, empowering. You are right; we have to be
very careful with the power we possess. It is both a privilege and
responsibility to make sure our students internalize not only what (the
message, the content, information, behaviour) we teach, but - what is more
important - how we teach, our affective relationships to our subject, to
other students, and to ourselves. I am sure we can all relate to Tutu's
(2004, April 20; UBC; Vancouver) realistic evaluation of possibly negative
educational outcomes: "education produced brilliant scientists who have used
their knowledge for evil."

So, to re-address one of my previously stated questions: "How can educators
expect anything other than (relational) bullying in schools when such a vast
majority of society [educators included] engages in the very act?" Or
putting it differently, "If not for the sake of establishing a false sense
of power, then why do educators resort to participation in what can only be
called relational bullying (where gossip, hearsay, and rumours rule)?"
Anyone?

Cheers,
Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On
Behalf Of Elinami Swai
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 2:13 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] The power of internalization is overwhelmingly pervasive

Michael et al. Thank you for a very interesting discussion. I think it
is possible to achieve power without making others powerless; and
impossible to achieve power amidst the powerless. If a father fights
his four years old daughter, we cannot say he has power because power
can only be measured against power, not against powerlessness. I don't
see how one can achieve power by bullying. A powerful teacher is the
one who empowers her/his students. His power emanates from, as you
said, the respect from students and learning outcomes. Bully teachers
are feared, they make their students internalize anger, resentfulness
and it is hard for them to learn in such a relationship. Her/his
power/powerlessness can be measured against the achievement of her/his
goal.
Elinami

On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 3:33 PM, Michael G. Levykh <mglevykh@telus.net>
wrote:
> Thank you, Roger, for your very interesting insight.
>
> I am sure that your students internalize well not only the content of your
> subject due to the safe and positive emotional environment established by
> you, but they also internalize the environment itself; hence, becoming
> resentful to others' negativities (e.g., spreading unfounded rumours) and
> respectful of others.
>
> I completely support the belief that respecting others relates to
"treating
> others as we [teachers] would want to be treated." Here, is probably one
of
> the best examples of achieving and maintaining power on many levels based
on
> caring, nurturing, and overall supportive positive environment. Is it
> possible to achieve power without making others powerless? What do others
> think about it?
>
> Cheers,
> Michael.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On
> Behalf Of tvmathdude@aol.com
> Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 11:13 AM
> To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: Re: [xmca] The power of internalization is overwhelmingly
pervasive
>
>
> Michael,
>
> Last summer, I received basic training in neuro-linguistic programming. I
> was greatly concerned when I recognized our ability as teachers to
influence
> our students in a away that they are unaware of our imprinting within
their
> subconscious. I have begun to recornize these tactics used in the media.
>
> I have begun to see that I actually create reality for my students in my
> classroom for the time that they are there. I am more careful now then
ever
> before. Because my discipline (mathematics) is seldom a free choice of my
> students, I spend extra time creating a welcoming, fun environment. The
> classroom is a social entity and I provide time us to get to know each
> other. Once they are having fun, teaching them college Algebra or
statistics
> is easy. And even though my tests and projects are demanding, they thank
me
> at the end of the course.?I also rely heavily on group learning and
> student-to-student dialog.
>
> I believe that it critical that we respect our students as individuals and
> treat them as we would want to be treated.
>
> Roger
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael G. Levykh <mglevykh@telus.net>
> To: 'eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity' <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> Sent: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 10:58 pm
> Subject: RE: [xmca] The power of internalization is overwhelmingly
pervasive
>
>
>
> I wanted to thank those few who responded (not via xmca, but directly) to
my
> previous email. For those who, for whatever reason, missed my previous
email
> and find the topic of internalization interesting enough, I attached some
> "bits and pieces" related to the concept of internalization and emotions
vs.
> exteriorization and appropriation from my unpublished PhD thesis. Please,
do
> not quote!
>
> However, in this email I wanted to share with all of you my thoughts on
the
> pervasive power of internalization. I am fascinated by how our brain (or
is
> it our mind?) works. We educators work extremely hard, for example, to
deal
> with the problems of bullying, specifically, the most vicious type,
> relational bullying, where gossip, hearsay, and rumours rule. In Canada,
for
> instance, there are numerous calls from various educational groups and
> organizations for updated legislation to allow treating online bullying
> (cyber-bullying) as a criminal offence. It is, however, regrettably common
> to find many teachers-educators not only actively listening to others
> spreading gossip, but - what is more disgusting - also witnessing those
very
> educators spreading the gossip themselves and even acting (or basing their
> decisions) upon the gossip - quite often without having any proven shred
of
> evidence. Yet, what fascinates me most is that some of those educators
> belong to the field of educational psychology, and by their very nature
> (professional and personal) are supposed to question the validity and
verify
> the legitimacy of any rumours and gossip. Unfortunately, it is only when
one
> is cornered legally, that one is forced to think whether there is any
actual
> evidence to what was so easily believed by many.
>
> Now, isn't it fascinating that we, educators and psychologists, demand one
> thing from our students, colleagues, and even governments, but do the
> complete opposite, and in that process, surely run the risks of ruining
the
> reputations and even lives of real and innocent people, and, hence, the
> reputation of "education"? We talk the talk bu
> t we don't walk the walk.
> Perhaps, once internalized, even an unacceptable and distractive (for self
> and others) behaviour is hard to undo and change. The power of
> internalization is overwhelmingly pervasive and astonishing, isn't it?
>
> It would be nice to hear what others think about it.
>
> Cheers,
> Michael G. Levykh,
> PhD candidate, Ed. Psych.
> Sessional Instructor, SFU
>
>
>
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-- 
Dr. Elinami Swai
Womens' and Gender Studies
University Hall 4220-A
The University of Toledo
Toledo, OH, 43606
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