RE: [xmca] new national curriculum in Australia

["Duvall, Emily" <emily@uidaho.edu>]

I've been out of the loop. Are we talking about scientific concepts?
~em

-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
On Behalf Of Andy Blunden
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 8:45 PM
Cc: eXtended Mind, Culture,Activity
Subject: Re: [xmca] new national curriculum in Australia

I had a real MacCarthyist fascist teacher in sixth grade 
primary school (1956) who belted gramar into our heads. I 
never forgot the grammar or stopped hated he who gave it to 
me. Progressive education put an end to all that in the late 
60s or early 70s I think.

But my interest is in the Davydov take on this. Let's assume 
that people don't need to learn grammar in order to use it 
effectively as a citizen, any more than they need Euclidean 
geometry. Isn't it the case that being required to think 
about how you compose language formally is an important part 
of acquiring that type of thinking that formal schooling is 
supposed to provide? It is like literacy plus. Here I get 
wires-crossed with Mike's questioning of formal schooling 
altogether, but Ah! what the hell?

Andy

Duvall, Emily wrote:
> Interesting about the grammar. 
> I had a father who was fanatical, so I think that lay the foundation
for
> me... he was always studying his German (later his Russian) and took
> language study, and grammar especially, quite seriously. One of my
> favorite books of his was (and still is) the Loom of Language... I
> became fascinated by the similarities. 
> At any rate, when we moved to Germany (I was 9) I encountered grammar
in
> an upfront way and it was really through the study of foreign language
> that I began to learn about grammar in a deep way. Now it is forever
> visible... :-)
> NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) members have some
> disagreement as to whether it should be taught explicitly or absorbed
in
> context. ATEG, the Assembly for Teaching of English Grammar has a
brief
> monograph on the topic.   http://www.ateg.org/monographs/mulroy.php
If
> you go to the home page and play around you will find more links than
> you ever imagined on grammar.... :-)
> 
> That said... for my money, grammar is best taught in short bursts when
> it is needed. Assess the individual's development... look at what they
> are closest to and work on that area... don't tackle what is
"missing",
> but what is developing. A little formal, explicit teaching can really
> support what we have already acquired. 
> 
> ~em
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu]
> On Behalf Of Andy Blunden
> Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 6:21 PM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: [xmca] new national curriculum in Australia
> 
> Our immensely incompetent Labor Government yesterday 
> announced their new national curriculum for schools 
> (formerly this was a state responsibility).
> 
> It features the teaching of history from the very beginning, 
> including indigenous history (this is an unambiguous good) 
> and emphasises the 3 Rs, including grammar. No curriculum 
> has been set yet in Geography and other subjects.
> 
>
http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/a-sound-beginning-20100301-p
> dlv.html
> 
> Helen raised with me off-line this problem of reintroducing 
> the teaching of grammar: who is going to educate the 
> educators? Anyone under 55 today did not learn grammar at 
> school or until they did a foreign language, when they 
> learnt the grammar of the other language. (Grammar means 
> "Which icon do I click now?")
> 
> What do xmca-ers think about teaching grammar? (I am in favour.)
> 
> Also, many progressive educators here are opposed to 
> curricula in toto: education should be about learning not 
> content. Do xmca-ers agree?
> 
> Given the disastrous implementation of policies by this 
> government over the past 2 years, I fear for our education 
> system. What do people think?
> 
> Andy
> 
> 
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Andy Blunden http://www.erythrospress.com/
> Classics in Activity Theory: Hegel, Leontyev, Meshcheryakov, 
> Ilyenkov $20 ea
> 
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> 

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Blunden http://www.erythrospress.com/
Classics in Activity Theory: Hegel, Leontyev, Meshcheryakov, 
Ilyenkov $20 ea

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