First, apologies are due to Jesse and my fellow bloggers. Unexpected family obligations prevented me from having the time to read through and choose blogs until today.
Here are my two blogs:
http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/
http://www.creatinglifelonglearners.com/
Both are written by teachers and have useful classroom information.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Purpose of Education
I think that societies have always recognized that there is a basic body of knowledge that is essential for one to have in order to be a productive member of that society. This idea is now a basic right of everyone instead of a privilege of the elite, which makes it much more complex and controversial in terms of what knowledge to include.
I see the word "schooling" as meaning the actual subjects that are studied and learned, while "education" is a much broader concept that includes all real world experience, too. Some of the most "educated" people I know don 't have a lot of formal classroom time in their past: they have just become wise about life along the way.
Many people in my family have advanced scientific degrees, but seem to stay in a very narrow corner of their academic world. They are very good at passing on their knowledge to their students, but aren't too savvy about what I think of at the business of real life.
So is one way of being educated better than the other? I think you have to play the hand you are dealt in life and don't always get a choice in the method. I think people from opposite ends of the education spectrum (real life vs. academic) sometimes look down on the other, missing a chance to appreciate their strengths.
I don't think my own schooling has been the most useful part of my life, although a lot of it has been very interesting. Most of that was because I didn't have a big-picture goal developed in my mind and just sort of wandered around academically (i.e. three semesters of History of the Mongols! Great stuff but it's a lot of waiting for Genghis Khan to pop up in conversation so I can dazzle people with my knowledge.)
As for the purpose of teaching, I think that great teachers use the framework of schooling, the formal learning of the required subject, and squeeze in a big dose of "education" in and around the edges. The subject knowledge may or may not be used later on, but the education percolates in the students' minds.
At the risk of exposing how practical and philosophy-adverse I really am, I will say that if there's not a clearly identifiable bunch of specific knowledge offered in a class, I struggle to remain committed. I'd rather go kayaking.
I see the word "schooling" as meaning the actual subjects that are studied and learned, while "education" is a much broader concept that includes all real world experience, too. Some of the most "educated" people I know don 't have a lot of formal classroom time in their past: they have just become wise about life along the way.
Many people in my family have advanced scientific degrees, but seem to stay in a very narrow corner of their academic world. They are very good at passing on their knowledge to their students, but aren't too savvy about what I think of at the business of real life.
So is one way of being educated better than the other? I think you have to play the hand you are dealt in life and don't always get a choice in the method. I think people from opposite ends of the education spectrum (real life vs. academic) sometimes look down on the other, missing a chance to appreciate their strengths.
I don't think my own schooling has been the most useful part of my life, although a lot of it has been very interesting. Most of that was because I didn't have a big-picture goal developed in my mind and just sort of wandered around academically (i.e. three semesters of History of the Mongols! Great stuff but it's a lot of waiting for Genghis Khan to pop up in conversation so I can dazzle people with my knowledge.)
As for the purpose of teaching, I think that great teachers use the framework of schooling, the formal learning of the required subject, and squeeze in a big dose of "education" in and around the edges. The subject knowledge may or may not be used later on, but the education percolates in the students' minds.
At the risk of exposing how practical and philosophy-adverse I really am, I will say that if there's not a clearly identifiable bunch of specific knowledge offered in a class, I struggle to remain committed. I'd rather go kayaking.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Reflections on my education
My high school and college education would be classified as very traditional. Mostly lecture-style. I always felt a great sense of accomplishment when I took classes that seemed intimidating at first, but I learned the material, mostly by memorization, then got an A in the class. High school advanced biology, in particular, required a great deal of memorization and it gave me a lot of confidence. I am never intimidated by needing to memorize anything.
I went to a very large university where it was not unusual to have 200-300 students in some of the basic courses. I was comfortable with this, and always took the responsibility to go to the instructor's office hours if I needed additional help. The instructors were leaders and the students were followers. I do think this more formal approach taught me to become more resourceful and determined about figuring questions out on my own before asking for an instructor's help. This seems to be considered painfully old-fashioned by today's standards.
Several years after graduating and moving to Albuquerque, I took a undergraduate course at UNM in a subject that interested me. About two years later, I took another undergraduate course at CNM in another field. In both classes, I was shocked at the behavior of the students. Instructors for both classes had earned doctorate degrees and were well-known and well-respected. Most importantly, they were absolutely fascinating storytellers. When they could get a word in edgewise, that is. The students dominated the class with their yakking about themselves and their thoughts and opinions. I went to office hours in both cases, and mentioned how dissapointing it was that we couldn't hear more from the instructors. Both instructors said they understood and apologized and sadly said they were expected to let the students "drive" the class.
Had so much changed in a few short years since I graduated or is this the difference between a large (conservative) midwestern university and a more liberal southwestern college? I don't know. I think today's education system does not do much to establish respect by the student for the position of teacher and therefore many teachers aren't learning to function as leaders. Effective leadership is EVERYTHING for a teacher.
I went to a very large university where it was not unusual to have 200-300 students in some of the basic courses. I was comfortable with this, and always took the responsibility to go to the instructor's office hours if I needed additional help. The instructors were leaders and the students were followers. I do think this more formal approach taught me to become more resourceful and determined about figuring questions out on my own before asking for an instructor's help. This seems to be considered painfully old-fashioned by today's standards.
Several years after graduating and moving to Albuquerque, I took a undergraduate course at UNM in a subject that interested me. About two years later, I took another undergraduate course at CNM in another field. In both classes, I was shocked at the behavior of the students. Instructors for both classes had earned doctorate degrees and were well-known and well-respected. Most importantly, they were absolutely fascinating storytellers. When they could get a word in edgewise, that is. The students dominated the class with their yakking about themselves and their thoughts and opinions. I went to office hours in both cases, and mentioned how dissapointing it was that we couldn't hear more from the instructors. Both instructors said they understood and apologized and sadly said they were expected to let the students "drive" the class.
Had so much changed in a few short years since I graduated or is this the difference between a large (conservative) midwestern university and a more liberal southwestern college? I don't know. I think today's education system does not do much to establish respect by the student for the position of teacher and therefore many teachers aren't learning to function as leaders. Effective leadership is EVERYTHING for a teacher.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)