At times it seemed like people weren’t listening to each other; they were just waiting for the moment when they could make their knowledge/reasoning/experiences/voices heard. This amused me because I do enjoy a good debate, but it could have been so much better if we were more accepting of each others opinions without being so guarded. I believe that everything anyone says can be, or even is in fact, brilliant. The simple fact is that the greatest philosophers of the modern age have a hard time moving past solipsism. If great minds can’t prove that a world exists outside of our own perception, I find it simply incredible that people can hold so sternly onto their opinions and reasoning. There is not one simple piece of knowledge in western thought that can go unchallenged. We’re in grad school to learn. Part of learning is hearing others. (Perhaps we can even take a break from our constant discussions and debates and listen to our professors.)
Maybe the issue is that I’ve read too much Plato, (he wrote about the famous Greek guy in the robe that says ‘I only know that I know nothing,’) or perhaps the fact is that I’m younger and whole lot more naïve than my classmates. I may not agree with everything they say, in the future I may not agree with everything my students say, but I believe that any intelligent, reasoned, heartfelt opinion is brilliant. It can be nothing more, but it can also be nothing less. Simply put, I don’t believe you can educate unless you understand how truly and inarguably fickle our foundation of knowledge is in this world.
Along the same lines, I thought the degree of concern about grades and assessment seemed to be a little ridiculous. Okay, yes, we’re going to be high school teachers and understanding the values of assessments is important. But do you think, maybe, at least in some little way, we can move past that as graduate students? Would it be possible, after so many years of schooling to seek some knowledge, maybe even a fleeting glimmer of wisdom, instead of freaking out about exactly how many sentences our response is supposed to be or when it’s supposed to be due? At the end of this program you will be assigned some number out of 8 (or 4, I don’t even know.) No matter how high this number is, or how low this number is, it doesn’t have a great correlation with what you actually know. If it’s lower, it won’t take away from what you know. I guarantee all of you have walked out of a classroom with a great grade and understood less than when you’ve walked into it. I think the focus needs to change at this point in our education.
Finally, It’s not like we’re competing against each other in this program. We’re here to learn from each other. Part of the appeal of being a teacher is a lifetime of learning from others, adjusting our own opinions with the times, learning how to identify with and teach new generations of students new knowledge and ever-changing standard curriculums. It seems to me that some of us are failing to see the big picture here. Yes, I myself may never understand life outside of a school, but I at least hope that my understanding of what education is supposed to be represents something beyond striving for the first letter of the alphabet.
Sorry for the rant, I’m usually not one to complain. Next post: The Problem of Hermeneutics: Why this post will probably offend some people.
6 comments:
Jonathan, though it is quite possible that I am one of the targets of your frustration (given my tendency to comment with frequency and be very opinionated), I am not offended by your "rant" at all. We are here to learn. And we should be more open to adverse opinions.
I think it's useful (and humbling) to hear, though I do wish you had offered your observations in class, because it's hard to respond or adapt to what no one mentions...as it is I just randomly selected your blog, otherwise I might never have known.
Hmmm, I had another thought. Keep in mind that a firmly stated opinion is not a closed door to discussion. For me, I actually don't mind people stating things in absolutes, as long as they are both willing to "duke it out." Having to answer the questions of ardent critics has given nuance to my thinking on a variety to subjects.
Really what I'm saying is that I have a preference for debate. But not everyone does and debate can shut down interaction as much as facilitate it. So...... I still think your comments are insightful and needed. But I thought I'd throw this out there too.
Jon, I want to pick up on one thread of what I found to be a very rich post, but before I do that I want to say that my hunch is that "moments" like the one you've framed are likely to be where the learning will be the richest. Even with a group of good-hearted people who are passionate about education, community doesn't happen just because you're all in a room (or even a virtual space) together. My sense is that the extent to which we can create some sense of real community will be partially a consequence of how many people are willing to offer a gentle challenge to the group, or to push for a moment of reflection on our own process. So, I thank you for your post and I'm sure that your ideas will resonate with others.
The thread that I want to pick up on is the idea of socialization that you discuss--the ways in which we associate learning/success with grades. I don't pretend to have any special insights on this matter, as grading is far from my favorite part of teaching, and I believe that evaluation is a serious (and messy!) topic that grades often reduce to something concise, but somewhat meaningless. I'll just say that shining a light on your experience as a student, and as a learner (and the space that sometimes exists between the two) opens a door to some crucial thinking that we all must do as teachers. Connecting to Ed 504, it also points us towards the potential for changing the teacher/student dynamic that some of the web 2.0 tools can facilitate. Much more important than the tools, however, is what it means when the work that our students do is "handed in" to a different kind of audience, or what it means for us as teachers when the issue isn't finding information so much as it is sifting through it, or processing it, or synthesizing it.
Issues that really have always been there, but that are framed powerfully for us by the spectre of technology's growing role in schools.
Dear Jon,
I've always wanted to write a "Dear Jo(h)n" letter. (I kid. And it's probably not funny...) I'm glad that I stumbled onto your blog because you raise some interesting points about why we're in this program.
Regarding the grading/assignment mayhem of last Monday, I completely agree with you. This is a problem that I encountered in many classes in undergrad that I was hoping to escape in gradworld. I wish that students would learn to do an assignment without worrying about if it's exactly "right." If a teacher's looking for a an exactly right way for an assignment to be done, s/he should specify that. Otherwise, students should feel free to interpret an assignment. So many are still scared to do something wrong...
As far as your comments about about debate/discussion/what have you, I agree with Katie that "a firmly stated opinion is not a closed door to discussion." In fact, such a statement can most likely spur thoughtful and critical discussion, as I'm sure you've seen in your past classes. I have a feeling that your rant was referring in particular to the impromptu school funding discussion that occurred in the middle of a discussion about assignment specifications. If this is the case, then I have a feeling that you may also be one of the targets of your rant...which is another story altogether.
Coleen
Jon,
I'm extremely impressed with your blog. The layout, images and reflections create a powerful representation of your thoughts. I particularly enjoyed your comments on the irony of our similarities to high school students. I, too, felt at moments that we were hurdled through time back to our high school days. The format of attending class M-F and rotating through classes as one group enforce this. The nature of our work and group interactions in class also mimic a high school setting. While I find it amusing on occasion, I see the value in being able to analyze our classes for teaching methods, in addition to the content.
hi jon,
i feel like i don't know you yet at all... i am a loud person (though i used to be a shy one) and given time, i'm sure that i'll get to hear you speak more... i'm excited about that because reading your blog caused me to learn more about you. i had been writing about blogs being another platform for discussion, especially for folks who do not dominate conversation, as i am sometimes guilty of.
but i completely concur with your thoughts on competition. i am only competitive with myself and was quite exasperated on the down-to-the-detail clarification for an hour, but i do think that dr. bigby was deliberately doing that for a pedagogical moment... to make sure that we took time out for understanding...
with regards to the other part of the class, it is insightful to hear what you have to say about each person's contributions being brilliant. we should be more open, but i don't think that we should be afraid to make strong statements, just prepared to back those mofo's up with why we feel the way we do, and be open to listening to other perspectives.
xo
lauren
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