Tags for "Questioning"
Welcome to ‘Got Questions?’
The first has to do with my own life as a young person. I remember being very excited about the concept of democracy: People coming together to decide, through discussion and compromise, through an open exchange of ideas, the best course of action that they, as a group, should take. Perhaps that is why I never understood censorship or indoctrination. If you believe an idea to be wrong, let it out in the world so it can be proven wrong. Don't turn it into a precious subversive commodity that people can rally around without being given the space to truly understand it or its... Prisoners or Students?
"Hey! Where's your pass?"
"Where are you going? Get to class!"
"Who let you in this copy room?"
"Get to the back of the line!"
All of these are greetings given to... Where’s the Line? Putting Democratic Teaching Ideals to the Test
"Stop doing that and apologize."
"What? She doesn't care."
"She's not going to tell you she cares, but I do.... The Building Blocks of a Good Education
What ever happened to Kindergarten?
This past weekend I found myself in Western Massachusetts for an old fashioned Timber House Raising. Now I have to be honest, before this weekend I had no idea what a Timber Hose Raising was. Living in Brooklyn it's not so often you come across someone who decides they're going to build their house and then invites the whole neighborhood over to help. It's even less often that you get to watch a house being build with no metal. But that was exactly what happened. Over the last two years pieces of tree were cut, shaved and carved into lumber, each piece measured and chiseled to fit exactly into the... Teacher and Student Roles
The teacher calls the shots, runs the show, sets the agenda and the deadlines, informs students of how things will go on in their classroom, and is the person who has the knowledge -- which is to be passed on from his or her mind to the students of the classroom. And this is all usually done through teacher-led discourse and method, within the constraints of school curriculum of course.
The students (in theory) are to absorb all of the knowledge being offered to them, respond diligently and respectfully to the teacher's commands and direction, raise... To Create Change, Understand Your Opposition
For example, within democratic education circles, we know what we believe and why it makes sense. However, we don't necessarily know what others believe about education, and why it makes sense to them to believe those things.
I listen to a lot of Republican talk... What is Intelligence, and Can You Teach It?
I believe that intelligence is three things: thoughtfulness, education, and experience. It is possible to be very strong in one category and be very intelligent because of that strength, but have room for improvement and further intellectual growth in another. I believe that I have a great deal of thoughtfulness, but could seriously grow in terms of experience and education by attending more events and programs and spending more time reading nonfiction and participating in events... The Nature of Ideas
To me, this means that public school in its current form is sacred to most Americans. The faith put in it is such that there isn't always an open mind when alternatives are suggested. It may not be a religious institution,... Question the Answers
Outright lies and misinformation, however, are another matter entirely. Why weren't we introduced to, say, theories about Shakespeare's true identity, or alternatives to vivisection? Neither of these were lies, of course, but the information we were instructed to memorize was presented as the be-all and end-all, without the possibility of another reality. Wouldn't school have been so much more interesting... Suffer the Little Children
But it often leads to negativity, from what I've witnessed. Though I used to politely murmur, "Fine, thanks," I have been either entertained or horrified (or a combination of the two, really) by plenty of sad stories. "I hate it!" or "Gym is okay, I guess," or "My teacher sucks" are all phrases that I've... Help?
The ambulance, police, and fire trucks soon arrived. My husband was thanked, and then he went on his way... with a full day... Internal Motivation is Like North Dakota
Last semester, I was thrown into a teaching position wherein I had 150 students to tend to--and that experience was more an exercise in control than in instruction or teaching. This semester as explained in my last entry... You Say You Want a Revolution…
Anonymous Teacher - The Bronx, NY
Thank you for the question. First of all, I do not have an answer for you. Your question very much hits home for me, and the best I can do in this situation is to tell you how I have figured out to live with those conflicting thoughts...
Posted on Oct 14, 2009 - 02:16 PM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
Welcome. Before I begin responding to your questions I would like to say two things about what I will be doing here.The first has to do with my own life as a young person. I remember being very excited about the concept of democracy: People coming together to decide, through discussion and compromise, through an open exchange of ideas, the best course of action that they, as a group, should take. Perhaps that is why I never understood censorship or indoctrination. If you believe an idea to be wrong, let it out in the world so it can be proven wrong. Don't turn it into a precious subversive commodity that people can rally around without being given the space to truly understand it or its... Prisoners or Students?
Posted on Oct 20, 2009 - 01:14 AM by Ammerah Saidi in The Learning Curve
I'm 5'2" and about 105 lbs. I'm small--so walking through the hallways of the new school in which I just got a teaching position, I get mistaken all the time as a student, by students and teachers alike. This gives my students the impression that I'm a pushover, and staff the idea that I won't last in this school past a couple of months. But what my misleading physique grants me is a world into the daily feelings of my students inside a building they will spend four of their formative years in--if they make it through four."Hey! Where's your pass?"
"Where are you going? Get to class!"
"Who let you in this copy room?"
"Get to the back of the line!"
All of these are greetings given to... Where’s the Line? Putting Democratic Teaching Ideals to the Test
Posted on Nov 11, 2009 - 11:41 AM by Kristan Morrison in democracy.edu
In my efforts to model democratic practices to pre-service teachers, I ask my students at the beginning of each class, "Are there any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, complaints?" Usually I am met with silence or with just basic housekeeping-type questions (e.g. when do we have to take Praxis II? etc.). Occasionally, though, a student will offer a concern or complaint about the work load or impending due dates, or they'll propose a change to a grading rubric item. For example, in the last month, I had students request to be able to pre-record their Pecha Kucha presentation (a sort of slam poetry form of powerpoint presentation -- 20 slides in 20 seconds each to explore an... Skinner Box to FreedomPosted on Nov 17, 2009 - 08:44 PM by Ammerah Saidi in The Learning Curve
So, there I stood. In front of my thirty 9th graders, hour after hour, watching them write letters to each other, put their gum under their desks, talk to their neighbors while the assigned worksheet on the parts of speech I just spent the night before diligently creating fell silently to the floor. Think I am being melodramatic? I wish! In one class, I laughed to myself for a solid thirty seconds (a long time in high school time), after I spent three minutes going back and forth with a student as to why throwing wads of paper at a girl he did not like was unacceptable."Stop doing that and apologize."
"What? She doesn't care."
"She's not going to tell you she cares, but I do.... The Building Blocks of a Good Education
Posted on Nov 18, 2009 - 02:02 PM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
This week I'll be asking the question. Here it is:What ever happened to Kindergarten?
This past weekend I found myself in Western Massachusetts for an old fashioned Timber House Raising. Now I have to be honest, before this weekend I had no idea what a Timber Hose Raising was. Living in Brooklyn it's not so often you come across someone who decides they're going to build their house and then invites the whole neighborhood over to help. It's even less often that you get to watch a house being build with no metal. But that was exactly what happened. Over the last two years pieces of tree were cut, shaved and carved into lumber, each piece measured and chiseled to fit exactly into the... Teacher and Student Roles
Posted on Nov 20, 2009 - 02:52 PM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
Just about anybody who has attended public school has experienced the distinction that seems to often exist between student and teacher.The teacher calls the shots, runs the show, sets the agenda and the deadlines, informs students of how things will go on in their classroom, and is the person who has the knowledge -- which is to be passed on from his or her mind to the students of the classroom. And this is all usually done through teacher-led discourse and method, within the constraints of school curriculum of course.
The students (in theory) are to absorb all of the knowledge being offered to them, respond diligently and respectfully to the teacher's commands and direction, raise... To Create Change, Understand Your Opposition
Posted on Nov 20, 2009 - 06:30 PM by Kris Sage in Sage Wonderings
I believe that there's something that's important for us to keep in mind when it comes to sharing democratic education with the mainstream. We know what we believe, and why we think the things we believe in are important. Of course we do. But have you ever felt that it's difficult to try to convince others -- moderate or uninformed people, and especially people with conservative backgrounds -- of why your viewpoint makes sense?For example, within democratic education circles, we know what we believe and why it makes sense. However, we don't necessarily know what others believe about education, and why it makes sense to them to believe those things.
I listen to a lot of Republican talk... What is Intelligence, and Can You Teach It?
Posted on Dec 04, 2009 - 09:42 PM by Kris Sage in Sage Wonderings
So, before I say anything, disclaimer: this is opinion. I have not read psychology texts on intelligence, and do not know how it is currently defined by the American government. This is my own study and analysis.I believe that intelligence is three things: thoughtfulness, education, and experience. It is possible to be very strong in one category and be very intelligent because of that strength, but have room for improvement and further intellectual growth in another. I believe that I have a great deal of thoughtfulness, but could seriously grow in terms of experience and education by attending more events and programs and spending more time reading nonfiction and participating in events... The Nature of Ideas
Posted on Dec 13, 2009 - 11:47 PM by Kris Sage in Sage Wonderings
One of the things that I found appealing about democratic education is that, in its essence, it's a challenge against a widely accepted norm. There are many different suggested ways within democratic and alternative education circles to challenge the norm, but most all of them are against public school in its current form. But it's worth noting that not only is it a challenge against the norm - it's a challenge against a norm that many people do not think twice about.To me, this means that public school in its current form is sacred to most Americans. The faith put in it is such that there isn't always an open mind when alternatives are suggested. It may not be a religious institution,... Question the Answers
Posted on Dec 18, 2009 - 01:14 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Like many people, I have found fault with plenty of school textbooks. I remember pointing out an error in my Geometry text to my teacher, who smiled and said, "Whoops, looks like they missed that one." Well, an unfinished circle isn't such a big deal; anyone could have made that mistake.Outright lies and misinformation, however, are another matter entirely. Why weren't we introduced to, say, theories about Shakespeare's true identity, or alternatives to vivisection? Neither of these were lies, of course, but the information we were instructed to memorize was presented as the be-all and end-all, without the possibility of another reality. Wouldn't school have been so much more interesting... Suffer the Little Children
Posted on Jan 08, 2010 - 12:09 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Do you ever notice how the first thing that pops out of most people's mouths when they speak to a young child is, "So how's school?" It's as if school is the only common denominator people can come up with to address these "little people." I guess that can be an okay way to begin a conversation; sometimes an opener like that could lead into favorite things to do, hobbies, interests, etc.But it often leads to negativity, from what I've witnessed. Though I used to politely murmur, "Fine, thanks," I have been either entertained or horrified (or a combination of the two, really) by plenty of sad stories. "I hate it!" or "Gym is okay, I guess," or "My teacher sucks" are all phrases that I've... Help?
Posted on Feb 23, 2010 - 11:40 PM by Alison Bagg Brink in ImprovEducation
It has been a strange week at the Brink house. It all culminated yesterday morning, when my husband drove to a job site early, to pick up some tools. Yesterday was crystal clear. He was on a stretch of road with a 35 mile an hour speed limit. The car in front of my husband's van struck a man walking across the street. The walker was tossed into the air, hit the pavement, and rolled multiple times. The driver of the car barely slowed down, and then fled the scene. My husband stopped, helped the injured man to the side of the road, began basic first aid, and called EMS.The ambulance, police, and fire trucks soon arrived. My husband was thanked, and then he went on his way... with a full day... Internal Motivation is Like North Dakota
Posted on Mar 17, 2010 - 09:01 PM by Ammerah Saidi in The Learning Curve
Paul, one of my friends in high school, proclaimed that North Dakota didn't exist. He'd ask, "Have you ever met anyone from North Dakota? What's ever come out of North Dakota? We've read about it--but have you ever been there?" I've never really stopped wondering about North Dakota being a conspiracy to validate South Dakota's existence, but Paul's words have been louder than ever in my head since I've taken on my new teaching job as a literacy intervention teacher.Last semester, I was thrown into a teaching position wherein I had 150 students to tend to--and that experience was more an exercise in control than in instruction or teaching. This semester as explained in my last entry... You Say You Want a Revolution…
Posted on May 10, 2010 - 09:10 AM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
I am a teacher in New York City working in a very poor community with mostly youth of color. Every day I see the effects of centuries of racism and class oppression show up on my students' faces. On some days I have hope that we will be able to create a just future and I want their schools to be better. Some days are harder and I think the only way out is for their schools to be destroyed. What does IDEA have to offer me?Anonymous Teacher - The Bronx, NY
Thank you for the question. First of all, I do not have an answer for you. Your question very much hits home for me, and the best I can do in this situation is to tell you how I have figured out to live with those conflicting thoughts...