Educ: Knowing vs Doing LO6999

Dr. Ivan Blanco (BLANCO@BU4090.BARRY.EDU)
Fri, 26 Apr 1996 15:18:46 -0400 (EDT)

Replying to LO6870 --

I hope that it fine to carbon copy one of my students, who is a leader
among her peers. She is an official leader because she is the President
of the International Business Association, and she is an unofficial leader
because of her charisma. I am copying her because we just had a class
discussion very closely related to these issues.

> Date: 21 Apr 96 23:52:52 EDT
> From: Charlie Holdener <76103.2237@CompuServe.COM>
<<< some stuff deleted here >>>

> BACKGROUND: Last week I read an article from a teacher in a district that
> actually instituted a major educational reform, that truly seemed to
> involve the students so they learned more - and it was ended two years
> after starting. The author asked why, and concluded that it's because
> school is more about ritual behavior and passage to adulthood than about
> intellectual learning, and that most of us are pretty much in denial about
> that. He cited an example: The PA system announcing a change to football
> practice to the entire school, when very few students are affected. He
> compared this to imagining a football practice being stopped by an English
> teacher to announce to the entire team, for the benefit of only two
> students, a change in the English assignment. Implication/Conclusion:
> Footballs MATTERS, school is fairly irrelevant, something we go thru.
> Anything which appears to threaten these things that really "matter", such
> as refocusing on intellectual learning, is perceived by enough people as a
> visceral threat and so canned - sometimes with the fervor of a "holy war".

I think that we have lost sight of why education! It shows in
many ways. The students' level interest in learning has been killed at a
very young age, and, many of them, don't even believe in the value of what
they are supposed to get from their education. Teachers and professors
may not fair any better than the students. I think that we hace become
too lazy, or that we have adopted the "path of least resistance." The
"they will learn on the job any ways" type of mentality might be stronger
than most of us might be willing to accept. I believe that we are too
"unconcerned."


> MY INSIGHT: Mulling this over, and remembering in sixth grade being really
> excited about knowing an answer and wanting to be called on (which
> happened fairly often). I realized that I was excited because school is
> primarily about KNOWING - mostly facts and theories - and I am very good
> at learning facts and theories, and following to more of the same, so I
> did well. Others, who did not do well at learning facts and theories, did
> poorly. What school is NOT primarily about, is DOING something, with or
> without these facts and theories. School does not teach us to do, and
> since doing is where we really live, for all of us much of school is
> irrelevant, even if we're good at playing the game. Why then do football,
> and other sports, and the prom, and socializing with friends, etc, really
> matter more for most students? Because they are primarly about DOING,
> which ultimately is what really counts.
>
> Anyone else??

Charlie, this is a great question! I will ask that question in class on
Tuesday. "When was the last time that any one of felt the desire to be
called on because you have something to say?" "When was the last time yor
felt the excitement of know something?"

Students don't feel this excitment becuase, again, they learned early in
life that they should even feel excited, that being excited can be an
annoyance for the teacher who wants tro cover the chapter and get the heck
out of the school... I feel at a low point because I failed miserable this
time when getting their minds switched back on this semester. It could
have been that I was too busy doing all kinds of things... I am
rationalizing again!

-- Ivan,

--

*************************************************************** R. IVAN BLANCO, Ph.D. Voice 305 899-3515 Assoc. Prof. & Director Fax 305 892-6412 International Business Programs Andreas School of Business _________E-Mail Addresses________ Barry University Bitnet: Blanco%bu4090@Barryu Miami Shores, FL 33161-6695 Internet: Blanco@bu4090.barry.edu <<<<< ---------------- >>>>> "Si un hombre fuera necesario para sostener el Estado, este Estado no deberia existir." "If one man were necessary to sustain a Nation, this Nation should not exist." Simon Bolivar ===============================================================

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