Wk2 Reading: Shredding the box
During my high school graduation my class was given a great speech by a
former student on the theme of paradigm shifts. The first chapter of
this book reminded me of the full import of his admonishments to change
viewpoint to change our worlds. The chapter admirably makes it clear
that the world we inhabit is one built upon perception more than
reality. We have to shift our view to see this clearly, and for me, that
was the paradigm shift I found enlightening. We know and acknowledge
that the world we inhabit is all about a sensory experience, but
sometimes we forget that those senses are limited. There could be a
large part of the world that we are missing from moment to moment simply
because we are unable or unwilling to experience it. As we open
ourselves up to seeing outside of this preconceived world, the limits
are removed.
For
me this is just so. Having read the chapter I quickly saw that there
were so many walls around my daily activities that I had not previously
recognized that I wanted to knock them all down at once. The reality is
however that I need to move slowly out of the confines of traditional
structure and explore the possibilities. From a teaching standpoint, the
inventions abound! Especially the grading and behavior models we have
created to keep students aimed toward the goal of success. Asking
students to demonstrate differently and share their talents and
abilities along with their learned knowledge could really strengthen the
meaning behind the learning done daily, while adding context and
experience in the process.
1 comments:
Dwayne BuchananFeb 12, 2012 07:48 AM
@Lewis "Smitty" Smith
I completely agree that I wanted to tear some walls down very quickly. but then I stopped to think about how far I have traveled in the past 11 months. Through all I have learned and implemented in my classroom, I feel some of those walls are already coming down. You were right when you said that you would be able strengthen the meaning behind the learning done daily by letting them share their talents and abilities. I have seen a different side of my students when I have let them demonstrate their abilities and talents.It has also demonstrated to me that the education system has done the students a disservice by taking the arts away from them over the years.
