I was reading a chapter in my textbook for my graduate class. The book is about reading comprehension and the ability of getting students to truly understand what they are reading. The current chapter I am reading is titled "A Renaissance of Understanding". It is discusses how the great thinkers of the renaissance thought and how the ability to think like that is not only nit being fostered in schools, but is actually being suppressed. The author describes renaissance thinking as having to do with finding connections among disciplines, seeking the highest form of aesthetic expression, inventing new thinking, pursuing a wide range of interests, creating models to capture our thinking, speculating about the possible and seeing almost unlimited potential in each person. She continues to say that true understanding may come chiefly from doggedly pursuing answers to one's own gripping questions. Those questions needn't be the philosophical, scholarly, or artistic quests we think of when we read about Renaissance thinkers; they may just be how to take the best sunrise picture of a flower in an overgrown meadow, why someone thought to preserve a spot for an urban garden, how to create the winning game plan for the game next week, or how to find time to become ta well rounded person with a variety of interests that will help you become a renaissance thinker.
I thought of our blog when reading this chapter and the debates that are had here. So, I challenge everyone to widen their interests and learn new things. Science minds learn about the written word and the history of language, the geography of the world, or the economics of our country. Literary minds learn about the chemistry of the processed food we eat or the history of politics. Academia minds learn about physical education, yoga, and sports. This could go on and on but I hope to one day be all of these and more...it is the best thing for me as a teacher to do. I hopefully have the personal experiences needed to help my students make connections.
6 comments:
Yours is a good idea. More perspective is a very fine thing.
I have one minor issue with one sentence in your post:
"Those questions needn't be the philosophical, scholarly, or artistic quests we think of when we read about Renaissance thinkers; they may just be how to take the best sunrise picture of a flower in an overgrown meadow, why someone thought to preserve a spot for an urban garden, how to create the winning game plan for the game next week, or how to find time to become ta well rounded person with a variety of interests that will help you become a renaissance thinker."
I don't see the opposition between the two parts (separated by a semicolon). Each of the actions in the second part are examples of philosophical, artistic, and/or scholarly endeavors, are they not?
There is not an opposition in the ideas. Semi-colons are used to join two clauses that could be separate sentences. There needs to be a relationship between the clauses but it does not need to be opposition. Semi-colons may also join two clauses with a transition word.
Since you and Mom have become like one person then you are covered.
One of the main points of the author was that teachers need to be well-rounded but are not. She said that teachers stay late at school preparing for the next day feeling that they are doing what is best for their students. Yet, by not having more outside interests the teachers are actually doing themselves and their students a disservice. The life experiences a well-rounded or renassance teacher would bring to the class is more vaulable than the time spent creating teacher choice bulletin board or copying worksheets. A small experiment:
1. Get an apple and write down all the observations you make. (You are allowed to cut the apple.)
2. Throw away the apple (or eat it for less waste) and look at a photograph of an apple. Cross off all the things on your list that you no longer can observe with the photo.
3. Look at a drawing of an apple. Cross off all the things that are no longer observable.
My point is that hands on or life experiences have more meaning.
So, you don't need to do paper and pencil math problems. Think of how much math you use when working with graphics, figuring square footage of the room to determine how much a client should pay, etc.
That is all fine and good. It is something that should be taught from day one parent to child. Young childern are better thinkers than we give them credit for. It takes time. It also means that the people around them must become better thinkers.
How do teachers achieve this when they must hit certain levels of achievement on testing?
How do parents achieve this when both are working?
I feel, I am also not a parent that many parents are not willing to take the time. Toys over books, T.V. or time together doing a project. Many people treat kids to much like the pre-concieved notion of a child.
Teachers, I am also not a teacher do not take the time to diagnose the learning styles and problems of there students. A student who has problems paying attention is often labeled as a problem student or ADD. They are put on drugs. How often does the question arise that maybe that student is under stimulated or needs to be stimulated in a different way?
It seems that people are not given credit for being thinkers. Many people enjoy the rewards of thinking and following the party lines.
I agree with you. Many parents are not active enough with their children in a quality way. If both parents are working and they cannot make the time to spend with their children, then I believe they need to rethink becoming parents. (One of the reasons that Matt and I have not had children. I do not want to have children, only to have them raised by someone else in daycare.) If teachers do not have the motivation to teach in a way that will engage all children than they should find another career.
Children are born renaissance thinkers, always asking why and wanting to know about everything. Parents, teachers and other significant role models squash this ability out of children by creating limits on their children's learning. I know of many parents that will not allow their children to use glue, paint, markers, playdough or pour their own drinks because it is too messy. Parents that will not allow their children to use scissors and pencils because they are too dangerous. Parents that will not take the time to allow their children to do things for themselves because it will take too long. (My students are four years old and put on their own jackets, hats, gloves, boots, shoes, and change their own clothes after accidents. They open all their own food-milk, plasticware, snack bags, ketchup packets and the like. They take care of their own bathroom needs-wiping, washing hands, and brushing teeth. They clean up after themselves--put away toys, wash the table, throw away garbage and put their belongings in their lockers. All these things amaze their parents because they do not do them at home.) Teachers that are so focused on the test results that they forget to teach. Teachers that choose teaching for the regular hours (even though that is not reality) and summers off and not for the love of children and seeing them learn. So, that is why I challenged everyone to be a renaissance thinker. Spread the word and maybe we can get rid of a few of the examples above.
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