“People are naturally curious. They are born learners. Education can either develop or stifle their inclination to ask why and to learn. A curriculum that avoids questioning school and society is not, as is commonly supposed, politically neutral. It cuts off the students' development and critical thinkers about their world. If the students' task is to memorize rule, and existing knowledge, without questioning the subject matter or the learning process, their potential for critical thought and action will be restricted.” I wrote a paper for my previous college concerning this topic as well as the benefits of the kinesthetic approach to teaching. In my opinion children learn best by exploring and coming to their own conclusion. The way children are asked to learn today makes them uninterested and forced to learn certain things in a particular way. Brainwashing may be a better term used, rather than teaching.
“Teacher-centered curricula in the classroom and administration-centered power in the school or college reflect the reality of other social institutions. Traditional schools thus prepare students to fit into an education and a society not run for them or by them but rather sat up for and run by elites”. This can be related to the Johnson reading as well as SCWAAMP. There is always someone above a person that’s pulling the strings. They want things to be a certain way and those who control the path are generally white males. It really isn’t up to teachers or the administration, they are given criteria to cover and then expected to teach to the standard; standards that the elites create.
“This does not mean that students have nothing to learn… neither does it mean that students reinvent subject matter each time they study it or that the academic expertise of the teacher has no role in the classroom. Formal bodies of knowledge, standard usage, and the teacher’s academic background all belong in critical classrooms. As long as existing knowledge is not presented as facts and doctrines to be absorbed without question” I believe that this is the problem. We are trained to question something if we don’t understand it. It is very rare for a person to question why something is done the way it is, at least without being prompted to ask questions. Everyone thinks about it but few take action. Most remain silent simply because it is easier to go with the flow and cause less commotion. Is it really worth it though?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9d8TF7DlyU
The second quote is good because the curriculum is based on people higher up and the teacher doesn't really have much of a say when really the teacher should have all of the say in what is going to be taught in the class.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your brainwashing idea. My brother is very smart for his age and is constantly trying to learn more, but they say he doesnt try in school because he questions the way things are done, he ignores the status quo, and operates how he sees fit. Granted, guidelines are needed, but isnt this the type of behaviour we should be encouraging?
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