How do we fit in?
How we
currently approach the ideas of school acceptance seem to have changed over the
years. Via a video in class, in the
fifties people felt no shame telling students who felt different or estranged
to go study what other children are doing or wearing and copy them. This appears to be a basic sense of social
awareness, but in our push for diversity it gives the appearance of denying
personal identity. I would argue that we
have to sacrifice part of our identity (our language, our humor, our political
leanings) to speak effectively with other people, but part of our decision is
decided what is necessary to still communicate.
I am don't see the problems for communication as being that different
from "fitting in."
Additionally, part of developing into socialites is a growing awareness
that even though you currently "fit in," you should still be flexible
to allow others in.
Where are emotions in
learning?
A quote that we discussed was when
Dewey wrote:
I
believe that to endeavor to stimulate or arouse the emotions apart from their corresponding activities, is to introduce an
unhealthy and morbid state of mind.
How I understand this quote is best related by a story. The daughter of a former teacher of mine came
back from school one day singing a song.
"Xylem up, blow 'em down."
She had the song stuck in her head and seemed to be enjoying
herself. When her mother asked what it
meant, she couldn't do much more than cock her head to the side. Her daughter had become attached to a song of
a concept without understand the concept itself, with not much more of an idea
than that it had to do with trees.
Whether it
is teaching about xylem or energy, it is of prime importance that students
understand the concept. It is great to
find a way to make them interested in a subject area to get them to learn more
readily, but we can't stop there. I
believe what Dewey's problem was was this misguided idea that if children enjoy
a song about a concept, they will enjoy that concept. The lasting emotion is not in something that
goes away when you learn that it was established by a song but in a concept
that is understood concretely and is well established in the mind. When students understand the use of an idea
and can apply it themselves, that brings a power and an appreciation for where
that power comes from.
Thoughts on 2013/07/11
Hey Nathan,
ReplyDeleteI really agree with your point that mnemonic devices (like songs) are useless without understanding. I think that this notion aligns really well with the chapter on how memory works that we read in Willingham, in which the author states that "Memory is the residue of thought," and that for it to work, real _thinking_ must occur. Mnemonics are only representations for starting points of memory. I'm willing to bet that a lot of folks remember that King Phillip Came Over for Grape Soda, but because they didn't interact with the referent of this mnemonic, they don't understand what kingdoms, phyla, classes, orders, genuses and species really are.
Also, shouldn't the song go "Xylem up, phlo'em down?" What a silly kid.
Thanks for sharing this anecdote.
Matt