Comments on: Consider me surprised. http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/ Semi-Developed Thoughts on Authentic Learning with Technology. Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:22:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: marilyn http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/comment-page-1/#comment-27 marilyn Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:42:23 +0000 http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/#comment-27 A lot of very interesting thoughts, however with the amount of "shoulds" there is bound to be a lot of pressure on teachers. its like living under a microscope!!!! A lot of very interesting thoughts, however with the amount of “shoulds” there is bound to be a lot of pressure on teachers. its like living under a microscope!!!!

]]> By: marilyn http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/comment-page-1/#comment-26 marilyn Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:39:28 +0000 http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/#comment-26 Some very interesting thoughts.... however i just feel that with soo many "shoulds" there is a lot of pressure on teachers to do what they need to do. its like been under a microscope and thats no fun Some very interesting thoughts…. however i just feel that with soo many “shoulds” there is a lot of pressure on teachers to do what they need to do. its like been under a microscope and thats no fun

]]> By: Darren http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Darren Sun, 20 Aug 2006 04:46:36 +0000 http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/#comment-20 Computer problems bring *everything* into focus, don't they?! Sometimes my modem craps out and I completely freak out. Computer problems bring *everything* into focus, don’t they?! Sometimes my modem craps out and I completely freak out.

]]> By: Jeff http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/comment-page-1/#comment-19 Jeff Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:17:40 +0000 http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/#comment-19 I have some thoughts in response to your responses...but unfortunately my wife's computer crashed this morning and getting it fixed trumps everything, including dinner. I have some thoughts in response to your responses…but unfortunately my wife’s computer crashed this morning and getting it fixed trumps everything, including dinner.

]]> By: Darren http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Darren Sat, 19 Aug 2006 16:17:16 +0000 http://yongesonne.edublogs.org/2006/08/19/consider-me-surprised/#comment-18 For starters, creating "lifelong learners" is a trite phrase without meaning. You can't tell me how to get there, and you can't tell me when you've got there. As I learned in both the army and in industry, goals need to be quantifiable and measurable or else they are useless. Apply that standard to your theses and see how they measure up. Now, on to your comments about my comments :-) I recognized the Ghandi quote, I just don't like it. If it needs explanation to a college graduate, it's not clear enough. You've clarified it above, and *now* it makes sense. For thesis number 2, notice that I *did* state that teachers should question their teaching to determine if they're reaching students--that's what critical pedagogy is. I apologize if that wasn't clear. I substituted another saying for your #2: if it works, don't fix it. Here's another: practice makes perfect. After you've taught the same lesson a couple times it's conceivable that you've worked out the kinks. I consider that fine-tuning, not reinventing the wheel. I took reinventing the wheel to mean coming up with entirely new lesson plans each time you teach the same lesson, whereas this fine tuning is just putting the critical pedagogy into practice! #3: Critical pedagogy. Adjust fire, don't throw out the whole plan. Maybe you and I just interpret the phrase "reinvent the wheel" differently. #4: I don't think you clarified how you define and value traditions, I think you changed it. I don't think anyone could read this: "Teachers should see tradition for what it is: the hope that things will stay the same forever" and think you're referring more to social promotion than to graduation. Perhaps, though, you and I just have very different ways of interpreting text. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss these with you rationally, however. For starters, creating “lifelong learners” is a trite phrase without meaning. You can’t tell me how to get there, and you can’t tell me when you’ve got there. As I learned in both the army and in industry, goals need to be quantifiable and measurable or else they are useless. Apply that standard to your theses and see how they measure up.

Now, on to your comments about my comments :-) I recognized the Ghandi quote, I just don’t like it. If it needs explanation to a college graduate, it’s not clear enough. You’ve clarified it above, and *now* it makes sense.

For thesis number 2, notice that I *did* state that teachers should question their teaching to determine if they’re reaching students–that’s what critical pedagogy is. I apologize if that wasn’t clear. I substituted another saying for your #2: if it works, don’t fix it. Here’s another: practice makes perfect. After you’ve taught the same lesson a couple times it’s conceivable that you’ve worked out the kinks. I consider that fine-tuning, not reinventing the wheel. I took reinventing the wheel to mean coming up with entirely new lesson plans each time you teach the same lesson, whereas this fine tuning is just putting the critical pedagogy into practice!

#3: Critical pedagogy. Adjust fire, don’t throw out the whole plan. Maybe you and I just interpret the phrase “reinvent the wheel” differently.

#4: I don’t think you clarified how you define and value traditions, I think you changed it. I don’t think anyone could read this: “Teachers should see tradition for what it is: the hope that things will stay the same forever” and think you’re referring more to social promotion than to graduation. Perhaps, though, you and I just have very different ways of interpreting text.

I appreciate the opportunity to discuss these with you rationally, however.

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