As we finish reading this incredible book I want to encourage you to read with your heart more than just your eyes/mind. Especially in chapter 6, take time to ponder one section, one paragraph that challenges you or delights you.
In Visual Studies we are often asked how do we know our undergrad students are "good". This is a trick question leading to more assessments and more rules. it seems for them to take two state tests, and complete 6 weeks of student teaching under very watchful eyes, not to mention get JOBS is not enough. We had to come up with another "internal " evaluation. This is the nature of education. This is what this book is about.
A story story on validation. My sister is in NM with her father in law. They decided to try water color at ages 89 and 62 for the week they will be there. I love the idea and helped with the gathering of supplies, a couple of good books on the process and a few tips. Mainly they are having fun and exploring. When she told her sister in law what they were doing she replied "when does the play do come out?" I was insulted for them. How dare you smash a dream with 7 little words. Then I realized that I know I have been just as mean and unthinking with others...especially in grad school. This leads to why I so use Helen Klebesadel's 3 questions when it comes to critique: What surprised you? What impressed you? What are you caring away with you? And if there is time: do you want feed back and if so , on what? A much better way to invite a dialog.
So, for this week, after lots of reading, please share a traditional way of learning you received from your family. An example would be my family's tendency to tell stories or parables to be exact.
As I finished the readings for this week, I couldn’t help but get motivated! Rendon’s idea of sentipensante pedagogy is revolutionary and what this program is all about! Thank you Future for introducing such a wonderful book! I will always carry this book with me as an educator.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s question on an example of traditional learning that I have received from my family would be through work ethic. My family is all about working your hardest. I was never asked to get anything right the first time, or be perfect. My parents want me to succeed and are my number 1 cheerleaders, but failing or making a mistake is a part of life and only makes me stronger in the end. My mother always says, “as long as you tried your hardest, that is all that matters.” Something I truly live by, especially when I get upset about something I didn’t do very well on. I was taught to learn from” it” and move on. To not let the things I am bad at keep me down, but instead Enjoy life, and embrace what I am good at.
As with Jason, I also will keep this book as a reference to good teaching methods. I can see myself benefiting greatly by using the ideas described especially the approaches towards social justice. One of the ideas I also liked from this week’s readings was about the professor who used postcards as a form of assessment. The professor had the students send a postcard to her when they actually applied their learning from class and I thought it was amazing that they responded to this request. To use this postcard method of assessment would tell me what the most useful and beneficial learning they had acquired while in my class. For me personally, this information could be humbling knowing that I made a true difference in a student’s life. I can definitely see that the students would retain more if this type of “sentipensante” pedagogy was applied due to its practical holistic application.
DeleteMany times my greatest failures were my greatest time of personal learning and growth. One thing I observe from my students is those who can cope with failure--bounce back, move on--and those that are just devastated to fail. I hope that my attitude towards experimenting/layering/practicing in my classroom can help build those kids who need more experience with "safe" failures. So they can have resilience later, when what's at stake is more than a painting failure.
DeleteEmily, I like your attitude towards experimenting, layering and practicing in your class room to help those students who need to experience safe failures. I recall having students who became frustrated with their art work and wanted to quit. In response to this, I would share with them some of my failures with school to let them know they are not alone. For me, everything is a learning experience which is neither good or bad. I really wanted to let the student know it was OK to feel the way that they did. I often would ask if he/she ever played a sport like basketball or baseball and they often would respond with a: “YES!” Then I asked if they quit after they missed the net or struck out and the response would be a loud “NO!”Then I would explain that is the same way to explore and do art. We might not get the results we want the first time, but we always have the option to try it again a different way. I found that the student would often understand this metaphor and have some relief. I also made it a point to celebrate the fact that they did not give up on themselves regardless of the desired outcome.
DeleteJason,
DeleteI have learned perhaps the hard way, that it's not about doing something to do, but rather in doing something that you are passionate about. Embrace that with all you have, and happiness is incorporated in all you do.
I love how future’s sister and her father in law are trying something new by learning how to use watercolors. If I reach to be the age of 89, I too hope to continue learning and trying something new just like they are doing. I heard a saying once, “if you did not know how old you are, how old would you be?” I hope to remain young at heart at whatever age along with staying curious and adventurous.
ReplyDeleteOn the traditional way of learning I received from my family would be observing an action and then doing it. The idea of getting in there and getting your hands dirty goes part and parcel with growing up on a family farm where everyone had chores no matter how old or young you were. I recall spending a lot of time with my father on the tractor and then by the age of 11 he had me doing tractor work in the fields. I also was milking cows by the age of 13 and relief milking for my father when it was necessary.
David, I had a printmaking prof that was always saying "life-long learner." And it's true, for many of us we know we are never done learning; we are excited for what new areas we can learn throughout our lifetime. So, I too, hope to still be learning later in life.
DeleteSome people feel too self conscious about their age in a situation such as taking a class or going back to school. For one, I think it is great for diversity. Elders should be revered, they have so much to teach us; so it is sad that elders are not as well received as they should be. I would love to see my grandma, in her late 80's take a pottery class. She would love it, since she has never had the opportunity to experience it. I really like that saying, if I didn't know my age, how old would I be? Well, I feel like I am 14. I feel like I know nothing, because I am always learning, and I have learned so much in the last few years in grad school. I just can't imagine what I could have possibly known 20 years ago.
DeleteOn the subject of age...for those of you who were in Junction last summer...Jack is 82 years old and just got his MAE. It was James Watkins who came up to him, a little wet in the eyes, and said "you, are my inspiration", big words from a big man.
DeleteIn many ways you are all wonderful examples of life time learning because you are making time to grow and learn FOR YOURSELVES.
Corina, that's one thing I love about the community college setting. There is such a range of ages in the classes; I found myself learning not just from the professor, but from classmates as well. I wish, too, that my grandma had taken advantage of art classes through the community college/community center in her town, but she never did. The senior center in my town offers art classes, but many of my (elderly) neighbors won't go because it's "a bunch of old people." A mix of ages might make that perception disappear.
DeleteJack was definitely an inspiration to me! I can only hope and pray that I am still kicking and wanting to take classes at his age! I think its amazing! and we had another privilege of having our visiting artist to our class... Future her name slips my mind at the moment and I'm kicking myself for not knowing it right now... who shared so much of herself with our class and brought so much out of us, I will forever be grateful! It is very beneficial to have a wide range of ages and I too like you Corina feel very young in my knowledge versus what I have been privileged to see in Junction this past summer!
DeleteDavid,
DeleteWhat I like most about Future's story is that Future's sister and Father-in-law were "willing" to learn and try something new, no matter their age. Future nurtured that opportunity to promote success in lessons learned.
Observing, learning, then doing. What better way to learn.
Corina,
DeleteI completely agree that Elders should be revered, for they indeed have so much to teach us of life's experiences.
Yes, many lessons are learned from discipline exerted, but many times, perhaps the memories that we treasure the most are the stories, that tell of our interconnected experiences of lessons learned.
I too will keep this book for reference! I have actually encouraged others to read this book.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a traditional way of learning... this is a bit harder for me to pin point one thing... I guess if I had to narrow it down it would be "to be responsible." As like David, my brother, sister and I always had chores to do, when we got home and on the weekend, if our chores were not done we could not go out and play or leave the house. We also were to find a job when we turned 16 if we were going to be driving their vehicles. We had to help pay for gas and insurance on the vehicle we drove. At the time I hated it, "it was "my" money" but now I am very grateful! It showed me respect for my money, respect for others and that if we wanted to spend time as a family then we all needed to pitch in and help so my mom didn't have to clean all weekend. I am now doing the same things with my son!
Very good point Andrea. We learn things when we are younger and may not understand them, or like them, but as we get older we appreciate it so much more! I love how your traditional way of learning has taught you to respect your money. Also teaching you to pitch in. This is something a lot of people never learned.
DeleteWow, so you had to find a job by 16. I remember wanting to work, but my parents not letting me, I suppose they were afraid that I would grow to like working and not want to finish school. Growing up poor, in a one working parent household, helped to build the character in me. I am grateful for the 1988 Buick that got me through college. Oh the "broken down adventures" I had with that vehicle. Character..... some of these kids that don't get the opportunity to experience those character building circumstances are really missing out. A bit of jealousy arises in me when teenagers are given brand new vehicles, new cell phones, and the newest technology. They just don't know what it is like to earn and appreciate what they have.
DeleteWhat is important to me, in my own growth, is to begin to except each person where ever they are on the journey. I have at times find myself in the company of some very wealthy people, my concentration has to be on the moment...that no matter how (Daddy may have paid for it, it may have been a 'gift" because that women is beautiful or they wondered to this place because of some grounded advise) they came we are all in the moment together. I have to respect my past, my reasons for being where ever I am and at the same time allow myself to learn through silence and laughter,
DeleteI love the stories you all share. Thank you.
I agree that having to earn "things" makes us appreciate those items so much more! My first ride was a 1973-4 Toyota pickup--my parents called it a "character builder." And I, too Corina, had quite a few "broke down adventures" without a cell phone. Teens today should be glad they can at least call for help!
DeleteCorina, YES! I was required to have a job if I was going to drive their vehicle... My first vehicle was a Suzuki Samari Hard top driven down from Utah I think like 1988 or something 4 speed stick shift with NO A/C NO HEAT! it was horrible BUT I learned to appreciate having a vehicle to drive and I drove the shit outta that thing! I loved it! We were also expected to pay for half of anything extracurricular we decided to do or help fund-raise. Even before I turned 16 I was always babysitting and what not to earn money. I am very thankful and want that for my son. I completely agree some of these teens have it WAY to easy! They are given everything without earning it. You can always tell the kids that have to earn it or come by it a little harder they are more appreciative of the little things. The morals and values that were instilled in me growing up have been lost in the wind for a very LONG time... I do have faith that with my generation being raised like me, that hopefully they will do the same with their kids.. at least I see it with a lot of my friends and what they do with their kids!!
DeleteCorina,
DeleteI can certainly relate to those "broken down adventures". Perhaps those build our character. Character is something built rather than bestowed upon.
I grew up in Richardson Texas just a short 2 miles from Plano, Texas where years ago, Plano led the nation in teen suicide rates and heroin overdoses, partly contributed to new cars, latest cell phones, clothes, etc. The peer pressure was immense and extremely unjustified. It's extremely sad to see material possessions consume young lives by crazy logic.
I have been thinking about the balance of open ended questions and shepherding this week. In teaching,how do we strike that balance? When do you ask questions and when do you guide? And how much of education is really in the open heart of the student. How do we integrate the external to the internal? It reminds me of the Taoist thinker Chuang Tzu.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of discussion about this outside forces and internal wisdom in the
The Way of Chuang Tzu
translated by Thomas Merton, a poet and Trappist monk. One of the passages says that if a standard is outside oneself it isn’t the proper path to follow. So if one says, “I will do that because it is a good thing to do, society deems it good.” That is an external driver not an internal compass leading you on your path and that becomes the wrong path. It has be integrated. It has be heart knowledge. One must do what feels and is known to be correct.
The more the ‘good’ is outside the person-the more it is an abstraction and the less real it becomes.
To me, this connects to the difrasismo, opposing ideas unifying a concept. It also relates to Sentipensante, overall--knowledge cannot be outside oneself, it has to be intergraded through your heart and mind.
This easily fits into my favorite paragraph. I embrace the quote at the beginning of Chapter 6. “Why does one write if not to put one’s pieces together? From the moment we enter school or church, education chops us into pieces; it teaches us to divorce soul from body and mind from heart. The fisherman of the Colombian coast must be learned doctors of ethics and mortality, for they invented the word, sentipensante, feeling-thinking, to define language that speaks the truth.” pg 131.
Then, we as educators must connect to that internal standard, the internal wisdom of the student to really shepherd them and guide them. Perhaps the open ended questions are really the doorway to open that internal room in their hearts (gateway to wisdom) for the students. (see pg 134)
It must be integrated knowledge and personal wisdom. I enjoyed thinking about breathing through the cracks of our broken heart, instead of filling it with something (light, love, peace)--just a breath.(pg 151)
I have grown to value and love Klebesadel’s questions. They are kind, thought provoking and useful. I also like the questions on page 122. What did you learn that was significant to you? Can you explore any revelations or insights you have had because of the readings, processes, lectures, work with others?
What happened as a result of this course to your learning and thinking?
On page 138, if I were to draw a personal diagram using those circles and categories. I think I would have a different circle in the middle of my personal diagram on page 138. I don’t know if my hub would be healer or humanitarian.
As middle class urban Americans, my family taught me through “experts”. I was taken to appropriate classes: charm school, dance, art lessons. But my immigrant italian side taught me in off handed-often eaves dropped dinner table conversations, through stories and songs. Additionally,my extended family gathered for music and there was an instructive dimension to the songs which were sung; hymns come to mind but songs of war, songs from our history. Some of education was in pieces and left more questions for me-- little mysteries--Maiden Great Aunt’s favorite song was Secret Love.
Lynn, your comment about shepherding struck a chord with me. I have an art coworker designing her entire curriculum to be choice based centers. I love the openness for students to determine how their art time goes, but what I notice lacking is a framework, a problem to solve or a direction for the students to all set off from. What I understand for her intention is the students select what task/making they want to do that class. But...how does the teacher determine the student is seeking out different options over time (not always origami) and how is the teacher stretching the students' thinking? As a teacher it is so important to have those questions/classroom norms that help the students to develop their internal/external dialogue.
DeleteI really like the idea of your friends teaching practice. Allowing an "open studio" for your students is what the arts is all about. No worksheets, or anything to confining them.
DeleteGreat conversation starter Lynn!
First a response to Lynn. I always say I teach like an accordion, fully extended then squeezed in tight, only to slowly release. I love open ended questions because I delight in the response from students. Response I could never have predicted nor planned. Some responses are long and meandering, other answers are short and to the point. I love it all, because it answer tells more about the person than the subject. At the same time I am very quick to " cut the b.s. and get to the bottom line". I try to apologize to all before class begins because i do not mean to offend but I really can not stand b.s. unless it is in the form of a wonderful story.
DeleteI think in terms of sign posts or markings on a map. Suggestions in place of lessons. It takes time to listen to the heart. Time to feel safe enough to trust what the heart is whispering. And courage to allow for mistakes you (the teacher, the experienced one) can see a mile away.
And Emily, one semester I literally did have a student that only did origami. It was easy at first, then I found more and more complex patterns. And better paper till we made our own designs on the paper, Finally he filled the room with his work hanging from the ceiling. It was his safe place for a semester. He became of resident "expert" on origami. The next semester he was forced to changed schools due to a fight with one of the coaches. He was killed on his skate board within a few weeks of the transfer. All the kids who knew him remembered his origami and began doing works in his honor. My room became their gallery. A true story to try to illustrate that for some of us, concentrating on one thing, even after that thing becomes second nature, is the best we can do at the moment. I totally believed it was my role to talk with the him about how his work was related to what ever it was we were doing and my responsibility to protect him from the rules that would make him feel inferior or lacking talent.
If I had read this book last year, it would have felt completely different for me. I'm so glad to have Rendon's sentipensante ideals fresh in my mind as I am shaping my classroom finally as a fulltime teacher on one campus. I would have felt so overwhelmed by many of her (wonderful) points, simply because up until this year I taught too many students. I'm already noticing this year how much easier it is (even just 4 weeks in) to keep up with my students' personal journeys. I miss the students at the school I no longer teach at (and the kids I've seen in the grocery store have said how much they miss me!), but I'm grateful that in shaping my art room space I only have to consider the 650 individuals that I'll see on a weekly basis.
ReplyDeleteSo much of the sentipensante pedagogy requires us to engage individuals where they are (in their development) and give them the space and gentle direction they need to progress. Plugging into my students' lives to know more about where they are in physical, emotional, spiritual development allows the pedagogy to be structured precisely for them. Not to beat a dead horse, but as I've said before all of our student populations are different, and while general classrooms norms will work for a lot of our classes, each of us has to provide those things our particular student groups need--maybe some need extra support in the area of self esteem, or maybe some need more flexibility as most of their lives are mapped out and scheduled to the max. In applying Rendon's varied facets of sentipensante pedagogy into my class, there might be areas that already show strength, where I'll need to focus more in other aspects. For example, up until last year I only had 18 art days with each student over the whole year--so I felt rushed to give the students as many opportunities as I could. Now that I see each child every week, there is more space for us to reflect and spend time on reflective pursuits. I'm excited that we will be able to engage our campus more--we already went down to draw our campus trees last week with gorgeous water soluble graphite crayons.
Yeah...can not image only 18 art days in a year...so wrong.
DeleteEmily,
DeleteI think one of Rendon's strongest points in Sentipensante is in the premise of engaging students where they are. There are so many issues to address: Wholeness, Inclusiveness, learning theories, spiritual and emotional intelligence, educational backgrounds and the new dreamfield. Another challenge is in integrating pedagogies as Blake discussed on pages 72-73. Quien so yo (Who am I) is a beautiful parable that expresses Rendon's strength from her past.
The older I got as a kid, the more I realized how nerdy my parents are, in the best way possible. Both of my parents are very cerebral and the way they guided my siblings and I as young kids developed very interesting, quirky personalities in each of us. When I teach I hear both my mom and dad's voices coming through me. Haha, three of my dad's quotes are "Intuit;" "Read the manual;" and "Explore your world." My parents always helped us, but they always fostered our ability to work problems through on our own. Nothing was really ever off limits to us as kids. I'm shocked today to have students that have never played with wire (they can't figure out how to attach pieces together or form shapes), never built assemblage from random junk, never threaded a needle and sewn fabrics/papers together. My mom (a science geek, who teaches 4th grade) would work through experiments with us...not really for any home curriculum purpose, but if we had a question, we'd work it through with experiments. I can remember her taking us out into the yard for a solar eclipse (1987ish?) and helping us watch it on a paper. Mom claims she isn't an artist, but she always had some kind of sewing projects that she encouraged us to take part in. My dad has always worked on wood projects and used to maintain all our cars. I can remember helping him replace oil, replace/reset the brakes, replace oxygen sensors in various cars. I was the only sibling that could do it (patience, I guess?) and I learned a lot just watching--definitely learned lots of tool names. :) Both my parents are voracious readers, and not surprisingly all three kids turned out that way, too. Mom would take us to the library several times a week in the summer and we'd load up on books. Her goal was to read all summer and she encouraged us too as well. I'm very grateful for all of the reading because that too has given me a very broad, yet slightly quirky (I love British murder mysteries from 1920s-90s) knowledge base.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, when I teach in my classes one thing I pull from my parents' method of shaping and teaching is to remind the students that much of art is exploring and experimenting. Yes, there are right answers, but much of what we do is create the answer to the problem that is right from our own point of view. My goal? For my students to build a bravery towards testing materials and courage to share from within themselves.
A few points that I pondered.
ReplyDelete“The soul cannot be rushed,” As explained by Wayne Muller, it takes time for the human soul to absorb and internalize experiences that will be formed into wisdom. (Rendon, 120) This makes me think about my own students and what they take away from my lessons. I cannot find a way to elaborate on this except that I believe the subconscious remembers everything, more than our conscious mind. When Norma Cantu explains how learning continues beyond the term of the course and how several years down the road one will remember something because of the course, without know how or from where they learned it.
The difference from being a students and a scholar as explained by a student of Blake. A student takes information, repeats it, and a scholar takes information, then thinks(Rendon, 127) Those thoughts then shape the individual in some way.
Heinburg discusses the breakthroughs made through intuitive means in altered states of consciousness. (Rendon, 132) I find it interesting that through dreams, visions, and other intuitive means very successful people make important breaks in the arts, science, and technology. The point is that these means are de-emphasized and the focus becomes on conscious thought. It would be hard to teach students about intuition without getting the backlash or dissent that Rendon discusses regarding teaching in an alternative way. I had an English teacher in highschool that I thought was the coolest teacher. She was a drama teacher, so she was fiery and charismatic. I remember she wanted to do an “oracle” in class, but for the life of me I cannot remember the related assignment. However, one of the students felt uncomfortable with the “occultish” manner in which she was teaching, so she had to take out the oracle. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to perform an oracle, because of the stigma around such an act. I think teaching in unconventional ways makes it more exciting, but there will be many people that are uncomfortable with the approach.
The way that I learned is through dialogue. A lot of what I learned as a young girl came out of the philosophical talks my dad and I would have at the kitchen table. Talks on religion, Greek mythology, ghost stories, etc. These talks would plant a seed in my head, and when I learned it in school or encountered it somewhere else, it was familiar to me because of the dialogue that I had with my dad. We also had many books and magazines that I would cycle through.
Corina, I feel much of our dreaming is our subconscious mind having the freedom to work through our day/thoughts/brain-litter. It is interesting how much of our modern, "civilized" culture fears or questions our dreamlife/subconscious thoughts.
DeleteI have a lot of those same types of discussions with my dad! They stick with us for a lot longer then learning about the same things in school or elsewhere!
ReplyDeleteRendon's book Sentipensante has given me some wonderful guideposts and references that have presented,for me, new ways to approach conventional teaching methods. Sometimes I get lost in the teaching "language", but perhaps I know more than I think I know. I treasure this book as it is a tremendous resource for understanding Dreamfield, the different types of intelligences, agreement for self-reflexivity, and the concept of difrasimo. I really enjoyed the perspective of Barbara Jaffe in how she liberates students from their pasts and how she constructs a new pedagogical dreamfield. The last chapters in this book were absolutely delightful and I could certainly relate to Rendon's section "The Courage to Transform: What Sustains Me".
ReplyDeleteThe traditional learning that I obtained from my family has certainly been a strong work ethic. My Dad was a Petroleum Engineer and lived like a prototypical engineer. My Mom is a housewife with only a high school education. My 3 sisters and I have always worked hard since high school, and I was the only one to pursue college actively. When I was in 8th grade, I had trouble with math. I didn't understand it well and my Dad (who was good at math) wasn't patient, or understanding of my difficulties in learning the subject when I requested his help in solving homework problems. My 8th grade math teacher thought it was something I would never excel in, and recommended I take remedial math instead. My take away was that I stayed away from math until I started college. I should have learned to question "Why" back then. When I investigated studying architecture, I then realized that I had to learn college level math, and fast. I took beginning and intermediate algebra at Richland Community College in Dallas where they had a very good math program. I had to make B's or better to excel. Anything less was unsatisfactory. I excelled, and went on to take trigonometry and 2 semesters of business calculus. I went on to architecture school at Texas Tech and graduated, but the civil engineering and physics classes were hard and not fun. Design is what I relished in architecture school along with drawing and painting. Perhaps that is why I have gravitated to drawing and painting/art and experimenting with design ideals that were my favorite subjects from the beginning.
First of all, I really did enjoy this book. I feel that if I just regurgitate the material that I just read, it would defeat the purpose of the entire book. As I come closer to becoming a teacher, the fear of letting my future students down becomes to consume me. I want to be a great teacher, but I constantly doubt myself and fall victim to the politics involved in this profession. How can I become a teacher that will swim against the current? It would be so easy to follow a curriculum and style of teaching that is given to me, but that would cause dissatisfaction. I want so badly to teach a student entirely…mentally, physically and emotionally.
ReplyDeleteI honestly cannot recall a traditional way of learning from my family. I have racked my brain and only remember doing my homework alone. However, we did play games of scrabble and boggle quite often. That was the kind of things my mother enjoyed and it was a way of learning. Not only did I have to work on vocabulary but I had a connection with my mom.