This is a hard book for me to read because it is so close to what I believe. I read one line and want to just sit and ponder and dream and remember and question. Question everything, question myself, question the way I teach, question the way I share and question the way I was taught.
One definition of sentipensante is taken from fishermen off the Colombian coast, meaning "defining language that speaks the truth (Galeano 1992). I love that idea/ideal of truth or at least the little slice we each are allowed to witness.
As we read this book I ask each of you to just respond. You may not be moved as I am and that is OK. You may be moved move and that is also OK. Take time to think beyond the usual and allow your inner learner to accept new ways of being. Share you thoughts on teach reading.
A few questions to consider as begin:
How does transforming fit into an educational model that celebrates rigor and references from accepted scholarship? Is there a test for transformation? I ask this half in frustration from a weekend of mandatory Lab Safety Test. Not that the information is not needed but the format of trick questions and no feed back on how I missed a question or what I was confusing within my answers is mean spirited. How do we learn if we are only told we are wrong?
When/how have you felt different? You do not need to share more than you are comfortable with sharing in this online format but again take time to think about the issue. When have you felt left out of the lesson(s)?
A short story. Many of you know that Ed Check and I work together on a great many things. This partnership began when I was in his education class and we were studying some feminist arts. I countered what he presented. He asked why/how and I explained because I knew the women he was talking about and the quotes were out of context and misleading. He accepted me on the spot as a co-teacher. It did not matter that he had a PhD and held the title of professor . He could have (as other professor did) not believe me, dismiss me assuming I was lying or simply resent me. But something else happened: the class became about sharing. It was about learning. I have tried to follow this lead ever since.
Finally, I suggest we think of this semester as a journey towards a dream pedagogy. For each of us, as individuals, as classmates and as educator.
I am going to see if I can weave together a couple of responses since I am late to the class. In this response you will see my introduction and my comments on favorite class, transformation and “different”. (my book is ordered but unarrived)
ReplyDeleteNative Dallasite:
I am a Museum Curator for a city (Grapevine) which has longed for a curator for years but has just funded the position in the last. It is a town full of history, pride and a sincere civic mindedness.
As you will begin to see, throughout the class, I love stories. I want people to engage in story telling, in the stories of their community, in the stories of their birth, in the greater narrative of the world around them and connect with each other. Studying Communication and Painting gave me two separate degrees from Vanderbilt University but combine in the strangest ways in my daily life.
Through narratives, whether visual or written, we transform ourselves and our communities. Its a bold step to share and try to connect.
Education, to me, is about making these connections-- not about trick questions or obscure information. Its about connecting everyone to “the story”, the information, and remembering the relevant pieces.
When I walk through parts of the extant house museums, my job is to figure out how to educate, to engage, to connect to all of the visitors.
It has been a creative task to figure out how this is going to happen because these house museums are created for one kind of learner--a reader. There is nothing to touch or to make, there is no connection to greater themes in Texas or US culture.
Fortunately, I have a lot of support. It’s part of the reason they hired me.
Last week, I picked up the material which was supposed to be fun and educational in the School house-- a two room number, a step up from a one room log cabin. It was a list of 5 questions- the first was “where did the first school teacher end up being superintendent?” Ok, I am an 8 year old. The answer is “ Who cares?” At 15, same answer. At 35, perhaps in addition to “Who cares?” I might get a “why is it relevant?” and the answer to that is. “It isn’t”
First, it takes the local history somewhere else to a different location--AWAY from the narrative, the story. It has zero bearing on what does it mean to have been a school child in a 2 room school house one step up from a one room log cabin. The question, actually irritated me so much, I revamped the whole experience for the Museum next to it and I am noodling on the school house. My process is both to think through things quickly but then, research. Given that, I ponder why would we, who are trying to reach visitors and teach them something in a new way--test them with an obscure detail they were to have read on the wall. It’s nonsense! There isn’t a clear path to connect, engage or transform.
I am uncertain if I have ever not felt different. Perhaps my stories of my favorite classes might serve as double duty for different and favorite.
Hi, Lynn! So glad to have another class with you. :) I keyed into your discussion about narratives; I just posted below about an article I read this summer about the effect of family narratives on the connectedness and individual strength of children (and us adults). I agree that what builds and sustains a strong community is a connection to the history of that place/people and also an emphasis on building new stories.
Deletethank you so much -I look forward to reading it
DeleteHello Lynn, it is great to see you in class. Story-telling interestingly is one of our earliest forms of education, before we learn to read, and get a formal education. I remember as a little girl, always asking my dad to tell me a bedtime story. It was always the same story, with different variations, but it didn't matter to me.
DeleteAsk some kids what they want to know about the school. Find some things they can touch or make or smell or really look at.Your stories are always welcomed.
DeleteI have, for the most part, among my colleagues and mentors, been allowed to be different.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite class--two come to mind, Ethics and Drawing. Both have relationships to our conversations. In Drawing, I loved my teacher as an educator and an artist. No one could be farther on the drawing spectrum from the way I draw. She would carefully draw every rivet on a bridge and create crazy scenes with divers from old 1930s films. Most of the time, her students would imitate her. She let me find my own path but she taught me. She taught me How to pull from a mid tone-- the push and pull of the lights and darks. How to blend to soften and then to crisp a line. Similarly,Ethics, was taught by also someone to respect for their work as a teacher and a thinker, he was a legend in my college. It was very difficult to get in the class but somehow I did. We studied ethical theories and how they related to life--basically what would Nietzsche do? WWND and John Locke or Kant. How could we imagine our life based in these ethical theories.
These thinkers thought differently-they changed our world.
It changed the way I perceived people’s actions, government and other authorities. It helped give a framework to hang ideas and actions on. Both class were foundational in who I became--giving underpinnings for how I considered the world and art.
Would it be safe to say that both instructors taught you new ways of seeing? I find what makes artists (writers/musicians/actors/vis artists) different is our completely different way of seeing/perceiving the same things the rest of the world sees.
Deletethat is a very fair assessment--new ways of seeing
DeleteI would add that both teachers allowed you to be YOU. I agree with Emily that ways are seeing are often given to artists of all sorts, my version of "all sorts" is very wide. I love listening to a true sports person talk about a play on the field or a record run, how my biology friends get excited over fruit flies (really excited) or how my writer friends love to mix up and play with words like I play with color.
DeleteThe Introduction and first two chapters of "Sentipensante" generated tons of thoughts for me; I will try to lay out my feedback logically, although I found myself all over the map. I agreed many times with the author, but also was skeptical or in disagreement over several key points.
ReplyDeleteRedon's spiritual approach is so markedly different from everything we receive as educators in our college/university instruction. The university environment seems to strip us of our unique upbringings and spirituality--sameness and equality are the key. So hearing Redon embraced her spiritual upbringing and her spiritual revelations/growth and then using these in her field was very encouraging to me. It is my belief, like hers, that these are the things that make people unique and special. The things that give depth and texture to our humanity. To remove our differences in the pursuit of equality or tolerance makes us a boring montage of sameness. I recently read a NY Times article that I found so intriguing (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/the-family-stories-that-bind-us-this-life.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
. It speaks to this idea of spirituality. The article talks about individual strength coming from a connectedness to ones family story, family history. I myself am blessed to have grown up hearing the stories of my early family: my Grammy tells of her grandmother's family arriving in America and settling in the Dakotas to farm the wheat varietal brought with them from Russia, my Grandpa tells stories of his grandparents dugout home in west Nebraska (a house literally in the earth) and stories of the family farm in Holdrege NE. My Grandma Brown tells about growing up in practical poverty in Kansas yet not knowing she was poor until many years later. Grandpa Brown has recently told about his early days as an ambulance driver--in the days where the majority of ambulance occupants died in transit.
I teach in this same manner to my students--through narratives, allowing myself to be a real person in my interaction with my kiddos and also asking them to think about their specific upbringing and family traditions. I connected with Sam Tinsley in the chapter: "I am not afraid to say who my family is and talk about things I experience and that are frustrating to me…And in doing so I think students begin to see…this is a real person up there that's talking to me and not just a robot." Although the kids really do like it when I literally act like a robot for them. :)
I do agree with Redon that when our whole emphasis in educating the new generations lays mainly on mathematics/sciences/technology (STEM), we create individuals that are flat and lacking elements to their humanity. As an arts educator, I see daily how important an open environment of experimenting can be to a child. I guide the learning, but they determine their personal direction and many elements in their projects. Now that the good ol' Bloom's Taxonomy has been recently revised with creative thought as the highest level of thinking, arts educators are in a great spot to push forward a new emphasis of arts based learning, or emotive thinkers. (http://www.utar.edu.my/fegt/file/Revised_Blooms_Info.pdf). I'm also totally in agreement with Redon that every classroom needs to have a broad range of thinking opportunities to fit the diverse ways of processing and diverse spectrum of learners we have in our student population (Gardner's intelligences).
Emily, thank you for sharing your thoughts on the importance of sharing our own unique narratives. I believe just like chapter two states in its title that the best learning comes from “hearing another’s story.” I personally found that there is truly a deep emotional exchange that takes place when we are honest about life’s challenges to someone else. As artists and teachers we have a special opportunity to teach our students that they are not alone in this broken world. We also help them express who they are through their artistic creations in a safe nonjudgmental environment.
DeleteThe way the author shared about her own workaholic lifestyle caused me to reflect about my own experience of completely overextending myself in regards to work. In my late twenties I had taken on way too much responsibility in my different caretaking jobs which were in group homes, foster homes and schools. I found myself burned out and needing replenishment however, I just kept working like I saw my father work regardless of the consequences. I had to learn the hard way through exhaustion and depression that I must take care of myself before I can truly be of help to others. Fortunately, I was able to come to this healthy conclusion by the help of a good physician and switching to new less stressful environments. I first began working on an organic farm which gave be ample time to heal and make the inward journey as Rendo describes. I knew I had to learn what true balance was for me. Today, I reflect periodically where I am at in my work life so I will not have to repeat that difficult lesson again.
I like what Emily wrote about how Bloom’s Taxonomy changes the highest level of thinking to creativity and it reminded me of a book I read by Daniel H. Pink called “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.” The book mentions that the incorporation of more arts into the curriculum will undoubtedly benefit students learning. It also mentions that it will prepare them for jobs that have not been created yet due to the incredible advancements of technology and where creative minds are required.
DeleteIt is my hope that each of us can find a place within and outside of the classroom to be ourselves. To share our excitement without fear of shame or belittling. I remember one administrator complaining about windows in the classroom and how they just lead students to day dream. Not know any better or maybe just not caring what was expected I quickly yelled out "I hope so...we all need to day dream!"
DeleteWhen do we allow ourselves time enough to just be with our dreams?
David, thanks for sharing about your struggle with finding balance in work and where you are at currently. I find it hard to NOT pursue opportunities for my students or myself that I know are great for them or for myself, and then I suddenly find myself overbooked and overworked. I'm gradually learning to take on small steps at a time to make sure that I'm doing the best thing for me. Although, I need reminders frequently to reassess.
DeleteI grew up in the 80s, so my early education was very different from Redon. She speaks of no multicultural learning in her education, yet my whole k-12 experience was filled with diverse learning opportunities as I was surrounded by a diverse population of peers. As an educator I now have access to state and district curriculum documents--for any who are interested in K-12, http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148). A perfect curriculum? No, probably not. But entirely valueless? No.
ReplyDeleteRedon describes the learning environment of very compartmentalized, single subject learning where instructors do not speak to one another or collaborate in any way. Uuuuuuuhhh…considering the first two weeks of my contract year are cram-packed from 8am to 4 pm with collaborative meetings, department meetings, campus meetings, sub-pop meetings AND that I'll have a minimum of one meeting a week with these various groups of faculty, I politely disagree. Perhaps she is speaking only to the collegiate level of instruction? Regardless, I am very lucky to work closely with my fellow art educators in my district (K-12) and with the faculty on my specific campus. The grade level teachers are always willing to give me an idea of areas of strengths/weaknesses for the students, where I can help with the learning process in a looser, less stressful environment for the students. The district pushes for more and more collaboration--something that is a positive, for sure, but also a little stressful in a teacher's already over-booked schedule.
And now, on to our good friend Rigor. My fellow faculty and I joke every time we have to sit through another meeting on Rigor (clearly the new educational buzzword): there are only two forms of rigor and are either really appropriate for elementary school discussions?!! Yes, I believe that our educational system needs to encourage deep thinking and a strong work ethic in our students. But we completely miss the boat when we assume all students look the same throughout our nation. Are 5th graders from Allen, Texas the same as 5th graders in New York City? The same as 5th graders in Seattle? The same as 5th graders in El Paso? I personally cringe every time I hear a politician or an educator speak of "new national standards," "new educational mandates." Kids are NOT the same, even we adults are not the same. Why use one model to teach and expect students to all learn in one manner?
I think our author is speaking mostly of college academe but she also understands that many public classrooms are run by individual teachers who feel overworked and very much alone with large groups of kids who really do not want to be in schools. Your school may be the exception to the rule.
DeleteI work in a School of Art, a place that is expected to be filled with creative, liberal, accepting artists... yet there is only 3 people out of 35 faculty plus 12 staff that know I meditate daily. Of the three only two understand what meditation means. Any thought of mention of spirituality is not invited nor encouraged. Add the fact that I am a military brat and my husband is a retired US Marine who survived the attack on the Pentagon (subjects that I assure you no one wants to talk about with any sense of respect or even open discussion) I am simply considered " militaristic". The isolation comes from fear of rejection or maybe the truth of having been rejected. Parker Palmer talks of taking care of ourselves first, much like David mentioned in his response, yet we are constantly expected to "give" to our students/others. The thought taking personal time, studio time, rest or dream time is not allowed. When in the day is there a class period to re-group? Not lunch duty or planning periods. When is there time to just sit and look at clouds.
One thing to remember is that Redon is of Mexican American heritage and as such she was marginalized and white washed by the education system. I hope we are all doing better but too many times "my version" is very limited. I can only see what I have experienced, the real job I face everyday is accept others and their versions of life. No class/ no lesson can teach hunger or poverty or abuse, at best we can listen, not judge , wait and accept.
DeleteAhhhh....sit and look at the clouds. Yeah, I need that. It's amazing that my day starts at 7:00 and flies to 4:00. With barely the time for a bathroom break. Let alone meditation. I wonder what would be a way to reframe the school day, with less strenuous schedule and more time for contemplation. I suppose that my class could provide that opportunity for my students, but when would be my time?
DeleteOne of the best experiences I had in a community college classroom was when the prof had us spend almost an entire class session working on relaxing and meditating. It was such a stark difference in pace to the rest of the day/our busy work lives.
Oh, and on differentness. I always feel different. I don't fit neatly into anyone's box--not easily labelled. Lately the area I feel most different in is my drive to revamp curriculum and push the boundaries in my district for more arts learning. Not that others aren't--but they look at me incredulously to learn that I ENJOY thinking about curriculum/planning and actually CARE about the quality of instruction. Meh. Although these days I'd rather be in New Mexico or the Hill Country making art than dealing with the crazy schedule I have.
ReplyDeleteSince I am an adult child of an alcoholic (mother) and workaholic (father), the feelings of being different or not belonging have been constant nagging companions throughout my life. I remember yearning deeply to have a sense of belonging within my family of origin. Having journeyed through these emotions, I learned to accept the situation for what it is along with realizing that I am powerless over anyone’s thinking. I grew to understand that these individuals could not give me what they did not have themselves. This difficult childhood experience has not been wasted. It gave me the tools of understanding to gain recovery along with an extraordinary compassion for those who suffer from isolation and a deep sense of being different.
DeleteEmily, when Rendon refers to a lack of transdisciplinary efforts I believe she is talking about the disconnect between courses across the board, not solely teacher collaboration but, also the content. It is great that your district is prolific on engaging in cross-curriculum planning, but there are so many subjects that are taught isolated. For art, I feel it is impossible not to talk about many other subjects. There is not a single subject that one cannot relate to art. Psychology, History, Mathematics, Physics, Music, literature etc. I do not see Math, science, Physics, and other courses integrating the humanities in their curriculum as much as they should, if at all.
DeleteEmily, my best friend who is Vice President of a college, reminds me that work on curriculum is good work because he has a timeline and a product. You actually an end result. Making art is risky business. Much of the time I need is to figure out ideas/ make small marks on large paper / put up a little piece of colored cloth on a wall...activities that from a distance look like I am doing nothing at all. My point is we have to allow for the nothingness time in our lives.
DeleteCorina, I agree that we don't see the disciplines like math/science/tech connecting to the humanities as much as we in the visual arts connect into those disciplines. At my level, elementary, I would attribute that to the intensive timeline for their curriculum and the crazy pressure put on teachers due to standardized testing. Not an excuse, and definitely not ok, but understandable. There definitely needs to be a change in that regard.
DeleteAs I started Sentipensante I couldn’t even make it through the first page without being instantly in love with this book! I ran over to grab a highlighter from my desk, and I have kept it with me the entire time I was reading! My book looks more like a canary than anything, but I want my favorite quotes to be glorified whenever I open the book to read in the future. I love the idea of “thinking as well as feeling”. As an artist, I express myself and get a release by producing art. It is important to feel emotions when producing your art. This is something I definitely need to do as an art educator. My students should be open to express themselves, through all kinds of emotions and feelings into their artwork, just as I do for my own work. We shouldn’t mask our student’s feelings by giving them projects that they do not like or feel passionately about. In all of the core classes like Math, English, Science, History, etc. it is frowned upon to give opinions, everything must be factual. Fine arts however are where I feel the students should get to be who they want to be. Why should we not allow them to do that? Why should our students be controlled and have zero personality, zero feelings, same backgrounds, zero emotion, or opinions of the world they live in and the work they are producing? Rendon speaks about how “education should help us turn inwards as we learn to appreciate who we are and develop a philosophical orientation to engage in life work. “ This is absolutely beautiful. As we learn more everyday, it should help us to reflect on who we are as artists, partners, teachers, students and friends. Self-knowing and self-reflection is not only important as an artist but as a human being. This is what we should be leaning to for education, not filling their head’s with a list of random facts, so they can win are you smarter than a 5th grader. We have a number of different students, no two the same. Why are we treating them the same? Why not help them to grow as individuals who live, feel, think, and love on their own.
ReplyDeleteLast but not least I love the way Rendon speaks of spirituality. “Spiritual moments are fraught with emotion, some joyful and some disturbing.” I too see spirituality as sacred; I also see it as forgiving, peaceful, a solution to struggle, and another form of love. I was born into a Catholic practicing family, and chose to continue to practice my faith through Catholicism. I always felt that this was a major part of who I am and my faith made me feel whole. No matter how much people or the world around me changed, I always knew my faith was strong and there for me. I think spirituality can be separate from religion, but I also believe that they can lead you to each other as well. Spirituality is not just one defined thing. For me personally if I am being cleansed and released through positive self-reinforcement that is one form of my own personal spirituality. I feel that I experience these spiritual moments in prayer, meditation, art making, or laughter. Speaking of spiritual moments through art, I believe that having a classroom open to spirituality would be ideal. Allowing your students to feel a spiritual awakening in your classroom environment. A class of acceptance, forgiveness, lack of stress, or anxiety, and a time for patience, not the kind of patience where you don’t pull your hair out from all the hyper activity, but expressing oneself through a patience of finding who we are in life. Allowing our students to self-reflect, and grow as artists, helping them to see who they are and who they want to be. Now your students not only have a safe place in your classroom, but also a place to slow down and contemplate.
Nice work. Love the idea of a canary book!
Delete"A class of acceptance, forgiveness, lack of stress, or anxiety, and a time for patience, not the kind of patience where you don’t pull your hair out from all the hyper activity, but expressing oneself through a patience of finding who we are in life. Allowing our students to self-reflect, and grow as artists, helping them to see who they are and who they want to be." I love the way you set up this idea of patience--not a classroom of clean and proper little scholars painting quietly at their seats, but you acknowledge that the classroom will be a energy-filled, sometimes harrowing "hair-pulling" space that requires a different kind of patience. My principal was returning a kindergartener to me on Friday (he had issues expressing his frustration with a fellow classmate lol) and she came in to find me singing at the top of my lungs to a swarm of 5 yr-olds. I was like, "uuuh, hi." But my students learn over time that in my art room there is a different kind of "norm," one that gives them the space to be a little squirrely, but definitely unique and free to be themselves.
DeleteI have been out of town for work. My book just came in the mail. Reading your comments have made me so anxious to read tonight.
ReplyDeleteOn page 40 Cohen, discusses perfection and begins to argue for "unknowing". I wanted to mention that this concept of unknowing is often rooted in a medieval Text called the "Cloud of Unknowing" that only when one surrenders to Unknowing does one glimpse Enlightenment (or another word- Divine).
Delete"Sentipensante" Introduction, chapters 1,2
ReplyDeleteHow does transforming fit into an education model that celebrates rigor and references from accepted scholarship?
I think the logical/mathematical/scientific or what they call STEM –Science Technology Engineering (where the money is) is quantifiable and quantitative. The humanities is qualitative and is therefore more difficult to measure. Transformation would be difficult to quantify, individual progress would be difficult to quantify, and stakeholders want to see results. That is why the humanities are suffering in education.
Is there a test for transformation?
If there is a test for transformation, I am unaware of it being used in education at the moment.
How do we learn if we are only told we are wrong?
I don’t think students learn by being shot down regularly and harvesting their insecurities.
When/how have you felt different?
I would feel left out of the lesson if it was not applicable to me. I need to know how this will be useful to me, because if I do not have a use for it, it is a waste of time.
After reading about the outer landscapes being intellectualism, rationality, objectivity, and the inner landscape the subjectivity, intuition, emotion, and personal experience. (Rendon, 7) I am reminded of what I consider compartmentalism. I am guilty of such atrocity in the classroom. Compartmentalizing looks like the figure in Dali’s, “The Burning Giraffe.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burning_Giraffe) In the past I would close off my private life to my students, maybe out of fear, but mostly because I was very unhappy with my home life. In retrospect, I regret not opening myself in my classroom for my students and what they have to teach me. Students learn from people that care about them and I didn’t always take the time to show them that I am human and that I care. Rendon also discusses how human beings are tuned to being in relationships and I strongly believe that life is about relationships. I think students should learn this important belief in order to be successful in all aspects such as home, work, higher education, and their social life.
My questions about transformation were more my roaming thoughts. I believe art is transformative. Making art is transformative. Silence is transformative. Dancing, singing, laughing, all the human activities that stop time. If there is a test, I believe it is in the kindness to others and to ourselves.
DeleteUpon reflecting about my own “agreements” regarding the Dreamfield, the collective reflection of shared beliefs, I remember when I was in high school my drafting instructor warned us that minority women would have a tougher time finding jobs in the drafting field because of our race and sex being a double whammy. He drilled that idea into our heads, and he probably wasn’t wrong. I wouldn’t know how true such claim was in the field of drafting and engineering because I didn’t follow through with that career path, I obviously went down another path (Art) where women, especially women of color are very much a minority.
ReplyDeleteI first heard about Gardner’s Theory of multiple intelligences in another course a year ago, and find it fascinating. Teachers typically plan differentiated instruction for diverse learning styles such as visual, audio, reading/writing and kinesthetic modeled Neil Flemming’s VAK/VARK Model. Emotional, Spiritual, and Heart Intelligences seem to be nearly non-existent in classrooms today, and they are so important for nurturing the souls of our future. The progress of our collective consciousness relies heavily on growth of the emotional, spiritual, and heart intelligences. The synergy that humans are capable of unfortunately happens more frequently in the wake of tragedy. However, the classroom is such a great place for practicing synergy for a greater good.
I was excited to read about Norma E. Cantu as one of Rendon’s interview subjects, I have had the privilege of meeting Norma at the 2012 El Mundo Zurdo at UTSA where she graciously signed my copy of Borderlands La Frontera, The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldua. Norma Cantu is a very influential Latina scholar that has inspired many, many people.
I believe the most important thing for students to learn is to learn to listen to their inner voice, developing their voice, and using that voice to affect the world for the greater good, a greater purpose that will help them find their way in the world. My goal every year for my students is to, if anything, have them become independent thinkers.
Beautiful.How wonderful to got to met Norma Cantu.
Delete"Teachers typically plan differentiated instruction for diverse learning styles such as visual, audio, reading/writing and kinesthetic modeled Neil Flemming’s VAK/VARK Model. Emotional, Spiritual, and Heart Intelligences seem to be nearly non-existent in classrooms today, and they are so important for nurturing the souls of our future." I too love the way Gardner acknowledges that there are numerous ways that humans excel (or show brilliance). Yes, we tend to only focus on a limited few--maybe those that are easiest to assess thru standardized testing--and we fall short when we expect all kids to fall into one of these limited options. I see kids constantly that prove their brilliance through precious moments of vulnerability.
DeleteI forgot to mention how my mind was blown away when I read about the little girl that had the heart transplant. I can't imagine the trauma for both the murdered girl and the girl that received the heart that dreams about it frequently. So sad.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Laura Rendon's Sentipensante presents various realms of considerations that are similar, yet evolutionary to traditional teaching methods and concepts that comprise "teaching" ideals. Rendon presents her position as "relationship-centered" and that with new ideals such as spirituality and completeness, new derivations of enlightenment of intellectualism could/should be formed. Rendon advocates teaching for life to connect into the societal well-being. I believe that all students bring their nationalities, cultures and societal contexts into the learning environment for the betterment of all teaching environments. This contributes to the societal well-being. This creates a flood of ideals that should somehow be woven into the fabric of teaching and learning. Transforming the ways of teaching and learning by redefining spirituality and integrating social justice broadens the mind to the enormity of possibilities that transcend the rigor and traditions of Pedagogy.
ReplyDeleteI believe there should be a test for transformation for without it, the measured tangibles of learning are lost in the processes that form the ideals. Change unfortunately, is slow. I agree with Rendon's analogy to create a new "tipping point" of teaching and service regarding the present ideology as she refers to as Pedalogical "Dreamfield". I agree that some ideals obtained in this new Dreamfield crave refinement to societal norms of today. Does this refinement of learning declare that "existing holistic/harmonic visions of intelligent, compassionate humanitarian individuals" is flawed in it's present forms? I view that as differences in semantics, definitions of analogies perhaps. I don't fully understand what Rendon implies with making time for "self-reflexivity". Teacher's workloads are substantial and indeed overwhelming. There are tremendous lessons learned from other's stories and experiences. We all contribute philosophical and spiritual differences of Pedagogy that hopefully promotes dynamic learning ideals to enhance all teaching methods. New ideals should be treasured and respected even if the analogies and processes may be lost in the enormity of the ideal.
I think Redon is in reality asking us, the readers, to take time for self reflection . I know that if I do not make an appointment (literally have a time set aside) to meditate I will put it off, say I will get to it later or just fill my day with meetings or worries or idle T.V. programs. Think about what it would be like if every day, in every school setting, allowed for contemplation or day dreaming or just silence. When you go to Naropa University it is not unusual to see people sitting under a tree mediating, see other practicing peaceful walking, or maybe someone just sitting and thinking. Look around your schools or campuses and see you can find anyone doing nothing. Then try to find someone you can ask how they self reflect. How do you look beyond the annual PPR reviews or the test results of your students.What do you use as a qualifier for your life, your well being.
DeleteI love the pedagogy that this book presents. This is exactly what I would like teaching to be. To pursue education with a holistic approach is something I have always thought about. I think that we all know that people have different types of intelligences (Theory of Multiple Intelligences), however there is always a continued focus on IQ. I think that it is just an easy way for us to gage students. It would be a great thing if it were possible to gage students on other aspects of intelligence. However, for me I really do not see how an educator can do that. Especially since our teaching is greatly influenced by the goals of our respective institutions.
ReplyDeleteThe interviews with the professors in chapter two are great. I some times wonder how much of a difference there is between the way they want or see themselves teaching and how they actually teach. Not many get to teach somewhere with such values as Richland College. This is especially true for those of seeking positions in K-12.
How do we get away from a format of teaching that is forced upon us. I agree with the fact we do not learn if we are only told we are wrong. I have received test after test back with answers marked incorrect and finally realized what I did wrong. Yes, I did learn but at that point the final test grade is not an accurate assessment of my learning.
The most disappointing thing about any pedagogy is that I feel that there are always students that may feel left out or different from the others. Personally, I constantly feel different because I tend to be an over thinker and it causes me to fall behind on activities. I feel as if I am always fighting time when it comes to learning and it can become a bit stressful. Especially, when it comes to timed projects and tests. It is not that I do not know the what the material is over, it is just that I feel that there is so much more involved.