I wonder if Elliot Galloway even read any of this.
The second reading seemed, to me, very very Galloway. The focus on questions, on different learning styles, becoming a lifelong learner, especially on the structure of earlier education. I’ve been at Galloway since 5th grade, and this reading was certainly a manifestation of much of what makes the school itself - both the wonderful and the occasionally frustrating. As a student in high school, I must admit I took a bit of a cautious approach to the ideals expressed in this reading. The legal adult in me understands that school is all about preparing me for the future, that there are big, lofty philosophy at work in the structure of my classes, that there are a million and one influences on what my daily school life looks like. However, the biggest concern that the high school student in me was: would this class be boring? I wonder if educational writing is a classic case of ‘easier to say than do’. It’s easy to write about engaging kids and turning them into thinkers, but my most pressing concern is whether or not I dread sitting through 45 minutes of my 5th period. I think, for me personally, I quite appreciate having answers as much as questions. I’ve loved my experience at Galloway, but my most frustrating classes are ones where there are only questions, and no place to offer an answer. It feels as if the class is on a runway, gaining speed and understanding of both the material and its context, but that it never fully takes off and offers students a chance to offer an opinion. A kids' opinion, ready to be argued and dissected and spun off from, can be just as valuable to a class discussions as a good question. For example, the activity about torture described in the reading seemed intersting, and I understand that it prepares kids to be inquisitive and know how to form questions, all great life skills. But, for me personally, I would find it frustrating to spend two days listing questions without the chance to hear what my classmates had to say and have the chance to answer them. My impression from the reading - and I understand that I didn't read the entire book - is that much of this question focused style of education might work better in 8th grade and below. The Montessori school, as mentioned in the book, does not have a high school. I think it’s important to have discipline, consequences, and structure as kids approach college and adulthood. But, of course, it’s not a binary choice between structure and encouraging kids to be inquisitive and curious. It seems to me that much of the reform must come from federal and state governments. Their mandated requirements, concepts, and tests can control a classroom into a place where learning is stifled. Most of the schools the reading approvingly cited are private schools, where those with means can afford the choice of their child’s schooling. In my commonplace book, I again wrote down quotes that I connected with, and jotted down some quick reactions so that I could organize how I felt about each idea brought up. I did connect with many of the ideas in the reading. For example, the idea that simple, repeated questions could help simplify complex problems seemed like a great approach to me. It reminded me of when people have said "If you can't explain it to a five year old, you don't know it well enough". At one point, I remember reading that students who learn something knowing they will be asked to explain it to their classmates understand the information better than those who simply think they just need to learn it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRobbie Kane Archives
December 2019
Categories |