I love what you mentioned about selflessness and giving more than you expect to get out. We are investing in our students and in our classrooms, and it has to be like that if you expect any real results in return. The question becomes how patient are we as investors, and how do we really expect to get paid back? In most cases the return will not be a financial one. To succeed as educators, we have to make sure to keep the broccoli out of our attitudes as well. We have to want to show up every day and reinvest in our students educations because it is something we love to do and it gives us a sense of true fulfillment. We have to work outside of the institution and use our passion as our currency.
Author: Zach Gould
Comment on Again, TEACHING & COOKING by Zach Gould
I agree with all these thoughts and would like to add another layer to the cake, so to speak. The underlying assumption here is that everyone at the table ( or in the classroom ) has to eat the same meal (get the same exact lesson). The individualization of modern education on a student by student basis allows us to approach each student and their learning needs/interests creatively. Sure most of the ingredients for each lesson will be the same. But the best teachers ( and the ones most tuned in to the real preferences of their students) will know how to leave a little of this ingredient out for one student and add a little bit of that for another student. It takes time and attention to get to this point, but the facility to actively adapt the recipe, even on the fly in the middle of the class, is ultimately going to be what really inspires our students and makes us great educators.
Comment on Educated Mind and Heart by Zach Gould
This is amazing, especially “The heart is the hidden engine of the mind. If students can be educated to recognize their heart, we give them ways to amplify their power.” There is a ritual in Kabbalah that you always tie your right shoe before your left, put your right glove on before the left, etc. etc. It is because the right side symbolizes Love and the left side symbolizes Power. The purest and most powerful power is always rooted in love. I agree that we have to bring passion to the forefront of the student experience, let them dictate their own directions based on their interests and instill a love of learning that stays with them for the rest of their lives!
Comment on Successfulness by Zach Gould
In higher education I feel like it is also more important to focus on your strengths than to try to multitask and be more productive. I know, for example, that my strengths lie in project work rather than examinations. I also know it often takes me a good deal longer to complete a given task than the average individual. Rather than fixate on my imperfections, I try to channel them and learn from them. Taking more studio-style classes and allowing myself plenty of time for assignments has allowed me to be successful, but it took a long path of self discovery to learn these things about myself and act accordingly. I think we need to focus on identifying individual tendencies in students and adapting our coursework to augment their strengths rather than forcing everyone to fit the hyper-efficient mold of an ‘ideal’ productive student.
Comment on Language⇌Image⇌Action by Zach Gould
Yes this makes me think of natural language processing and the ability for computers to eventually interact directly with humans through language. The translation of human language into computer code seems to me to be the most “invisible” form of user interaction we could conceivably achieve (assuming we don’t insert chips directly into our brains and learn how to accurately interpret thoughts). This is driving all of the excitement coming from Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Home’s AI developments. When it comes to drawing, it seems more of an interface is required, and I know I have become quite dependent on my Microsoft surface for drawing and taking digital notes in class. The seamlessness of the interaction, in my opinion, is what will dictate technologies role as a distraction or an asset in the classroom.
Comment on The What and the How of Critical Pedagogy by Zach Gould
YES to decentralization and cooperation. This reminds me a lot of how a cooperative business entity works- especially worker owned cooperatives. The whole management structure is flipped on its head. Instead of a couple of executives making all the decisions, the whole team including all of the employees has to come to a consensus. While this is beautiful in theory, it can often be very frustrating in implementation- especially if you need 100% consensus before making any moves. The solution is a balance between decentralized learning and the authority to make educational decisions efficiently. Decentralization is definitely going to be a theme in my Teaching Philosophy. Thanks for this post and the video link. More to come!
Comment on Jigsaw-Zigsaw: An Adventure for Every GEDI by Zach Gould
I love the idea of Praxis as a solution to the monotony of engineering education. Once students are thrown into the real world boring chalk board lectures become an impossibility. Theories and equations could be learned in the field so as to really drive home the essence of engineering and communication WHY we learn these fundamentals in the first place. This would involve a return to a more Dewey like conception of apprenticeship education but I think it would be invaluable in demonstrating the dynamic, exciting qualities of engineering to students.
Comment on Dear Diary by Zach Gould
Thanks for this, Rudi. I just commented in response to Zhulin’s post on the difference between individuality and individualism. I think your post gets at this same idea. We must embrace the uniqueness and diversity of our identities (individuality) and not let the DAF imposed by ultimate survival of the individual (individualism) taint and narrow our perspectives.
As a side note I love how you framed your post confiding in a diary. The diary is a perfect example of the non-judgmental confidant. Whereas we all have biases the diary can be assumed perfectly impartial and I think that is why it is sometimes reassuring for us to reveal deeper thoughts in this way.
Comment on Why Fit in If We Were Born to Stand Out?* by Zach Gould
The title here gets at the difference between individualism and individuality. Individualism which stresses that the needs and value of the individual is paramount (ultimately every man or woman for his or herself) prevents us from seeing the value in diversity and bringing groups of people from different backgrounds together. Individuality, on the other hand, is something that distinguishes one person from the next, especially when it is strongly marked, and has synonyms like uniqueness, originality, and distinction. This idea of individuality must be embraced. There is a pride in individuality that suggests diversity can be embraced and shared and used to make us all better. Individualism (like many other isms) seems to be bred from fear and survival and competition- things we should all do our best to keep out of the classroom.
Comment on Left Turn on Red by Zach Gould
Zhulin,
This is great. Like Bethany mentioned I also used driving as a metaphor- being in a bike versus in a car. Your post got me thinking though that there are some benefits to bike riding even in a word built for cars. Some counties allow bikes to treat stop signs like yields and stop lights like stop signs. There is a certain mobility that bikes have to go ‘off the beaten path’ or to turn left on red when no one is coming. And sometimes they must – bikers representing minorities in society – just to get an edge up. Minority populations certainly aren’t going to improve their condition by waiting at the red lights and playing by all the rules.
