Hi Fran, I was surprised to see you mentioning Kant, and from the very moment I’ve read the being-for-self vs. being-for-others dichotomy, got what you’ve meant. And after reading your post, it makes more sense to me why Freire’s approach has been echoing in today’s learning environment: Kantian roots stating that we can not establish any kind of reality without experience.

Along with what you’ve said and quoted, the narration sickness, fetishism of content (rather than experience) in the education system seems to form the very basis of the “perfect citizen” in today’s world. The ideal citizens google the world, travel around -virtually, react by clicking dislike, write thousands of tweets in order to express thoughts and feelings, memorize what is written in the textbook/instructions, type them back -only when they are asked, feel like a good citizen and sleep over, happily.

When asked, they say they feel, learn, think,,, experience. Would Kant think that they experience? -I am not sure.

In class, I ask the students to talk about Vygotsky’s theory, I hear perfect definitions. Enthusiastically, I give an example from life and ask them to define the Vygotskian themes in that example. Many of them fail. I ask them to provide alternative thoughts on a classmate’s perspective, I hear questions like “what is the right response?”. I respond back, saying “I don’t know, just something other than saying yes or no”. We exchange looks, and nothing happens. Tragicomical, indeed.

And I feel like I really should not get frustrated. If I do, and foster them to think critically, then they will see what is going around them, and awareness is not the easiest tool to be happy, unless one develops a radical acceptance/detachment, in today’s world. Anyways. You point an great issue: what happens, actually, as teachers we contribute in “creation” of a generation who really thinks critically and creatively?

Sounds terrifying from this system’s perspective. So. it is better to think/talk about definitions, narrate, memorize and repeat, but not making anything real (in Kantian sense). It is safer, in order to save the day. And since thinking about the future requires critical skills, the question of future is just irrelevant in this context.

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Hi Fran, I was surprised to see you mentioning Kant, and from the very moment I’ve read the being-for-self vs. being-for-others dichotomy, got what you’ve meant. And after reading your post, it makes more sense to me why Freire’s approach has been echoing in today’s learning environment: Kantian roots stating that we can not establish any kind of reality without experience.

Along with what you’ve said and quoted, the narration sickness, fetishism of content (rather than experience) in the education system seems to form the very basis of the “perfect citizen” in today’s world. The ideal citizens google the world, travel around -virtually, react by clicking dislike, write thousands of tweets in order to express thoughts and feelings, memorize what is written in the textbook/instructions, type them back -only when they are asked, feel like a good citizen and sleep over, happily.

When asked, they say they feel, learn, think,,, experience. Would Kant think that they experience? -I am not sure.

In class, I ask the students to talk about Vygotsky’s theory, I hear perfect definitions. Enthusiastically, I give an example from life and ask them to define the Vygotskian themes in that example. Many of them fail. I ask them to provide alternative thoughts on a classmate’s perspective, I hear questions like “what is the right response?”. I respond back, saying “I don’t know, just something other than saying yes or no”. We exchange looks, and nothing happens. Tragicomical, indeed.

And I feel like I really should not get frustrated. If I do, and foster them to think critically, then they will see what is going around them, and awareness is not the easiest tool to be happy, unless one develops a radical acceptance/detachment, in today’s world. Anyways. You point an great issue: what happens, actually, as teachers we contribute in “creation” of a generation who really thinks critically and creatively?

Sounds terrifying from this system’s perspective. So. it is better to think/talk about definitions, narrate, memorize and repeat, but not making anything real (in Kantian sense). It is safer, in order to save the day. And since thinking about the future requires critical skills, the question of future is just irrelevant in this context.

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Hi Rabih, thank you for bringing the issue of transferring the information to the old generations to the young ones. Personally, I do value apprentice system, as I do value a lot the essentiality of role-models in the learning-teaching process, and as you said it is not about the content what is learned-teached. It is about being in the world.

Sometime earlier in the class it was said that we are probably teaching the content in the classrooms that will not be valid when these kiddos graduate and start working in the field, and thus we should teach the skills to be able to welcome the features of the current world. I definitely do agree with that, and as you’ve quoted, thanks to the skills, we (students/educators) build the future, today.

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Hi Rabih, thank you for bringing the issue of transferring the information to the old generations to the young ones. Personally, I do value apprentice system, as I do value a lot the essentiality of role-models in the learning-teaching process, and as you said it is not about the content what is learned-teached. It is about being in the world.

Sometime earlier in the class it was said that we are probably teaching the content in the classrooms that will not be valid when these kiddos graduate and start working in the field, and thus we should teach the skills to be able to welcome the features of the current world. I definitely do agree with that, and as you’ve quoted, thanks to the skills, we (students/educators) build the future, today.

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Hi Zach, I can definitely relate to your “finally!” thoughts. My first reaction after being done with this week’s readings was a shiny happy “yezzz!” too. Personally, I feel the need for tangible tools to encourage the students to think critically and am not sure the tools I have are working properly.

For instance, at the beginning of this semester, for the Forum discussions for my online class, I highlighted the aim of encouraging critical thinking, included rubrics, some valuable videos and websites, offered some “tips” to improve critical thinking skills etc. Yet, so far, I am not so very happy with the results (and I don’t want to go to the “meyhhh the students are….” route). Most of the students seem to share ignorance and arrogance as being critical. Providing an alternative view seems to be almost impossible, since they think that I look for an “absolute alternative view”.

A part of me is well aware that critical thinking is a form of counter-conditioning in current banking-based education system, and it takes time to open up the minds for being creative. Yet, another part of me still thinks that there should be techniques like a hammer breaking the ice. I still look for them.. Thanks for bringing those out.

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Hi Zach, I can definitely relate to your “finally!” thoughts. My first reaction after being done with this week’s readings was a shiny happy “yezzz!” too. Personally, I feel the need for tangible tools to encourage the students to think critically and am not sure the tools I have are working properly.

For instance, at the beginning of this semester, for the Forum discussions for my online class, I highlighted the aim of encouraging critical thinking, included rubrics, some valuable videos and websites, offered some “tips” to improve critical thinking skills etc. Yet, so far, I am not so very happy with the results (and I don’t want to go to the “meyhhh the students are….” route). Most of the students seem to share ignorance and arrogance as being critical. Providing an alternative view seems to be almost impossible, since they think that I look for an “absolute alternative view”.

A part of me is well aware that critical thinking is a form of counter-conditioning in current banking-based education system, and it takes time to open up the minds for being creative. Yet, another part of me still thinks that there should be techniques like a hammer breaking the ice. I still look for them.. Thanks for bringing those out.

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Hi Zach, I had a similar experience in my high school, and while reading you post, I realize that it was one of my most meaningful educational experiences that shaped not only my perspective as a student but as a teacher as well. As you mentioned, once the student feels like s/he can relate to the class material, make use of it personally and professionally, the definition of the lecture and how the information is conveyed becomes secondary.. Thanks again, yesim

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Hi Francesco,
I agree with all your comments above including how easy it is to be manipulated in today’s world. Your comment of “What a 4.0 GPA tells a prospective employer is: this guy is great at finding his way through the system and he is dedicated to that task” made me to think of a tangential but very related issue in the education system. I think this very meaning attributed to having a 4.0 GPA is (and can be) very dangerous in the character development of the students –who will be the adults of next generation. As if, this very assumption creates a machine-like generation who can do/be everything in order to just get that grade, that blows my mind off. In one of my online classes, I could definitely distinguish the timing of some student e-mails as before and after grading, based on their writing style. It is very easy to call the students out as good or bad people and not link their characters and their presence in the education system, but I think educational system definitely has a role in creating such an “adoptable to each and every kind of system” generation..

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Hi Turner, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I can relate to your experience as a student. I guess, one of the main reasons I kept walking on the education road was to be lucky enough to meet wonderful teachers all through the way. In line with that, I am skeptic about your comment “even the best professor cannot make an unwilling student learn.”

I recently read an article that shifted my thoughts regarding the students who are “unwilling to learn”. In that article the performance was formulated on a simple equation: Performance= Potential- Inhibitors. Considering that all living beings strive for growth, as the humans, I believe that each student has enormous potential. However, the inhibitors like ineffective education system, or the personal issues hinder the students to perform on their best. I think, as educators striving to function at the level of out potential, we can also work on investigating the inhibitors on the students (as well as inhibitors on ourselves) in order to reach the highest potential, in both the students and us, the educators. Thinking the negativities like unwillingness, sounds simplistic and cyclic but it really makes sense to me.

Best,
yesim

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Thank you for your comments Dr. Nelson! I agree with you in all, especially with the one highlighting the value of mindfulness regarding the use of online communication tools. I agree that it is essential to keep the balance, without falling to the extremes of each side. I think the more mindful we become about the nature of online communication, we will be more aware of its limits and will use it more practically.
yesim