In regard to all that rustyrae writes below I am thinking that were we
to talk we would find we have different perceptions about 'to teach'.
Sometimes when I 'come prepared to teach' I will be expecting to sit at
the back of the room and 'do [what appears to be] nothing at all'. At
other times I create a crisis which learners must unravel and reflect on
- both verbally and in writing - as a model of the kinds of work place
experiences we all know they will be [sometimes are already] experiencing.
'Being responsible' as an educator can include modes of operation quite
different from conventional 'teacher' roles of more familiar and kinds.
My concern is to reduce the degree of 'dependency' exhibited by adult
students who seem to fall back into 'school time' habits and
expectations when they enter a' classroom' - while remaining
self-organising and independent operators in their lives and workplaces.
What is it about a 'teaching space' that induces such habitual
dependency? I am - quite often - reminded of Sheldon Kopp's book "If you
meet the Buddha on the road - kill him" [because the Buddha is within us
and any one claiming to be 'the Buddha' is a false leader] when I
encounter students who express beliefs indicating dependence on 'the
teacher'.
John Heron's cartoon of two boys and a dog is also appealing. One says
"I taught my dog to whistle." The other listens and say "I don't hear
him whistle." And gets the response "I said I taught him I didn't say he
learned."
In short my focus is on learning not teaching - so perhaps we begin at
different points and diverge from there. Or perhaps we get to the same
point by very different routes.
And perhaps as we converse we will find common ground - which is what I
do value this list for.
EL
rustyrae@comcast.net wrote:
>
> El -- I posted an earlier link regarding this material --
>
http://www.brainrules.net/attention and you would be wise to see some
> of the other "brain rules".
>
> If you read Dr. Medina's work, you will see that he simply says that
> if you go more than 15 minutes without a break that you have probably
> lost the majority of your class. It simply means that no one can
> sustain an eight hour lecture and get a great deal out of it.
>
> It means that as a teacher you do have a responsibility to be prepared
> when you come to class. A part of that responsibility is to ensure
> that the students in your class know what they are suppose to be
> learning, hence the reason for having learning objectives. You have a
> responsibility to have at least considered at when depth do students
> need to learn certain information (see bloom's taxonomy), and you have
> a responsibility to know and understand the dynamics of a classroom.
> Every class is different -- so what worked last term might not work as
> well or at all this term. That is your responsibility as a teacher.
>
> I certainly do not mean to say that cognitive overload is the reason
> for ALL student inattentiveness, but if you are not aware of how it
> comes about and pejorative affect that if can have on learning and
> student than you are doing a disservice to both the students and yourself.
>
> Do students have a responsibility -- sure they do. But as teachers we
> (teachers) set the example for behavior in the classroom and that
> means that we come prepared to teach. This absolutely means different
> sets of preparation depending on the course that is being taught and
> the level of students that are in class.
>
> Nevertheless, if you lecture for 40 minutes without a break, as much
> as your students will try and follow you, you will lose 90 percent of
> them. This is not a fairy tale but is the result of pretty solid research.
>
> -rr
>
>
>
>