Blog #10 (final)

Shor: Education is Politics

1. “No curriculum can be neutral.”

Shor here discusses how students need to question to understand the world around them. Leaving out certain “controversial” topics from the curriculum is not playing it safe but denying you students vital information, and the opportunity to examine their world. This can be compared to all the rest of the things we have been learning in this class because it sounds to me a lot like Johnston. Johnston said we need to talk about “controversial” topics to make them less controversial, to enable students to understand them and be comfortable with them. The foundation of school should be socialization, and to do that a teacher needs to bring all societal topics into the classroom so that they can be examined in a secure and educational environment. I like how she mentions that if these topics are not brought up in the classroom it just teaches students to follow the herd that the way things are should not and can not be changed. “The future of society is at stake.”

2. “To know an object is to act upon it and to transform it.”

This quote is actually by Piaget, but it is important. This quote is used to demonstrate the importance of student participation in the classroom, allow the students to teach themselves. The teacher is a resource and guide for the students to use as they learn about themselves and their environment. Preaching at kids and not allowing any vocalization on their part would be inhibiting them, they should be the ones steering the class. Abstract theories rarely work, and lets face it are only good at killing a students interest in the subject, these theories need to be applied, students need to see them at work. In an elementary school, if a teacher lectures at the students for a week about photosynthesis, at the end of the week they still are not going to care. If a teacher lectures and brings in plants one put in the sun, one in a closet, and doesn’t water one now it is kind of interesting students can assess for themselves why which one is growing and the other not. Let the kids teach themselves they are capable of absorbing the world around them just give them the opportunity to do so. This got me thinking about a developmental psychology class I was in, the teacher said that playing the work of toddlers. Why can’t playing be the work of all students? What taught you most about love? Hearing your friends describe their relationships, or getting your heart broken?

Okay I did not get a chance to finish this because, well, I couldn't find it at first so i procrastinated and now it is almost midnight the day before it is due... Go me! lol but i will finish it I really enjoyed this article i look forward to writing more about it.