Empowering Education: Ira Shor

 

"You must arouse children's curiosity and make them think about school. For example, it's very important to begin the school year with a discussion of why we go to school. Why does the government force us to go to school? This would set a questioning tone and show the children you trust them and that they are intelligent enough, at their own level, to investigate and come up with answers." page 11

     Children have to be curious and want to learn in order to really learn something. I think it's brilliant to start the school year with why they are there. That way they have purpose to their work and think about it. It will start the year off in the best way. It keeps the classroom open for honest discussion and questions the class normally wouldnt ask. By doing this makes the students critical thinkers. They will be more likely to share more about how they are thinking in the future because they understand why. It gives the students purpose and the classroom more to talk about and learn.

"Piaget urged a reciprocal relationship between teachers and students, where respect for the teacher coexisted with cooperative and student centered pedagogy." page 11

     This is just like in Kliewer. How they talk about reciprocal relationships between the teacher and students. It keeps the classroom open for more learning opportunities than a different way of teaching. Respect is absolute key in situations especially in a classroom. It is so important between teacher and student that without it the classroom is out of control and not a learning environment that will encourage the most learning or critical thinking. I like how they mentioned Piaget. He did a lot with development and I have learned about him in psychology.

"Do scientist classes investigate the biochemistry of the students lives, like the nutritional value of the school lunch or the potential toxins in the local air, water, and land, or do they only talk abstractly about photosynthesis?  page 15

     This says so much! If something is not of interest or does not seem relative at all to a persons life that means they will have a harder time learning it because it doesn't mean anything to them. There have been too many classes where I have been not interested in it so my attitude towards the class was bad because I just wanted to pass. Its happening to me right now. I have no interest in the class (that I will not name) and so I really just want to pas it and get it over with instead of being engaged and really active in the class. Instead my mind wanders or I do Sudoku's. Classes should be made relevant and useful to students no matter what area. Personally I think it would be really hard to find that in some subjects but it is something important. So make things relate to every day or at least a real situation. Have the kids think of real situations where they can use what they are learning.