A brief recap of each narrative:
- Spaceship Earth: He wishes to incorporate archeology, anthropology, and astronomy as "major subjects" into school curriculum. Postman reemphasizes the whole notion of taking responsibility for taking care of the Earth from very early on in life.
- The Fallen Angel: He proposes three possibilities to ponder. First, the quality of education could be improved if teachers are made to teach areas which are not their specialty. In doing so, teachers teach subject areas which were foreign to them or was a topic they hated and then return to the classroom to teach the subject. This would create empathy toward the students. Second, he suggests the removal of textbooks which are in his opinion poorly written and offer nothing more than facts which are not to be disputed. Never mind the fact that the sources of those facts are unknown. Finally, he proposes allowing students to challenge "facts" taught to them by teachers. He emphasizes the student's responsibility to do so. He encourages membership in Accuracy in Academia which will, in turn, make students pay better attention to classes and urges students to think critically.
- American Experiment: This chapter dealt primarily with four experiments which cover the most important arguments that Americans have had and which characterize the American culture. All of his experiments are questions asked: Is it possible to have a coherent, stable culture that allows the greatest possible freedom of religious and political thought and expression? Is it possible to have a coherent, stable culture made up of people of different languages, religions, traditions, and races? Is it possible to provide a free public education to all citizens? Is it possible to preserve the best of American traditions and social institutions while allowing uncontrolled technological development? Postman says no to the last experiment but he realizes that most people agree that it is possible.
- The Law of Diversity: Postman defines the Law of Diversity as the telling of how our interactions with many kinds of people make us into what we are. This is not to be confused with ethnic pride. He emphasizes 4 themes (language, religion, custom, art and artifacts) in this section which outline the importance of individuality and how it creates a unique cohesiveness.
- The Word Weavers/the World Makers: Postman says it best, "It is the story of how we make the world known to ourselves and how we make ourselves known to the world."
We found the most compelling narrative to be the Fallen Angel. In this narrative, Postman identifies three conclusions that teachers would come to: 1) Everyone makes errors, 2) Error is reducible, and 3) Error is committed with larynx, tongue, lips, and teeth (in other words embodied in talk using sentences). As teachers, we found the first two conclusions quite realistic and reasonable in their own regard. We agreed that a classroom environment is created to be intolerant of errors, however, we both agreed that despite this intolerance, there is a softness and sense of nurture that exists in the classroom, as well. It was suggested that a computer is more tolerant because it allows for errors while encouraging and guiding students toward the correct answers and would not humiliate the student. While we both agree that there are wonderful computer programs which perform the above mentioned task, a good teacher will do the same. He/she will not humiliate a student and will facilitate the learning and help eliminate or else diminish the negative feelings created by this sense of needing to be error free. A good teacher will encourage students to be risk takers and openly recognize that making errors is natural. As for the third conclusion, we both agreed it was "poppycock" (a word a fellow blogger suggested we use). Actually, we thought that it was an appropriate conclusion that, perhaps, just needed to be elaborated. Language, we felt, was not the only means by which to commit error, but also felt that thoughts and actions would be appropriate additions to this final conclusion.
Although we found the Fallen Angel to be the most compelling narrative, we also found the Law of Diversity to contain a certain theme which appealed greatly to us.
(Oh...our time is up. Tune in next time to find out what theme it was).
(Just kidding)
That theme was language. Postman emphasizes the need for students to learn another language if it is truly the goal of the nation to have diversity as a narrative within the school system. He points out a reason for teaching languages as it providing an "entry into a worldview different than one's own." We both agree with Postman as he mentions that there is no better way to achieve diversity than to learn a second language. Additionally, as elementary educators we both feel that this is a realistic goal for our schools, as it is evident that other nations are now, and have been, providing language education in the primary grades. Research has shown that children are more apt to effectively learn a language at an early age, thus, the appeal to us as educators to incorporate this into the school curriculum.
Kerri and Marcy
Bring on the Oppenheimer! Prost!
9 comments:
Kerri and Marcy,
I definitely agree with your point about foreign languages being taught in the primary grades where students can learn them more easily than our current system of teaching it in high school. I also agree with your point that you mentioned from Postman's book about students that learn another language are able to obtain a worldview different from just their own. You also mentioned that if other countries can do it, than we can as well. I would suggest that our country continues to study the way that other countries have been able to implement the learning of multiple languages into their curriculum. I would then suggest that we implement teaching foreign languages in the same way. I don't think however, that learning another language is enough. If we truly want it to be a "god" of education than we have to take it a step further. I think that our students will need to regularly converse with students from the country in which they are learning the language. The use of blogging online can make that possible just as we are blogging right now. Even conversing with the students wouldn't be enough if we truly want to gain someone else's worldview. We would need our students to visit their culture as well. You may be thinking that this is not financially realistic. Well, if we truly think that this is a "god" our students should pursue, than we should eliminate "gods" that they're pursuing now that are not worth pursuing. This would aid in the financial aspect of my proposal.
Postman's idea about learning a second language, I believe, was what Postman would call "engineering," i.e., not the primary substance of his point but a good starting place toward reaching his goal. His Law of Diversity is an attempt to recognize that diversity isn't just a nice idea, it is absolutely critical. In Postman's view, we have to go beyond thinking that diversity is something to which we need to pay lip service and recognize that diversity is an essential part of life. Learning another language, Postman claims, is one way that will help us recognize diversity.
In class, we discussed some of the narratives that Postman might have missed (both positive and negative narratives). We discussed such things as community, popularity, political correctness, America first, respect, pride in country, accountability, enilightenment, rebellion, speed, and convenience. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to decide which ones would make positive narratives and which ones would make false and/or flawed narratives.
As I was driving to my office this morning, a commentator on the radio suggested another one: competition. I believe his statement was, "Competition is everything." He was bemoaning the elimination of competitive sports in schools, the elimination of the grade F (replaced by E so as not to make children feel bad), etc. And he was recalling that in his life competition made everything better and made him work harder. He was careful to point out that competition not be confounded with gloating, and that winners needed to behave civilly. He offered the parable (that's a word that Postman uses for stories like this) of the man who won a contract in a difficult competition and proceeded to hire the losing competitor.
I found this narrative quite compelling. I would find it interesting to read a Postman-like chapter that elaborates on this narrative, complete with ways that schools could be organized around this.
Dr. Marcovitz, you make an interesting commentary regarding a recently described narrative: competition. As an elementary school teacher of several years now, we have come to a point in our careers where we find ourselves asking ourselves, "Why aren't the children motivated-or even wanting- to do better?" We recently sat together as a 3rd grade team along with data (yes, we are data driven) we've been collecting on our students regarding writing Brief Constructed Responses (BCRs). Every teacher voiced the same concern, that no matter how guided the lesson was (and how forward some teachers were in "giving" the answers to the students, the responses were still not answered correctly. Students either answered something completely different or they answered the question without supporting it with details. (Now, mind you, this reminds me of the comment regarding the fear-of-making-error-environment we've supposedly created in the school and we are fully aware that developementally they may not be ready to provide such elaborate response). Nevertheless, they must not be so fearful. We continue to rack our brains in coming up with a way to teach these skills and make it "fun" for the kids. One teacher has even turned it into a "BCR Idol" competition.
My point is this: I've been at schools where competition existed and students thrived. Parents and teachers worked together to encourage children to work up to their best. I've also been at schools in which competition in the classroom is seen as a potential ego bruiser by both parents and the school system. Yet, their kids are still part of the after school competitive sport programs. I don't understand this mindset.
I feel like with everything, again, moderation, is the key. Too many times, trends come and go because society expects a quick fix for something. In this case, a troubled educational system. Changes occur so rapidly and are so shortlived that either, 1)they are not given enough time to show their effectiveness, or 2) the change is overdone and seen as the sole remedy.
Is technology in the classroom also falling into this pitfall?
While I don't think that Postman would agree that Competition is an appropriate narrative, I think that he would agree that IF it is a worthwhile narrative, then there is no room for moderation and compromise. Remember, he refers to his narratives as gods (lower-case g). The idea of this particular god isn't that competition is a means to an end (as in, how can we motivate these kids), but that competition is the end. Without competition, according to this narrative, our society is lost.
I think competition is an interesting narrative to explore. Competition is everywhere including the job market, colleges, etc. I think it is important to instill competition in kids when they are young so that they can be motivated to strive for the top. Some students especially those who play sports already feel the need to compete with those around them. Unfortunately in some schools they don't want students to feel bad about themselves, but giving a metal to every student for participating so they don't feel bad about losing is not realistic to how things are in life. I think competition breeds motivation which in turn leads to greater success. Competition should not be everything, but it should not be disregarded so that feelings do not get hurt.
While I understand that Postman's statement about learning a second language is only one way to help students recognize diversity, I feel it is a great place to start at the elementary school level. Diversity is a difficult narrative for many young children to grasp, and I feel that it can be made much easier with the exploration of another language. I agree to an extent with what Brad said about the need for "our students to regularly converse with the students from the country in which they are learning the language." However, I feel that blogging would be a complex task with students who have a difficult enough time writing in their own language and are just beginning to understand how to use the computer (ex. first graders). I also feel that having them visit the culture seems like a wonderful idea, but because of the cost would most likely be impossible. An alternative to this would be to create a distance-learning classroom where students could converse with students in other countries through the use of technology. This may seem pricey as well, but it is something that can be used by all grade levels and can be used over and over again.
In the original post, Kerri and Marcy briefly discussed the feelings that often accompany making errors in school and the possible role technology. “It was suggested that a computer is more tolerant because it allows for errors while encouraging and guiding students toward the correct answers and would not humiliate the student.” This suggestion alludes to students feeling better about their work and intelligence as they move towards correct answers with the computer’s support. The tolerance and encouragement that computer programs supply could be viewed as a smooth and sensitive method for error correction. However, this seems to endorse the perception that errors are a source of shame and should be hidden. Besides the computer and possibly the teacher, no one else will detect the students’ mistakes. Students may become even more reluctant to answer questions in class due to fear making mistakes and of classmates realizing their imperfections. Although skills may be practiced and strengthened using computer programs, it seems that instead of primarily breeding confidence in one’s intelligence and abilities, the fear of identified mistakes would be produced. I strongly agree with Kerri and Marcy’s statement, “A good teacher will encourage students to be risk takers and openly recognize that making errors is natural.” Hiding behind a computer screen does not encourage the open recognition of which Kerri and Marcy speak. Instead, shame of making errors ensues, which is the opposite of what Postman is suggesting in the Fallen Angel narrative.
Dr. Marcovitz mentioned that "if competition was a worthwile narrative then without it our society is lost." I never really thought about competition in this way-what if we didn't have it? I agree with Sarah that it encourages and promotes motivation. In addition I believe it opens up a new avenue for many students. For example, at the end of each trimester at my school, the principal recognized each student who got all A's on their report card. At first several parents were upset. Saying if we recognize these studnets in that way we are leaving out the others who try their hardest. However, I believe this acadmeic reward which promotes competition encourages students to try harder next trimester. How is it any different from recognizing those students who excel on the sports field. Every student has their own strengths and weaknesses and promoting competition whether it be in sports or academics is what drives our society and what sets the standards.
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