Wk 3 Blog Post 3, Comment to Anne Alsup

From Anne Alsup's Blog Post

I love how you describe students developing areas of interest. If students can see what is good in each person within the classroom, they can learn to use their own gifts as they learn from others gifts, as well. In our Full Sail classes this year, we have been given freedom to express ourselves, as we desire within parameters. If we allow our students to do the same, they will contribute to the world in meaningful ways.  

I do think it important that we as teachers challenge our students to step out of their area of expertise, and grow in their weaker areas also. With the idea of personal contribution and passion, students will feel the goal is to grow, take risks, and contribute, not to excel at everything. So much in our world today says everyone must be great at everything;  we can shift these ideas and help students see everyone has varied gifts, and all students can grow from each other every day, by sharing those talents and growing our areas of weaknesses together! What a better world we would have at the end of the day without competition, but with inclusion!

This weekend an amazing thing happened at our area high school. The prom king and queen who were crowned this weekend were both downs syndrome students. The high school students were able to love these students for who they are, and see their amazing qualities, and reward them for being great friends. When they were crowned, all of the high school students at the prom cheered; not competition, but unity! May we hope for this from our own students!

Anne Alsup wrote:

The teacher, like the conductor of an orchestra is not the true power in the classroom. The teacher derives their power from the success of the student. Some teachers may see their role as enlightening their students with their vast knowledge, but I disagree.  Perhaps more can be learned from the conductor.

One of the most difficult issues that I faced during my action research project as I moved my classes from the traditional teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered model was the role of the instructor. Almost universally, students perceive the role of the teacher as supplying knowledge and answering questions, a notion that has been perpetuated by an arena of high-stakes testing. While this methodology has merit for the conveyance of basic facts and principles, it falls short of moving the student to transference of the principles at higher levels of intellectual and cognitive application.

It is not the conductor's role to play the violin, only to direct the violinist. Like the conductor, it is not the teacher's role to answer the question, but to ask the question and point the student in the direction of knowledge. My research indicated that the teacher should literally say nothing that would interfere with the students' thought process. Students should be encouraged to develop the ideas, based on their previous knowledge and define the concepts for themselves.  This approach transcends the power of the conductor and empowers learning to take place from any chair. Through this collaborative orchestra of thought, knowledge is generated beyond the scope of any individual effort.

Is it necessary that every student masters the laws of physics, understand Shakespearean literature or solve a quadratic equation? I think we know better. Our world would be a better place if each child could discover and develop their passion. Establishing graduation requirements and competency testing does little to promote passion for learning. It is time to apply Rule #6 to the educational arena.  Yes, we should have some basic requirements and children should be exposed to wide variety of educational opportunities, but the sooner we help children develop areas of interest, the better chance we have lessening the control of the calculating self and free the child to find the central self. Imagine a universe of possibility where each person is able to express their inner desires in a positive direction by contributing to their world.  A world in which each person participates in the part that they were born to play and plays it with unbridled passion.