Those who know love to teach. How can we make this stuff happen? Do we understand it all well enough? Clearly not, but the ideas from this class are already firing my imagination.
Let me put it this way, friends: talking with Professor Gong today, I see no reason why these learning techniques couldn't be used to change the way people think about learning, and fundamentally make the world a better place. We need to understand them first, but I'm already knee deep in ideas about implementation.
As an example, think about what exponential growth is all about: it's the parable of the talents. The man that had 10 didn't just seek for an 11th; he got 20. According to what he had received, he was able to receive more.
How does this apply to public ed, for example? What if we offered a speed reading track in elementary schools, that had capturing techniques, learning techniques, studying techniques all involved? What if students in the 6th and 7th grade began to learn speed reading? If taught correctly, they could be reading Shakespeare in a half hour. Imagine what it would do for them to be able to read two novels a night, or 'capture' a textbook. If all students were able to have this happen to them, would they not be better off for it?
One last note: I think that I was confused earlier on a point, and I'd like to clarify (and ask for feedback if I'm still missing the mark.) I originally thought that the L/T was the basis of our entire conversation, while the 'Roles, Experience, and Knowledge" were ancillary; now I realize that 'roles' means the L/T part of the model. It means that everything we learn, we must teach to truly know, and if we want to teach, we must learn.
Along those lines, I think it's important to remember that learning and teaching are not polite, fluffy, omnipresent things--we don't do them at the same time in the same context. A professor should not seek to learn from his students at the expense of their learning from him. We should certainly be open to learn at any time from any source (something about which a good deal ought to be said) but I suspect that the slash between the L and T is a divider, as much as a link. If I teach someone something, they must first learn, then expand, and then teach someone else.
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I think you've got it... as far as I understand roles.
ReplyDeleteHow would you pitch a speed reading track to the PTA(S)? What objections might arise from teachers and administrators within the public school forum?
I think it would be a fascinating project to create a speed reading course designed for middle school students and then see if we couldn't get a teacher or school to try it out. I don't know much if anything about speed reading.
By the way, I think your "... for Dummies" text writing was a great way to initiate pragmatic texts to disseminate the 3PP. I think that's what Covey did, "Business for Dummies". (Just so you know, I do include myself in the dummy category for several branches of study).
;)
I would love to find a way to have professors make 10% of every grade in a class a pedagogical project. For example, "make a quiz on the concepts presented thus far" or "teach students via youtube for five minutes on the chapter we just learned about." You could even make it a daily thing online. It'd be easy enough and fun. Think of how much they'd learn.
ReplyDeleteI love speed reading--it's easy. I'd love to show you how if you like. And I think we're not teaching it only because it's tradition. But, then, we always need to remember, don't let intelligent thinking stand in the way of dogma.
(truth be told, I know most of the arguments against speed reading, and don't get them. They seem dumb to me. Maybe I haven't done a good enough job capturing them.)
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn how to speed read. Would you be able to compile a 'How to Speed Read' text for the class? This might be better than the dollar auction activity.
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