I was feeling unwell so wasn't able to see the movie in class, but lucky for me, it was available on Netflix to watch fully before writing this.
1. Stupidity, as a choice, can be temporary. But the cause for changing is uncommon. It requires insight with which a lot of people would rather not involve themselves.
2. I believe the challenge Mr. Hundert faced with Sedgewick Bell was impressive because the experience tested Mr. Hundert's convictions and hopes. He hoped that Sedgewick could be matured and educated, and perhaps cure his problems. Hundert believed that a person's story is written well before they die, that stupidity is incurable, and still places upon himself the responsibility to accomplish what he seems to have believed impossible.
3. Sedgewick is charismatic. His testing of authority and sensibilities of the other students is unprecedented for the students--who all appear to be motivated and inquisitive enough in general that understanding and even trying to step into Sedgewick's worldview is irresistible. Their own immaturity, in some cases, is allowed to stretch.
4. When Hundert is calculating final grades, he faces his destructive optimism in Sedgewick. His interest in seeing Sedgewick experience glory in his accomplishments overcomes what he must believe, as an educator, to be factual representation of students' work. He chooses to alter the final grades to allow Sedgewick to participate in the contest, and is later faced with guilt over the matter.
5. Aware that Sedgewick is cheating, Hundert decides to ask a question not on his pre-selected questions. This is unfair, as the questions are pre-selected according to levels of difficulty and considered as such. Sedgewick, although cheating, is also failed by something akin to cheating. When Hundert confronts Sedgewick, Hundert learns that Sedgewick had not actually changed--that he mislead even Hundert about who he was becoming. I believe it underscores the idea Hundert has that people do not, as far as character goes, change.
6. Hundert hopes to find Blythe, the student who most wanted to take part in the contest and was rightfully due the chance. After explaining to Blythe what happened and apologizing, he asks Blythe to see each other again--perhaps as a signal for forgiveness. The next morning, when he expects to see him and the others, the place is abandoned. He returns to his room to see all of them waiting, and is thanked by his students for helping them grow and become improved versions of themselves.
7. The conflict of the moral over the expedient is a constant struggle. There are times when immoral actions would appear more convenient--especially in the short term. For Sedgewick, he will choose the expediency and appearance before virtue and principle. Hundert, though he has moral failings, strives still for virtue and principle. In the film, both Sedgewick and Hundert have similarities--both had absent fathers whose accomplishments meant more than raising their children. The experience has effected them profoundly and discussing it recurs in the film. However, they radically diverge in their moral decisions. While they may have had somewhat similar backgrounds, it didn't determine their character. What motivated and drives one of the men to accomplish moral character, and motivates another to avoid it entirely, for a lifetime, despite a similar set of experiences, must run deeper than repeatedly choosing convenience or principle when the two are in conflict. People might seem to change in numerous ways with time and effort, but the core beliefs guiding one's actions are not easily changed.
8. After being thanked and shown the difference he's made in the lives of several good students, who didn't require the accomplishment of the impossible, he realizes he can still make his own contribution. When he arrives at his classroom, Blythe's son is enrolled and personally led to Hundert's classroom--one of his former students believes in Hundert's contribution.
9. Hundert involves his class by posing questions and by helping the students compare their lives with those who built the traditions for society that the western world engages in.
10. In studying the classics, the students learn how to connect with the world. As adolescents and as adults, they learn that connecting their efforts with what is valuable and applicable to existence for all will have most meaning. By living as a virtuous person who can create value, they will not lead an isolated existence of hopelessly bending rules (or, trying to bend life itself) to what they would rather it be.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Paulo Friere's Banking Concept of Education
Paulo Friere identifies the practice of teachers speaking at students as "narration sickness." Narration sickness happens when a teacher performs a predominately speaking role, requiring students to be listeners who absorb information only.
Standardized testing encourages narration sickness. The treatment of knowledge as formalistic, devoid of substance, to the end of performing acceptably on a standardized benchmark requires narration sickness. Because in this way, students can memorize structures and sounds and appearances in order to better fill in circles of a machine-readable answer sheet. No Child Left Behind links this behavior to the school's survival, making it necessary for educators to engage in narration sickness.
In 2006 I took a geometry class, mostly on the subject of axiomatic systems. The teacher did not fully engage in narration sickness, but the classes were very tightly controlled. By tightly controlled, I mean the hour schedule of class was carefully planned to fit the lecture that was given. Students rarely had a chance to ask questions and discussion was not factored into the lecture time.
The concepts being taught required greater depth, but unfortunately it was presented in a more formalistic and concrete way--which included demonstrations for homework assignments which we were to essentially mime. Most learning, it seemed, came from reading the class text with other students in the class while working on homework assignments. I would have preferred the class been given the depth it needed during lectures at the very least, or perhaps if more discussion had been involved we would have reached the deeper ideas. I found the teaching style to be a disadvantage to learning.
The year before, I was taking Calculus I and II in the spring from a different professor. The professor was extremely knowledgeable about the mathematics--and clearly enjoyed teaching the subject. He presented the mathematics as a series of concepts and relationships. We were encouraged to ask questions at several points, and the resulting discussion was always harnessed to be of benefit to the rest of the class. Disagreements were welcomed, even with the organization and choices of direction for instructing the class, and these were patiently explained--which typically the majority of the glass came to agree with.
One disagreement was interesting: Why demonstrate the proofs of calculus, rather than memorize and compute results to problems, on exams? The student had taken calculus in high school in Sioux Falls--he claimed to already know much of calculus and anticipated college level calculus to be very similar in its instruction and testing. He argued that in high school, they had been shown the proofs for derivative rules, and simply had to memorize and use the rules to compute results. Why couldn't college level calculus be the same? Several more recent high school graduates supported the question.
The professor told the student, and the others, that mathematics is not just about computing and memorizing. Mathematics is about ideas--limits, infinity, and the derivatives--not just their actual application. Proofs represent the underlying ideas, the most important point. One cannot just be told to memorize some things, memorize them, and then use them. They must be earned. We did earn them. But only used them in order to accomplish higher level proofs.
The class, its methods of being taught and the subject matter, changed the way I thought and is one of few classes that I can fairly say have been valuable to me personally and professionally.
I believe the Athenians would have upheld the idea of problem-posing education over the banking concept of education. The visigoths would not have appreciated or been interested in the depth of knowledge, much less its education to others.
This year, I am lucky to have most of my classes, with the exception of Web Design, as involving discussion and problem-posing. Web Design permits questions and discussion, but the coursework isn't smoothly organized (some students have really struggled) and follows the textbook too closely to be of much better value than memorizing code and following instructions.
Standardized testing encourages narration sickness. The treatment of knowledge as formalistic, devoid of substance, to the end of performing acceptably on a standardized benchmark requires narration sickness. Because in this way, students can memorize structures and sounds and appearances in order to better fill in circles of a machine-readable answer sheet. No Child Left Behind links this behavior to the school's survival, making it necessary for educators to engage in narration sickness.
In 2006 I took a geometry class, mostly on the subject of axiomatic systems. The teacher did not fully engage in narration sickness, but the classes were very tightly controlled. By tightly controlled, I mean the hour schedule of class was carefully planned to fit the lecture that was given. Students rarely had a chance to ask questions and discussion was not factored into the lecture time.
The concepts being taught required greater depth, but unfortunately it was presented in a more formalistic and concrete way--which included demonstrations for homework assignments which we were to essentially mime. Most learning, it seemed, came from reading the class text with other students in the class while working on homework assignments. I would have preferred the class been given the depth it needed during lectures at the very least, or perhaps if more discussion had been involved we would have reached the deeper ideas. I found the teaching style to be a disadvantage to learning.
The year before, I was taking Calculus I and II in the spring from a different professor. The professor was extremely knowledgeable about the mathematics--and clearly enjoyed teaching the subject. He presented the mathematics as a series of concepts and relationships. We were encouraged to ask questions at several points, and the resulting discussion was always harnessed to be of benefit to the rest of the class. Disagreements were welcomed, even with the organization and choices of direction for instructing the class, and these were patiently explained--which typically the majority of the glass came to agree with.
One disagreement was interesting: Why demonstrate the proofs of calculus, rather than memorize and compute results to problems, on exams? The student had taken calculus in high school in Sioux Falls--he claimed to already know much of calculus and anticipated college level calculus to be very similar in its instruction and testing. He argued that in high school, they had been shown the proofs for derivative rules, and simply had to memorize and use the rules to compute results. Why couldn't college level calculus be the same? Several more recent high school graduates supported the question.
The professor told the student, and the others, that mathematics is not just about computing and memorizing. Mathematics is about ideas--limits, infinity, and the derivatives--not just their actual application. Proofs represent the underlying ideas, the most important point. One cannot just be told to memorize some things, memorize them, and then use them. They must be earned. We did earn them. But only used them in order to accomplish higher level proofs.
The class, its methods of being taught and the subject matter, changed the way I thought and is one of few classes that I can fairly say have been valuable to me personally and professionally.
I believe the Athenians would have upheld the idea of problem-posing education over the banking concept of education. The visigoths would not have appreciated or been interested in the depth of knowledge, much less its education to others.
This year, I am lucky to have most of my classes, with the exception of Web Design, as involving discussion and problem-posing. Web Design permits questions and discussion, but the coursework isn't smoothly organized (some students have really struggled) and follows the textbook too closely to be of much better value than memorizing code and following instructions.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Civil Rights Movement
Passive resistance is defined as non-violent opposition to an institution or idea. This is contrasted with violent resistance or revolution--which relies on physical force for opposing an institution. An example of passive resistance is the ongoing Syrian Uprising of 2011 against the Assad regime--the outcome is uncertain, but thousands of protesters are being detained and killed. Another example of passive resistance is found in the actions and words of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who resisted British colonial rule for Indian independence.
This photograph was taken by Charles Moore, photographer for Montgomery Advertiser, during Dr. Martin Luther King, J.R.'s arrest in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Martin Luther King, J.R., was arrested on the charge of loitering. He was attempting to enter a courthouse when arrested. He was to pay a $10 fine or spend 14 days in jail for trying to defy a police officer--he chose to spend time in jail rather than voluntarily pay the fine.
Looking at this image, I see a younger MLK than I am used to seeing. He appears to be handled roughly by the arresting officers, but not resisting. I see a man driven by his convictions so strongly that he can deal with his own arrest with complete control. Knowing he will later choose to not pay his fine shows his insight into their system well enough that he can protest the laws of the city even after conviction.
Taken by the same photographer in 1963, Birmingham. There are people running from water hoses. The woman is being carried to safety after being hit by a high pressure water hose. She is wearing a dress and her shoes are not flat. I simply find it incredulous how she could be considered a valid target for the water hose. I think it shows weakness and growing desperation from the Birmingham government--to the point where they are willing to commit absurd acts.
Discrimination in Sioux Falls
I have always lived in Sioux Falls. I have encountered isolated incidents of racism throughout my life, usually by residents of lincoln county--who tend to fit a certain demographic not compatible with those raised under Lakota ideals. More often, however, I have seen discrimination against younger aged people most consistently. This discrimination is made by citizens in general, but also in the business and professional world. There simply is no place in Sioux Falls for young people with new ideas or skills.
When I started my business, I met with an older professional for a friendly discussion. He told me what I was already starting to experience: You will not find local clients until you are getting white hair. Without well-connected parents who already wield considerable economic power in Sioux Falls, being young will count against me--regardless of my actual skill level. His advice was to seek clients outside of the area or move to follow them instead. It is discrimination, as it is irrational, that a business owner would prefer a well-established and old name over new and starting talent who can help them make more in sales.
Ethos & Logos in my next essay
In my next essay, I intend to build a logical order to my thoughts on intra-racism. It will incorporate a reference within a reference to John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost; and examination of a great American author, whose insight into a facet of African American culture is relevant.
This photograph was taken by Charles Moore, photographer for Montgomery Advertiser, during Dr. Martin Luther King, J.R.'s arrest in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Martin Luther King, J.R., was arrested on the charge of loitering. He was attempting to enter a courthouse when arrested. He was to pay a $10 fine or spend 14 days in jail for trying to defy a police officer--he chose to spend time in jail rather than voluntarily pay the fine.
Looking at this image, I see a younger MLK than I am used to seeing. He appears to be handled roughly by the arresting officers, but not resisting. I see a man driven by his convictions so strongly that he can deal with his own arrest with complete control. Knowing he will later choose to not pay his fine shows his insight into their system well enough that he can protest the laws of the city even after conviction.
Taken by the same photographer in 1963, Birmingham. There are people running from water hoses. The woman is being carried to safety after being hit by a high pressure water hose. She is wearing a dress and her shoes are not flat. I simply find it incredulous how she could be considered a valid target for the water hose. I think it shows weakness and growing desperation from the Birmingham government--to the point where they are willing to commit absurd acts.
Discrimination in Sioux Falls
I have always lived in Sioux Falls. I have encountered isolated incidents of racism throughout my life, usually by residents of lincoln county--who tend to fit a certain demographic not compatible with those raised under Lakota ideals. More often, however, I have seen discrimination against younger aged people most consistently. This discrimination is made by citizens in general, but also in the business and professional world. There simply is no place in Sioux Falls for young people with new ideas or skills.
When I started my business, I met with an older professional for a friendly discussion. He told me what I was already starting to experience: You will not find local clients until you are getting white hair. Without well-connected parents who already wield considerable economic power in Sioux Falls, being young will count against me--regardless of my actual skill level. His advice was to seek clients outside of the area or move to follow them instead. It is discrimination, as it is irrational, that a business owner would prefer a well-established and old name over new and starting talent who can help them make more in sales.
Ethos & Logos in my next essay
In my next essay, I intend to build a logical order to my thoughts on intra-racism. It will incorporate a reference within a reference to John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost; and examination of a great American author, whose insight into a facet of African American culture is relevant.
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