In “How to Prevent Another Leonado da Vinci” Kris Bradburn has some great insights. #4 Sfumato is one of my favorites. Students today (and who knows? maybe in our day as well) cannot seem to grasp that the world is not black and white. There is so much gray! This week, I assigned some proverbs from India as we were studying South Asia. I presented them with 10 Indian proverbs, and the instructions were to explain the meaning of each in their own words. In class we began discussing them. One student had a perspective that I had not thought of myself, and I was discussing it and praising him for such perception. A girl raised her hand and asked very impatiently, “So what is the right answer?” The boy next to her said “Yeah what do you want us to write down?” Arghhhhh! They seem incapable of having any sort of meanginful discussion unless it ends with a “right answer” and some sort of grade/evaluation/reward. This is something that as educators we must address but how?
One of my favorite readings so far has been Students 2.0: Teaching Brevity
Teachers – PLEASE read it and absorb it! When students (or anyone else for that matter) ask us what time it is, they really don’t need to hear how the clock is made, a description of the man-made creation of time, nor the history of the sixty second minute! They WILL glaze over, tune out, etc if we ramble on and on. KISS – keep it short and simple; keep it simple, stupid, etc. ‘Nuf said!
I agree with Teaching Brevity. Students get so caught up in “How many words?” that they lose sight of the subject. I thinks students can get to the point without a lot of filler. It saves grading time as well.
Paula! I could NOT agree more with your comments about the daVinci article. I find it so right on, so inspiring, yet each week when I sit down to do my lesson plans, I do the same things I always do. I am guilty of working against my own advice to my students: “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” I am just not sure what or how to do it. Is brevity the answer? Maybe! I know I get tired of hearing myself talk – I imagine it’s ten times worse for my students!
Web 2.0 — making us think!
paula…we’re on the same page!! i fall victim to holding my students’ hands through any assignment – big or small – because they need such guidance. teaching brevity also spoke to me because i truly tend to underestimate the capabilites of my students…and i think that they underestimate themselves as well. i hope that i continue learning some “out of the box” ways to teach our students…good ‘ol web 2.0!!
I too agree on teaching brevity, kids are in a fast pace world we must get to the point
Paula, I glossed over the Students 2.0 post as it was written by a 14-year-old. I teach 5th graders, and didn’t think it would be relevant. After reading your blog praising it, I clicked on your link to Arthus’ site. Wow! What an articulate, insightful young man. It just goes to show that we teachers have much to learn from our students. Thanks for recommending the Students 2.0 blog!