Old blog tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie1/2 2007-02-09T14:23:43Z de gustibus non est disputandum Movable Type 3.33 Philosophical musings, if you will tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.841 2007-02-09T14:20:48Z 2007-02-09T14:23:43Z Philosophy of Education, Journal Entry #1 In the last few weeks, we’ve been talking a lot John Dewey, and more generally, about what we understand education to be, namely, a transmission of something from one person or group to another.... Philosophy of Education, Journal Entry #1 In the last few weeks, we’ve been talking a lot John Dewey, and more generally, about what we understand education to be, namely, a transmission of something from one person or group to another. We haven’t yet really tackled the question of what the something is – we’ve speculated that it may be moral or social values, which certainly seems to be the crux of Dewey’s argument, or that it may be intellectual habits of mind, which we might argue is the position of the Quebec government, as manifested in its competency-based program approach to education. Finally, that something might simply be knowledge itself.]]> Personally, I think the something we transmit must be rooted in the aforementioned habits of mind. As an English teacher, I know that my students do not come to me for strict knowledge of English literature, or even essay-writing skills. With rare exception, my students are not going on to study Literature at university, nor are they planning to become professional readers or writers. What I can offer them, however, is practice – the practical application of honed reading, writing and thinking skills. Abraham Maslow once said “when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail.” I believe that especially at the college level, our job as teachers is to help our students build up their toolboxes, so they can learn to see problems from different perspectives, and become better-equipped to solve those problems. Having said that, I also believe that we cannot dismiss either the idea that we transmit knowledge or that we transmit values. If we consider Bloom, whose taxonomy has always struck me as the pedagogical reflection of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we might concede that higher education must be supported by a strong base of knowledge. We cannot, for instance, expect our students to approach a text as critical thinkers if they do not possess certain fundamental skills, namely, reading and vocabulary. Similarly, we cannot expect students to develop habits of mind particular to a discipline without the basic knowledge at the heart of that discipline. At the same time, if we are transmitting habits of mind to our students, I believe we are inevitably transmitting our values as well. After all, if nothing else we’re demonstrating that we value education and intellectual habits of mind. What we haven’t really explored so far is why we value education as much as we do. I assume that we all, especially as teachers, consider education as not only valuable, but perhaps essential, and not just because the job market demands accredited qualifications. For Dewey, the inherent value in education is the preservation of the social group, the continuation of the characteristic life of the society. He seems to think that our schools should be purified microsocieties, with the express intent of molding future generations in our image, in order to perpetuate democracy. Here and now, is this the value we place upon education? As a society, we certainly appear to value education – after all, our schools are publicly-funded, with tuition-free access to all levels of education prior to university. University tuition, as the on-going freeze controversy reminds us, is very low, and the government provides loans and bursaries to those students who can demonstrate need (the government definition of ‘need’ is another topic altogether). Just this morning, Gazette columnist Janet Bagnall wrote about Canadian immigration policy, which stipulates that immigrants must bring to this country either a university degree or “sophisticated” skills. Bagnall’s point is that despite these requirements, most immigrants are not offered jobs or salaries commensurate with their qualifications, and end up living in poverty, with jobs that require very little in the way of education or “sophisticated” skill. One of my former language students was the director of human resources for a large, up-scale hotel in downtown Montreal; he told me that his staff included people from around the world, most of whom spoke three or more languages, and who held degrees from their respective countries, in a wide range of fields. In the promised land that is Canada, these people are scrubbing other people’s toilets and carrying other people’s suitcases. If, as a society, we are not prepared to fund higher education, as the tuition debate suggests, nor are we prepared to reward education and skill, as our immigrant population testifies, then can we say that we truly value education? Presumably, we believe that a better-educated populace means a better, more prosperous society; but are we practicing what we preach? Smart funnies tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.840 2007-02-08T13:09:52Z 2007-02-08T13:18:46Z I've been enjoying Rhymes with Orange for a few months now, and this morning's strip made me laugh out loud. It also reminded me that I really have to get started on my first journal entry for the Philosophy... I've been enjoying Rhymes with Orange for a few months now, and this morning's strip made me laugh out loud. It also reminded me that I really have to get started on my first journal entry for the Philosophy of Education course I'm taking this term. And so the laughter stops. ]]> How things are shaping up tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.839 2007-01-31T12:53:11Z 2007-01-31T13:13:41Z Ah, the life of a non-tenured teacher. Before the Christmas break, I was assigned two back-up courses for the winter semester in Continuing Education. 'Back-up' means courses that don't open until the first section is full, and since registration happens... work and stuff, but hey, c'est la vie d'une English prof. *which doesn't make me feel like an ambulance chaser at all]]> Name that phenomenon tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.838 2007-01-24T13:08:26Z 2007-01-24T14:46:45Z We had to giggle this morning when we read an item about new regulations under Quebec's consumer laws about selling used cars. The giggling had nothing to do with the new rules - it was induced by this: "Now we're... "Now we're all working with the same rules, we're all in the same boat," noted Richard Cliche, head of the provincial group of used-vehicle merchants. Cliche no doubt went on to say that when used car salesmen 'give you lemons, make lemonade.' *sting* Anyway, this got me to pondering that phenomenon of people whose last names match their occupations. For instance, the doctor who delivered me was Dr. Borne. The guy who writes the birdwatching column in the Gazette is David Bird. And so on. (I am aware that Cliche matches his statement, not his profession, but I'm hoping the logic leap is obvious.) Is there a name for this name/profession thing? And more importantly, got any examples for me?]]> Shocking news tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.837 2007-01-23T12:16:44Z 2007-01-23T12:22:53Z This just in: 'Three little words' often driven by hopes of sex, survey finds: 'I love you' is not always totally sincere... According to the 2007 Harlequin Romance Report published today, fully 58 per cent of men and 41 per... just in:
'Three little words' often driven by hopes of sex, survey finds: 'I love you' is not always totally sincere... According to the 2007 Harlequin Romance Report published today, fully 58 per cent of men and 41 per cent of women have dropped an "I love you" solely in the hopes it would lead to sex.
See, now this is why it's important to read the newspaper every day. Information like this could change your life. (Oh, and the "2007 Harlequin Romance Report"??? Don't even get me started.)]]> Bear with me tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.831 2007-01-15T18:48:29Z 2007-01-15T18:54:41Z Still getting used to the new Moveable Type set-up... my primary goal here is to eliminate the thousands of comment spammers who leave their mark all over my stuff. Eventually, I'll be able to turn my attention to actual design.... Still getting used to the new Moveable Type set-up... my primary goal here is to eliminate the thousands of comment spammers who leave their mark all over my stuff. Eventually, I'll be able to turn my attention to actual design. In the meantime, if you do comment and find that it takes ages for your comment to appear, you'll be happy to know that (a) I'll publish you ASAP, (b) we're working on it, and (c) if all goes according to plan, you'll be able to comment and publish simultaneously, as soon as we get one of those image-recognition thingies installed. Outbreak! tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.829 2007-01-12T13:18:40Z 2007-01-12T13:26:16Z The boys are at home today because their school is closed for disinfection. Yes, it's... THE GASTRO... da da dum I got a call yesterday - in the middle of lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in months -... THE GASTRO... da da dum I got a call yesterday - in the middle of lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in months - asking me to collect the kids no later than 2:30, since there weren't enough healthy daycare workers to keep students after school. According to the school secretary, more than 50 kids are home sick, and the school is rapidly running out of teachers. When I got to the school, I found... ~ the principal, whose face was a lovely shade of green, clutching her stomach and saying "I can't believe I have to drive home" over and over; ~ the day care administrator also clutching her stomach and running down the hall; ~ a guy, wearing a white mask and rubber gloves. So this is what it's like to be in a Michael Crichton book. ]]> And you thought I wasn't up to much this fall... tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.828 2007-01-05T16:58:54Z 2007-01-05T17:20:08Z Along with a full-time course load in the day section and a continuing education course this fall, I managed to squeeze in yet another M.Ed. course. This one, 'Constructing Knowledge in Your Discipline,' was intended to help us transfer some... Journal I: Beginning the research process Journal II: Learning in my discipline Journal III: Mapping the Learning Process Journal IV: Reflections on the Research Process Literature Review: Formative Feedback and Learning in the English Classroom There will be a test, so remember to take good notes ;) ]]> Happy New Year! tag:www.golding.ca,2007:/maggie//2.827 2007-01-04T17:36:32Z 2007-01-04T17:39:44Z Please stand by as I figure out our new Moveable Type thingie. We apologize for the inconvenience - but comment spam was driving me nuts... eventually, all will be well, and I will have time to post actual content. I... Please stand by as I figure out our new Moveable Type thingie. We apologize for the inconvenience - but comment spam was driving me nuts... eventually, all will be well, and I will have time to post actual content. I may even update the banner. Alright, calm down. I said "may". What's worse than coal in your stocking? tag:www.golding.ca,2006:/maggie//2.823 2006-12-22T17:15:43Z 2006-12-22T17:19:37Z A dead bat in your trifle bowl, that's what.... A dead bat in your trifle bowl, that's what. ]]> Happiness is a dancing puppy tag:www.golding.ca,2006:/maggie//2.822 2006-12-20T01:05:49Z 2006-12-22T17:12:06Z So the good news is that I submitted the last of my final grades this afternoon. The bad news is that I cannot, technically, breathe, thanks to the cold my body has elected to spring upon me, now that... So the good news is that I submitted the last of my final grades this afternoon. The bad news is that I cannot, technically, breathe, thanks to the cold my body has elected to spring upon me, now that I have time to be sick. The middling news is that I officially have two back-up sections of continuing education for the winter semester. I won't know my real fate until after registration in the second week of January. In the meantime, however, I'll be concentrating on holiday baking, cooking, catching up on laundy, and knitting a whackload of last-minute presents (and yes, "whackload" is indeed the collective noun for last-minute presents)... ...Oh, and researching and writing a literature review for my M.Ed. course... ...and blowing my nose. Stupid sinuses. ]]> The density of cats tag:www.golding.ca,2006:/maggie//2.821 2006-12-15T15:58:59Z 2006-12-22T17:12:06Z So I can't use my wireless mouse at home because Heidi sits between the mousepad and the receiver and blocks the signal with her big furry butt.... So I can't use my wireless mouse at home because Heidi sits between the mousepad and the receiver and blocks the signal with her big furry butt. One down... tag:www.golding.ca,2006:/maggie//2.820 2006-12-14T22:51:43Z 2006-12-22T17:12:06Z Classes ended Tuesday!! I just submitted final marks for one of my four courses. Long-time readers will know what I mean when I say - tell the dog to start warming up.... Classes ended Tuesday!! I just submitted final marks for one of my four courses. Long-time readers will know what I mean when I say - tell the dog to start warming up. Wilderness tips tag:www.golding.ca,2006:/maggie//2.819 2006-12-10T22:56:52Z 2006-12-22T17:12:06Z How to spot an English teacher: I just mixed my White Russian with a pencil.... How to spot an English teacher: I just mixed my White Russian with a pencil. Optimism (noun) tag:www.golding.ca,2006:/maggie//2.817 2006-12-03T15:22:20Z 2006-12-22T17:12:06Z President's Choice pistachios are packed in a resealable bag. Ha.... resealable bag. Ha.]]>