Notes on Teaching Unprepared Students by Kathleen Gabriel
Gabriel's philosophy of teaching:
1. all students, regardless of preparedness, can become a life long learner
2. Significant changes require time and commitment
3. Struggle is necessary
4. Students must be responsible for their learning
5. Teachers should not do for students what the students can do for themselves
Do I agree? With 2-5 yes, but I am not sure about 1. It sounds good and I would like to believe it is true, but I do not think most people desire or can achieve life long learning ability.
The struggle component is related to the antifragile book--this notion that are students are fragile is doing them harm. Students who come to us who have been groomed under that umbrella must overcome their own notion of their fragility in order to push themselves.
What would I add?
Something along the lines of students must feel that what they are learning is relevant and important and all students are individuals and successful teaching has to take that into account as much as possible.
I've been thinking as well about students who fail--for some students it is a matter of time. This is not the right time for them either because they are not ready to be invested or because the requirements for the course are so past their ability that they must develop some foundational abilities before they can succeed.
"Why can't we realize that it only weakens those we want to help when we do things for them that they could do for themselves?" John Wooden
1. all students, regardless of preparedness, can become a life long learner
2. Significant changes require time and commitment
3. Struggle is necessary
4. Students must be responsible for their learning
5. Teachers should not do for students what the students can do for themselves
Do I agree? With 2-5 yes, but I am not sure about 1. It sounds good and I would like to believe it is true, but I do not think most people desire or can achieve life long learning ability.
The struggle component is related to the antifragile book--this notion that are students are fragile is doing them harm. Students who come to us who have been groomed under that umbrella must overcome their own notion of their fragility in order to push themselves.
What would I add?
Something along the lines of students must feel that what they are learning is relevant and important and all students are individuals and successful teaching has to take that into account as much as possible.
I've been thinking as well about students who fail--for some students it is a matter of time. This is not the right time for them either because they are not ready to be invested or because the requirements for the course are so past their ability that they must develop some foundational abilities before they can succeed.
"Why can't we realize that it only weakens those we want to help when we do things for them that they could do for themselves?" John Wooden
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