Re: Mind's Eye Re: Some Education

I agree with you that the basic problem is this disconnect between what is being taught and the real deal,so to say. Well, i think it is necessary to place the subject in some context and and not teach it in isolation. And for kids the teachers need to do that first. See, ill give you a first hand experience. Like i said before, i feel my school learning has been zero. But , i left math and science in my higher classes and opted for humanities. i felt i could do better, in humanities. It was fine..only as my reading and perception grows and the ability to place things in a larger context. Sometimes i read some thing related to science and i think.. i never saw it like that. And even wish i had not left science, which brings me to another point, they should make for better interdisciplinary options in higher classes. Which they dont in my country.i dont know about your country. But  to continue what i was saying. Somehow.this learning is alienating(school level). we need a living engagement.Of course these divisions are for our convenience and we should know that.Speaking of what should be taught , i feel in schools there is a need to place religion in a sociological context. talk about it scientifically. My country is filled with superstitious and religious people.But to see orhtodoxy in someone my age is a revolting thought to me. I have a lot of respect for mathematicians . since my math isnt great. I used to think theyre out of this world. Well i know this top level gold medal math/physics grad student. Who is superstitious, communal and holds odd notions. Now ive tried to reason with this person, who holds these strange communal notions about muslims. No use. And i think to myself.. dude..where does all your reasoning power go.Actually i know many such people. Also one more thing i feel is that competition is not the answer. I think this will re-enforce this already rote learning , merit obsession. Focus needs to go in framing these methods. What these people think is that you can only shift between easy and difficult. Thats giving no credit to the rationalizing ability of the student. To get better results you need to frame better questions. Putting across good questions is top priority. One needs to know what to you want to question , that will orient the identification of merit. not the simple fact based questions we are fed. Well in our education industry the checking of answer scripts is corruption based. Many sheets go unchecked and are marked randomly by undertrained teachers. This is also true for university level. I can go on and on. But ill stop here.  

On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 5:20 AM, Don Johnson <dajohn@gmail.com> wrote:

We already teach History, Science, Maths, Social Studies(civics) and current events. What is severely lacking is taking ALL of these base courses and applying them to real world applications. Schools used to teach something called Home Economics when I was a kid. World Economics and Business Basics should be taught in grammer school. We've dumbed down school and are churning out future Government Dole Applicants. We should be teaching them how to earn a living not take it for granted. We need more competition and classes that actually challange our kids to attain excellence. Instead school seems more social then competitive these days. It's a crying shame and it's why the U.S. education system is in such decline.

 

I missed mentioning sports but this is also very important. Competitive sports is a metaphor for life. "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." 

 

dj

  

 

 

On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 5:47 PM, Vam <atewari2007@gmail.com> wrote:

Absolutely...

On Apr 17, 3:06 am, Molly <mollyb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I think that critical thinking, negotiation/argumentation,
> organization, and information research would be good classes.
>
> On Apr 16, 3:03 pm, Vam <atewari2...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Science... inclusive of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry n Biology.
>
> > On Apr 17, 12:01 am, Vam <atewari2...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > " ... what to teach the younger generation..."
>
> > > History, in truth. Science. Literature.
> > > Art. Sports.
> > > Current Political and Socio-Economic Issues.
> > > & Computers... www.
>
> > > On Apr 16, 9:42 pm, "pol.science kid" <r.freeb...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > Umm.. I dont know if Aezen is now a part of the group or not but ill still
> > > > reply to him... even we in our country face a similar problem, of this
> > > > robotic teaching... senseless rote learning. But i am really dissappointed
> > > > with our syllabus change our school board did.. i think in trying to make
> > > > stuff easier.. they are giving the people trash..i mean it.. i can
> > > > confidently say.. I did not learn anything in school .. it was only after
> > > > going to college that i began to think about stuff.. and it came like a
> > > > bullet train.. and i was thinking.. what crap were they feeding me in
> > > > school. The thing is.. not making the curriculum easy.. but giving time to
> > > > the essential things...I cant think of alternative ways...I think it'll
> > > > always be controversial ..what to teach the younger generation.. I think..
> > > > what worked for me in college was that i got a lot of my own time..
>
> > > > On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 9:09 PM, pol.science kid <r.freeb...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> > > > > Hey the link worked for me...
>
> > > > > On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 8:13 PM, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > >> I'm not sure aezen is functional Molly.
>
> > > > >> On Apr 16, 12:50 pm, Molly <mollyb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > >> > This link is not functional.
>
> > > > >> > On Apr 15, 8:55 am, Æzen <ae...@msn.com> wrote:
>
> > > > >> > > You may be interested in reading the article from which I have taken
> > > > >> the
> > > > >> > > following excerpt:
>
> > > > >> > > "[...] The truly educated become conscious. They become self-aware.
> > > > >> They do
> > > > >> > > not lie to themselves. They do not pretend that fraud is moral or that
> > > > >> > > corporate greed is good. They do not claim that the demands of the
> > > > >> > > marketplace can morally justify the hunger of children or denial of
> > > > >> medical
> > > > >> > > care to the sick. They do not throw 6 million families from their
> > > > >> homes as
> > > > >> > > the cost of doing business. Thought is a dialogue with one's inner
> > > > >> self.
> > > > >> > > Those who think ask questions, questions those in authority do not
> > > > >> want
> > > > >> > > asked. They remember who we are, where we come from and where we
> > > > >> should go.
> > > > >> > > They remain eternally skeptical and distrustful of power. And they
> > > > >> know
> > > > >> > > that this moral independence is the only protection from the radical
> > > > >> evil
> > > > >> > > that results from collective unconsciousness. The capacity to think
> > > > >> is the
> > > > >> > > only bulwark against any centralized authority that seeks to impose
> > > > >> > > mindless obedience. There is a huge difference, as Socrates
> > > > >> understood,
> > > > >> > > between teaching people what to think and teaching them how to think.
> > > > >> Those
> > > > >> > > who are endowed with a moral conscience refuse to commit crimes, even
> > > > >> those
> > > > >> > > sanctioned by the corporate state, because they do not in the end
> > > > >> want to
> > > > >> > > live with criminals—themselves.
>
> > > > >> > > Advertisement
> > > > >> > > "It is better to be at odds with the whole world than, being one, to
> > > > >> be at
> > > > >> > > odds with myself," Socrates said. [...]"
> > > > >>www.truthdig.com/report/item/why_the_united_states_is_destroying_her_...
>
> > > > >> > > On Thursday, 12 April 2012 15:43:55 UTC+1, pol.science kid wrote:
>
> > > > >> > > > Recently, i was part of some filed work in a village ... we were
> > > > >> > > > looking into primary education there.... well.. while doing the
> > > > >> > > > report.. i thought i couldnt really understand education.. clearly
> > > > >> > > > what works for the city kids wouldnt work for those in the rural
> > > > >> > > > side..most of them do think theyre wasting their time...teachers
> > > > >> hate
> > > > >> > > > the kids kids hate the teachers..everyone is bitching... the
> > > > >> situation
> > > > >> > > > is pretty bad.. those who can do get out.. actually primary
> > > > >> education
> > > > >> > > > in my country is pretty beat up... now in know most of you are from
> > > > >> > > > the 'West'.. Sounds weird when i say it like that.. we're frequently
> > > > >> > > > told that primary education in the west is quite o.k. .... in fact
> > > > >> > > > good.. What do you guys think?.. Also... how do you define
> > > > >> > > > education..i almost hate the term by now.. get to hear it so much
> > > > >> with
> > > > >> > > > people having no idea of what they mean.... what do you think..?
>
> > > > > --
> > > > > EverComing
>
> > > > --
> > > > EverComing

--
EverComing