I just read a thoughtful and curious post by @wiltwhatman about the wilds of understanding and the great challenge of belief. In this MOOCISPHERE* where we are all blinking and bobbing in the great digital ocean, it is a pleasure to see some prose that make me wander to and fro.
As I read I said to @wiltwhatman that the writing reminded me of one of my favorite lines, “I’d rather be lost than found in the wrong place.” I don’t know who said that, but it reminds me of the Great Excitement of Learning**.
When finished, I quickly grabbed Teaching as a Subversive Activity because I could picture a page where oodles of questions were asked and I HAD TO FIND IT. But I could not. Maybe it was a dream?
Here are some of the questions posed by @wiltwhatman
What am I teaching? Who am I teaching it to? Why is this person here? Do they want to be here? Is here the right place for them to be?What do they think here is, and how do they think it works? Does this person have an accurate sense of their capacities, abilities, limits, contexts and coping mechanisms? Do they think I need to be perfect, and do I need to undermine that? Do they think this is necessary knowledge? Is there estimation right? What’s their past experience of learning? What are the culktural influences. What resources do they have?
Here is an image from a page in TSA (Teaching as a Subversive Activity)
“In fact, he has a persisting aversion to anyone, any syllabus, any text that offers The Right Answer.”
I am raising my hand. Waving my hand and screaming, “Me!” Strange how we can read ourselves into a book. Or visa-versa.
* The place where we all come to connect and wonder
** GEL Those moments where there is clear focus and purpose for stuff
The 2nd Annual Leadership Conference is a collaborative effort between our local colleges and is open to students from Prescott College, Yavapai College, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Besides developing valuable new leadership skills and gaining a leadership certificate, students from all three colleges will also have a chance to connect, learn from each other, and have fun with an end of the day networking social.
