Harris Communications
Thought of the Week (“Thought” archive)
November 20, 2006
We are, in my view, faced with an entirely new situation in education where the goal of education, if we are to survive, is the facilitation of change and learning. The only man who is educated is the man who has learned how to learn; the man who has learned how to adapt and change; the man who has realized that no knowledge is secure, that only the process of seeking knowledge gives a basis for security. Changingness, the reliance on process rather than upon static knowledge, is the only thing that makes any sense of a goal for education in the modern world.
Carl Rogers, “Interpersonal Relationship in the Facilitation of Learning,” in Kirschenbaum and Henderson, The Carl Rogers Reader, p. 304.
http://www.yourheroicjourney.com/thought.shtml
Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer with possible examples to back up your thoughts.
Since you guys seem very overwhelmed (it’s called Senior Year), I thought I would give you an early ChristmaHannakHolidayNewYear Present. I have decided that since I did not get to the Pardoner’s Tale in the literature book like I had planned, we will postpone a cumulative test on the Medieval Period/Canterbury Tales until after Christmas. You will still be expected to know the material we have covered regarding the period, prologue, and Wife of Bath’s Tale for the semester exam. The difference is that it will be an overview where the test would be more substantial. The benefit to you is that you get another workday for your essay and project. I am getting the laptops for Friday and Monday. These are work days. Each day this week will be spent prewriting and preparing. If at any time it seems you don’t want to use the work time, I will give you the test on Monday as planned.
On to nicer thoughts… The Medieval Period!
- Tell me at least 5 facts you know about it.
- Name one movie that displays some of those characteristics.
- Take this survey and tell what your Medieval career would be. (fill in your first name only and career as “student”- click button below taking you to the PPP)
In light of the printer issues today at school and some of your recent frustrations regarding the laptop movie projects, let’s discuss technology and educational innovations. Here are a few quotes about innovative practices and resistance to change in education:
“Students today depend too much upon ink. They don’t know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.”
—National Association of Teachers (1907)
1966- “Hewlett-Packard enters the computer market with the HP2116A real-time computer. It is designed to crunch data acquired from electronic test and measurement instruments. It has 8K of memory and costs $30,000 (5)” -http://kernlins.net
So, answer these questions regarding innovation:
1. What technology or innovation can you not live without? Name no more than 3.
2. What technology frustrates you more than it helps you?
3. What innovation did you once really like to use and don’t use anymore OR what innovation were you once resistant to use and now use often?
4. What technology applications do you see helpful in education now or in your college future?
5. If you had to describe your personal learning style, what would you say and how would you say you are best assessed (ex. test, quizzes, projects, hands-on, etc)?
As we revise one essay and begin pre-writing on another, I have to ask about the process. Answer the following questions about your own writing process:
- If you were left alone to write a 5 page essay (regardless of subject) on your own, what would you do first?
- There are several pre-writing activities that can be used- clustering, listing, brainstorming, outlining, etc.- what strategy is helpful in your process?
- Name what you think are the two most important MLA rules regarding writing an essay.
- What is the hardest part of the essay to complete? (intro., conclusion, body, citations, works cited, etc.)
- Have you ever written an essay that you really liked, worked hard on, or felt was your best work? Explain.
Notice: This is FYI and not for comments that will get points. You are not that lucky! I just wanted to report and let you know that my mom is stable, and I am taking care of lots of business in Mississippi. There are things that have to be done, but when you clean out rooms, houses, and cancel accounts, it is very depressing.
My son asked me yesterday why we celebrate Thanksgiving. He has been studying pilgrims and indians. He said, “Don’t they eat dinner together and then fight a war?” Well, sometimes it may be that way with your family. You sit down and eat dinner together and then fight or argue the rest of the time. My family is no different; it just seems that we have a different perspective this year now that Dad is gone and Mom is in the nursing home and cannot have dinner with us. It just makes me rethink Thanksgiving and the focus of it. I will give thanks for many things this year, although times have been rough. I hope you can do the same.
I hope the projects are going well. Finish up Tuesday and save it as a movie on your flashdrive. Have a good holiday!
I am sad to report that due to district filtering necessities, Blogger will no longer be accessible to my students during the school day. Blogger was never meant for educational blogging, it was just the easiest tool to use. Because of that, I am transferring my class blog to another site. Please visit us at
http://mrscaldwell0.edublogs.org
Always trying to be the optimist, I would like to report that we are halfway to Christmas. Progress reports come out this week. Remember that the grade is only showing what you have this nine weeks. You will need to combine it with last nine weeks to get an accurate picture of your average.
This week we begin work on the most famous piece of literature of the Middle Ages, The Canterbury Tales. It is famous for several reasons, but most importantly Chaucer wrote in the vernacular of the people about everyday people that his audience would understand. You will be reading the Prologue which introduces the characters and three of the tales. Use this post to comment about an interesting character you have encountered in your life. Please do not include a name (only a general name like Wife of Bath or Knight). Make sure you cover the physical and personality attributes that make this person memorable. Remember it is not about a cheap laugh but about your descriptive abilities. It must be no less than 5 sentences long. I look forward to your characterizations!
Welcome to the new home of Mrs. Caldwell’s Senior English Blogs. Our former site has been blocked by our district due to questionable content available through the home page search bar of Blogger.com. Check out our former posts that span almost a year at http://mtnbrookseniors.blogspot.com
