Do You Teach or Do You Educate?
A poll conducted by MSNBC in 2007 found that 1 in 4 adults read no books in the course of a year. I have to wonder if these 1 out of 4 had teachers or educators while in school. My bet is they had teachers. Educators not only act as mentors and implant moral compasses in their students, they also help their pupils see that learning is a process and not an event. Educators understand that learning is a way of life rather than just a period of time. It is up to educators, rather than teachers, along with parents to provide an environment that encourages exploring, discovering, and learning. This is why I plan to educate instead of teach, as I hope others entering the field of education vow to do the same. If not, I fear the number of adults who read books will continue to drop.
In his blog Tom Johnson's Adventures In Pencil Integration, teacher John Spencer takes on the persona of 1890's teacher Tom Johnson to tackle modern day school system's obsession with technology integration. Through a string of hyperboles, highly satirical remarks and metaphors, Tom Johnson presents both the good and the bad technology has to bring to the table.
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One particular post, Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home challenges the common ideology that technology is a student's "kryptonite" and the accusations that claim having this technology accessible in homes is the cause for lower test scores. Mr. Johnson counteracts a fellow coworker's concerns that, in this case, allowing students to take home pencils has adversely effected test scores. Whether it is 1897 and the use of pencils are becoming novel or it is 2007 and the use of computers are becoming increasingly popular, the point Mr. Spencer is trying to make is that no matter what tool is being used, there is an infinite degree of learning possibilities available. It is up to educators and parents to demonstrate these devices can be used to facilitate learning instead for pure entertainment.
Through Tom Johnson, Mr. Spencer also conveys many educator's preoccupation with standardized tests. Rather than being interested in knowing how students can apply what they have learned to real life situations, school administrators have place an urgent desire to know exactly how much facts are being poured into a student's head and their ability to regurgitate these facts on demand. This I think has created a tense environment in the classroom between teachers, students and even parents. Of course there is a marginal need for the "drill-and-kill" bubble test to monitor teacher performance, but perhaps what Mr. Spencer is trying to relay here is that technology is a good way to gauge a student's ability to take learned information and apply it, which can eliminate a stressful learning environment and allow students to flourish in their education rather than drown.
Until I watched this video, I never real thought about the differences between teaching and educating. To be honest, I did not think there was a difference. Their is, however, a clear distinction between the two verbs upon completion of this short movie. To teach is much more simpler than it is to educate. Teaching is a task just about anyone can accomplish, it is easy to show how something is done or to relay information. In order to educate one must be able to instill in others the belief that they have the competence and mental capacity to achieve any goal imaginable and then help them reach that goal.
A poll conducted by MSNBC in 2007 found that 1 in 4 adults read no books in the course of a year. I have to wonder if these 1 out of 4 had teachers or educators while in school. My bet is they had teachers. Educators not only act as mentors and implant moral compasses in their students, they also help their pupils see that learning is a process and not an event. Educators understand that learning is a way of life rather than just a period of time. It is up to educators, rather than teachers, along with parents to provide an environment that encourages exploring, discovering, and learning. This is why I plan to educate instead of teach, as I hope others entering the field of education vow to do the same. If not, I fear the number of adults who read books will continue to drop.
In his blog Tom Johnson's Adventures In Pencil Integration, teacher John Spencer takes on the persona of 1890's teacher Tom Johnson to tackle modern day school system's obsession with technology integration. Through a string of hyperboles, highly satirical remarks and metaphors, Tom Johnson presents both the good and the bad technology has to bring to the table.
One particular post, Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home challenges the common ideology that technology is a student's "kryptonite" and the accusations that claim having this technology accessible in homes is the cause for lower test scores. Mr. Johnson counteracts a fellow coworker's concerns that, in this case, allowing students to take home pencils has adversely effected test scores. Whether it is 1897 and the use of pencils are becoming novel or it is 2007 and the use of computers are becoming increasingly popular, the point Mr. Spencer is trying to make is that no matter what tool is being used, there is an infinite degree of learning possibilities available. It is up to educators and parents to demonstrate these devices can be used to facilitate learning instead for pure entertainment.
Through Tom Johnson, Mr. Spencer also conveys many educator's preoccupation with standardized tests. Rather than being interested in knowing how students can apply what they have learned to real life situations, school administrators have place an urgent desire to know exactly how much facts are being poured into a student's head and their ability to regurgitate these facts on demand. This I think has created a tense environment in the classroom between teachers, students and even parents. Of course there is a marginal need for the "drill-and-kill" bubble test to monitor teacher performance, but perhaps what Mr. Spencer is trying to relay here is that technology is a good way to gauge a student's ability to take learned information and apply it, which can eliminate a stressful learning environment and allow students to flourish in their education rather than drown.
Did MSNBC qualify using a textbook in my classes as "reading a book?" If not, I am one of the four adults who does not read a book throughout the course of the year. In fact, the last time I read a full book was in 9th grade when a teacher, not an educator, told me to read it for a grade. (How she could give me a valid grade for reading a book was beside me, since there never really was any sort of test on it anyway!) Now that I think about it, most of the teachers that forced me to read were not educators. It could very likely be a coincidence, but it's an interesting observation to contradict the point you made in your post!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on evaluating Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!
I second Jacey-Blair's congratulations on Tom Johnson. You got the metaphor.
ReplyDeleteSpecial Assignment #1
Write a post about why we use metaphors. Give examples in history and literature and even EDM310. Due Sunday November 20, 2011.