Comments on: Bearing Witness http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2006/04/19/bearing-witness/ (bôr'dər-lănd') n. Located on or near a frontier. An indeterminate area or condition. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:00:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Rachel Armour http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2006/04/19/bearing-witness/#comment-5255 Rachel Armour Mon, 03 Jul 2006 00:39:09 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2006/04/19/bearing-witness/#comment-5255 Thank you, Doug for the wonderful compliment about the article I wrote. By the way, the spelling on my name is Rachel Armour, not Amour, although it is pronounced in that manner. I feel that you have a wonderful blog, and I really enjoy reading your insight on the world. I wish there were more people who cared about reform. My main focus is children, because we must make an investment in their futures in order to secure a better tomorrow. Oh, by the way my website is www.icontrol.homestead.com. Feel free to check me out. Peace Thank you, Doug for the wonderful compliment about the article I wrote. By the way, the spelling on my name is Rachel Armour, not Amour, although it is pronounced in that manner. I feel that you have a wonderful blog, and I really enjoy reading your insight on the world. I wish there were more people who cared about reform. My main focus is children, because we must make an investment in their futures in order to secure a better tomorrow. Oh, by the way my website is http://www.icontrol.homestead.com. Feel free to check me out.

Peace

]]> By: Doug http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2006/04/19/bearing-witness/#comment-1929 Doug Fri, 21 Apr 2006 00:51:15 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2006/04/19/bearing-witness/#comment-1929 The questions you list are good. Challenging, though. When I'm in a class, and the instructor/facilitator has us journal with those types of prompts, I often end up feeling at a loss because I frequently don't know until later-sometimes much later-what pieces of an experience I'll cart off and use. Often, I find that it is something periperal to the intended "point" of an exercise or an assignment. So my answers to the second and the third questions are often different. But I don't usually know that until I've found a use for whatever it was. Discovery learning is an important channel for me. Don't take me on a guided tour of a museum. I'm the person who wanders off and loses the group. The questions you list are good. Challenging, though. When I’m in a class, and the instructor/facilitator has us journal with those types of prompts, I often end up feeling at a loss because I frequently don’t know until later-sometimes much later-what pieces of an experience I’ll cart off and use. Often, I find that it is something periperal to the intended “point” of an exercise or an assignment. So my answers to the second and the third questions are often different. But I don’t usually know that until I’ve found a use for whatever it was. Discovery learning is an important channel for me. Don’t take me on a guided tour of a museum. I’m the person who wanders off and loses the group.

]]> By: the reflective teacher http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2006/04/19/bearing-witness/#comment-1928 the reflective teacher Fri, 21 Apr 2006 00:21:26 +0000 http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2006/04/19/bearing-witness/#comment-1928 And this is why many teachers these days are using blogs in the classroom -- to give the students achance to reflect upon their learning. The idea of "teacher as god" is unnecessary as schools are often described as a "society," by teachers as well as outsiders. We work within a community, and members of a community are individuals. We need to take the opportunity to show each student that he/she is an individual. What they learn is a demand, but what they take from that education is the "self-knowledge" you describe. What was the teacher teaching? What was I supposed to learn? What did I learn? How did I learn it? How did I make this information useful to me? What steps were necessary to understand this topic? What do I recognize, in my real life, that pertains to this topic? How will I continue to make this information useful? What do I want to teach others about this topic? And self-knowledge (what we know, how we know it, and how we apply it to what we encounter) is necessary to live as a critical and productive person. And this is why many teachers these days are using blogs in the classroom — to give the students achance to reflect upon their learning.

The idea of “teacher as god” is unnecessary as schools are often described as a “society,” by teachers as well as outsiders. We work within a community, and members of a community are individuals. We need to take the opportunity to show each student that he/she is an individual. What they learn is a demand, but what they take from that education is the “self-knowledge” you describe.

What was the teacher teaching?
What was I supposed to learn?
What did I learn?
How did I learn it?
How did I make this information useful to me?
What steps were necessary to understand this topic?
What do I recognize, in my real life, that pertains to this topic?
How will I continue to make this information useful?
What do I want to teach others about this topic?

And self-knowledge (what we know, how we know it, and how we apply it to what we encounter) is necessary to live as a critical and productive person.

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