[lbo-talk] Dismal science on education, again

[shag carpet bomb]

you both remind me of the analyses of teaching as a highly sexualized 
exchange. you are up there, on display, dispensing knowledge in a position 
of power and authority. In this view, teaching is a little bit like the 
experience between analyst and analysand. in which case, although carrol is 
correct that the lights going on thing is ancient, what *is* different is 
the context in which it all happens:

the rise of schooling - which refers to a specific process where learning 
becomes a separate function, pulled out of the family and community.

the process of age grading - where students are grouped by age and 
separated from those younger and older

the gendered nature of schooling (admittedly changing) - where men are 
increasingly dominant in roles higher up that age grading latter so that 
they are the great majority of teachers in college and beyond, etc.

the professionalization of teaching - where teachers must go through more 
and more levels of schooling to be able to interact with students

the dominance of the "banking model" of schooling - you put knowledge into 
their brains and then expect to be able to withdraw it on command

the dominance of knowledge as something one passively receives, as a 
product of a teacher, rather than as something that one achieves, actively 
claims, works for as the learner in community with other learners.

etc./

The point, of course, is that this supposedly "special" experience becomes 
highly personalized, individualized, seen as the unique work of a special 
teacher and that it can only happen in certain contexts: with teachers, 
lone individuals, standing alone at the front of the classroom, the font of 
knowledge, the very reason for a light going on, etc. that the teacher 
makes this happen, and not the student. that it's the product of a unique, 
individual, lone experience

At 03:04 PM 1/13/2012, Jeffrey fisher wrote:


>On Jan 13, 2012, at 2:49 PM, Alan Rudy <alan.rudy at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 2:08 PM, Dennis Redmond 
> <metalslorg at gmail.com>wrote:
> >
> >> On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 11:07 PM, Alan Rudy <alan.rudy at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> That said, there are the moments when students actually get something.
> >> You see the little lights go on, and there's nothing more wonderful in
> >> the world.
> >>
> >> -- DRR
> >>
> >>
> >
> > very very true, its almost as great as when they ask you what you're
> > teaching next semester and then they show up in a class.
>
>Yep
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