Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Talking Points #7- Empowering Education by Ira Shor (hyperlinks)


Shor argues that we should not settle for the traditional education.  He encourages students to challenge what they are taught.  Not to just accept what they are being taught as the be all and end all so to speak but to take part in their education and to question what they are being told. 
It is our job as teachers to not only encourage our students to question, challenge, and be curious about what they are learning but to teach them the skills needed to use these critical thinking strategies to empower them as learners.   


Shor argues that it is not enough to teach our students the facts and how to memorize different facts and theories and not to settle for the “status quo” but to teach them to be an active participant in their education and to activate their knowledge of critical thinking. 

"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."  Here is a GREAT short You Tube video about the people who have been critical thinkers instead of settling for the stratus quo.  Notice the people who were "crazy enough to think they could change the world."  I think you might recognize some of them. 


5 comments:

  1. Jen, I love the critical thinking videos that you used! I want to show them to my eighth graders. I especially love when Fairminded Fran says that she does her own thinking and doesn't need anyone else to think for her. I wish my students felt that way!

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  2. I love the links you chose Jen. The critical thinking videos are lighthearted but get right to the point. And the last one about the "crazy" people is very poignant.

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  3. I really liked your last video...Picasso was in the end there. Its a short clip that is effective when I start my classes in September. I always talk to them about respecting each others ideas (verbal and visual), but this does it in a way that shows leadership and strength in being different and seeing through different lens. I also liked how you included Bloom's chart...perfectly integrated.

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  4. Your graph of the Blooms Taxonomy was very interesting...I think Shor would probably want it to be flipped upside-down, with creating, evaluating, and analyzing being the foundations of learning. I also enjoyed your videos, nice blog!

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  5. I love the Bloom's Taxonomy! I think the create piece is so important because that is really what would show ultimate understanding.

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