Transcript
Teacher: Is that what learning is?
[ Yes. Yes ]
Teacher: Yes . . Do what you’re told.
Student1: Yes, because you have to follow directions.
Teacher: “Follow directions.” What about some of the rest of you? Learning . . do as you’re told?
Student2: How do you learn if you don’t take in from somebody that’s already experienced it?
Teacher: I can’t hear you.
Student2: How do you learn something if you don’t . . take in from somebody that’s already experienced it?
Teacher: Okay. How do you learn something if you don’t take in from somebody that’s experienced it. What else? What are the . . What are some alternatives . . . . to not doing as you are told? Why might that be beneficial in learning?
Student3: You might learn a lesson / ???? /
Teacher: You might learn a lesson. What are . . why are you shaking your head so emphatically?
Student1: You might learn a lesson that you might learn it the long way round or the harder way . .
Teacher: the hard way
Student1: instead of taking the easy way and doing as you’re told.
Teacher: uh-huh . . . . yeah?
Student4: I think that like in Franek’s case you can get creative you can do things a little bit from what you are told like you take your own perspective.
Teacher: Yeah . . and that can teach you something as well, right? Um, what she said is you might learn something from taking your own perspective you know from taking your own road and that could be valuable . . . . Anybody else? . . Cauliflower?
Student5: I believe you have to take in part of the learning but I think / ? ? ? / yourself / ? ? ? / you have to / ? ? ? / you’re not always going to have someone telling you things / ? ? / what you should do.
Teacher: Right.
Student5: You need to be involved in learning it on your own, you’re given a set of keys and what you do with them is up to you, you can’t make me learn
Teacher: Right.
Student5: you can tell me to do something but . . am I really learning if you tell me to write a paragraph about / money /
Teacher: Uh-Huh.
Student5: Am I really learning something /unless/ I get involved.
Teacher: That was really beautifully said, really nicely said and so applicable to a writing class. I told you the first day you can’t, you can’t . . I can’t teach you writing . . . I can give you the keys, the tools, a foundation, but you have to make the decision to build upon that . . you know, and that’s where anxiety comes in . . . because . . . I try to give you the footing . . but you have to pound these nails and sometimes you’re wondering, “do I do I pound a nail there?” You know. And your impulse is gonna be to come to me and say, “Do I pound a nail there?” And I might say . . . . you gotta figure that out on your own . . or what are the options, what are the consequences of pounding a nail there? You know.
posted by CA Lund at 7:17 AM
1 Comments:
This assignment, to record, transcribe, and write a reflection on the experience, was more difficult than I imagined. It's hard because you have in front of you empirical evidence of your performance. There were times as I listened to the 30 minute recording, that I cringed, and thought, "Well, that wasn't very clear, now was it."
I think, however, considering the course as a whole, so far, that the discussion of the diagnostic writing prompt turned into an unlikely teaching moment. I had discussed with the class the very first day my thoughts about teaching and learning writing. I had told them that it was my belief that the best way to learn writing is by writing, and by being cognizant of what it is that YOU are doing as you write, the sorts of decisions you are making, and how those decisions potentially impact the product of the writing task in front of you.
I was really fortunate to have "Franek" respond to the prompt in the way he did. Franek did not really address the prompt. He synthesized the overarching idea presented to him, why are you here?, and gave his own heartfelt, honest, and open response. He was writing for himself, not teacher; he had discovered his own reason for writing the essay. I respect this. Franek did not simply follow instructions.
UMSL requires GRE scores for consideration to their doctoral program, so I had to take the GRE again. I took it once when I was a Junior in college, but those scores had long expired so I had to take the test again. I took the exam on a computer, early in the morning, a year ago. The first section I was presented with was the writing sample. I was somewhat relieved because I'm comfortable with my writing, and I enjoy it.
The prompt had something to do with how younger generations think they have it more difficult than their predecessors. This got me to thinking about me in relationship with my grandparents, and whether I think I have it more difficult than them. I knew immediately I was going to focus on my grandfather as the representative of a previous generation, and as I sat there, I started thinking about his life. He did have it hard. He grew up very poor in the tobacco fields of North Carolina, fought in WWII, and struggled with alcoholism and health problems his entire life, but he still made time for me. He tried to teach me something, teach me values.
My grandpa died two days before my son was born, and I was in the hospital delivery room during his funeral. I never had the opportunity to say goodbye to him. I will always regret this.
I was considering all these things, and began to write an essay that was essentially an ode to my grandfather. It was a postdated thank-you to him for helping me to become the person I am today.
Additionally, I was watching the timer click away at the bottom of my computer screen. I didn't care much because this essay was going along well. I had found my reason for writing it.
As the timer clicked below ten minutes remaining, I stopped, looked again at the prompt, and realized that I was not addressing the prompt, not even tangentially. There was a moment of panic, I erased everything except the introduction, which was a short narrative about my grandfather, and began to pound out a five-paragraph theme. I slid immediately into "school writing" mode, and finished the essay easily before time expired.
Honestly, I have no recollection of what I wrote in that second essay, but I still remember the first. I spoke in the first of how my grandfather taught me respect and responsibility all in one lone afternoon. The second is a blur to me.
I learned something about myself writing that first essay. That essay mattered to me. The essay that Franek wrote mattered to him. This was an essay that transcended the simple prompt I had given him. This was an essay about tradition and legacy. This was an essay about one man's drive to meet or exceed the success and privilege of his father. This essay matters to more than just Franek; it matters to all self-reflective readers who might ask themselves why they are doing what they are doing with their life. Franek did not simply follow directions.
I am fortunate to have Franek in my class.
This lesson worked because of him, because of his courage in going beyond, in doing something other than he was asked to do. Without Franek, I would have been speaking, in response to the diagnostic prompt, in generalities, but with his essay in front of us (the class), I had before me concrete and demonstrable proof of the point I was trying to make. I thank Franek.
I think my students may understand somewhat better the role of the student in this teaching and learning endeavor. I think my students might understand why and when it is appropriate to take the reins, and make their learning their own, rather than teacher's.
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