"Unplayed Tapes" -- Fishman and McCarthy
Wow, I'm through the first two chapters of this book, and it's an excellent read.
The first chapter divides the epistemological foundation for teacher-research into two camps: Stenhousian and Berthoffian. Stenhouse relies on a systematicc approach to teacher-research that seems somewhat based, or, at least, seeks affirmation from qualitative researchers, while Berthoff, like Descarte, believes that knowledge and research begin and end with self, and personal experience that requires no additional information (e.g. Lit Reviews).
Wow, I am probably on the side of Stenhouse, even though intellectually, I agree with Berthoff. When I was in grada school, I wrote an essay called . . . man, my brain is really not working, ahh, yes, "The Presence of Others: Voice, Audience, and E-mail," in which I analyzed my students' developing voice and conceptions of audience as a result of the e-mail listserv I was using with the class. I showed by using student texts their developing voice and understanding of audience in writing. I had a few references -- John Dewey's creative imagination and Toulmin's model for argumentation -- but most of it was based on my own experience with this class and these writers. I presented the article at a conference in Wyoming, and submitted the essay to Teaching English in the Community College, this was for their issue on the use of technology in the comp class, and I received a personal note back from the editor suggesting I look at a number of different references. I was disappointed, and, sadly, I misplaced that handwritten note from the editor, but I learned at that moment that in order to get published, I need a lit review. I internalized this ideal immediately. Berthoff, I think, would disagree.
In chapter 2, Fishman discusses his development as a Berthoffian zealot. His experience in using writing in his philosophy classroom is helpful for me. Why? Damn it Jane, I still feel sometimes guilty if I am allowing my students time to write in class; I feel like I am not doing my job. I feel like they just see the activity as a rote sort of learning activity - a hoop the professor wants them to jumpt through. It's good to hear Fishman using the same sorts of writing activities in his classes to try to get his students to think critically about an issue or text. I sometimes think my students are incapable of thinking critically about anything, whether it be a reading, writing they have completed, or even their own life! and that makes the activity a waste of time.
Teaching's a hard job.
The first chapter divides the epistemological foundation for teacher-research into two camps: Stenhousian and Berthoffian. Stenhouse relies on a systematicc approach to teacher-research that seems somewhat based, or, at least, seeks affirmation from qualitative researchers, while Berthoff, like Descarte, believes that knowledge and research begin and end with self, and personal experience that requires no additional information (e.g. Lit Reviews).
Wow, I am probably on the side of Stenhouse, even though intellectually, I agree with Berthoff. When I was in grada school, I wrote an essay called . . . man, my brain is really not working, ahh, yes, "The Presence of Others: Voice, Audience, and E-mail," in which I analyzed my students' developing voice and conceptions of audience as a result of the e-mail listserv I was using with the class. I showed by using student texts their developing voice and understanding of audience in writing. I had a few references -- John Dewey's creative imagination and Toulmin's model for argumentation -- but most of it was based on my own experience with this class and these writers. I presented the article at a conference in Wyoming, and submitted the essay to Teaching English in the Community College, this was for their issue on the use of technology in the comp class, and I received a personal note back from the editor suggesting I look at a number of different references. I was disappointed, and, sadly, I misplaced that handwritten note from the editor, but I learned at that moment that in order to get published, I need a lit review. I internalized this ideal immediately. Berthoff, I think, would disagree.
In chapter 2, Fishman discusses his development as a Berthoffian zealot. His experience in using writing in his philosophy classroom is helpful for me. Why? Damn it Jane, I still feel sometimes guilty if I am allowing my students time to write in class; I feel like I am not doing my job. I feel like they just see the activity as a rote sort of learning activity - a hoop the professor wants them to jumpt through. It's good to hear Fishman using the same sorts of writing activities in his classes to try to get his students to think critically about an issue or text. I sometimes think my students are incapable of thinking critically about anything, whether it be a reading, writing they have completed, or even their own life! and that makes the activity a waste of time.
Teaching's a hard job.
posted by CA Lund at 11:47 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home