Principles are always true, they apply in every situation, and careful thought and consideration, coupled with a deep understanding of history and classics (classics being defined as a work you can come to over and over and get something new each time) will make it clear to us what these principles are.
What is missing in the schools today is this realization that there actually are principles, and that they are self-evident, that there are things that are absolutely true and always apply. Instead students are taught that truth is relative. If something cannot be scientifically proven, it will not be allowed as truth.
What does it mean to say that something is self-evident? It does not mean that everyone will always agree on principles, or that everyone automatically knows these principles. What it does mean is that through careful observation, introspection and reflection, one can know truth. Classics help us do that.
One more thought on classics. When I say classics, most people think of some literary experts list. Though many books on such a list may be classic, that is not what I am talking about. Let me give you some examples of some classics in my life.
Books:
- The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
- The Walking Drum by Louis Lamour
- Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
- The Complete Book of Composting by J. I. Rodale and staff
- Diet for a New America by John Robbins
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
- Leadership and Self-deception by the Arbinger Institute
Movies:
- John Adams
- A Man for All Seasons
- Field of Dreams
- Gandhi
- The Patriot
- Braveheart
- Moby Dick (with Gregory Peck as Ahab)
Art
- The Greatest of All by Del Parson
- The Old Man Wept by Del Parson
- The Prayer at Valley Forge by Arnold Friberg
I have these and many more. I did not find these on a list somewhere. I was led to these one at a time because I pay attention when a title calls out to me. I (and everyone born on this earth) have an individual purpose in life, and when I pay attention I am led to the learning that prepares me to accomplish this purpose. Over the years I have been formed by these great works and relationships. These "CLASSICS" literally do something for me each time I put myself in a position to learn from them through meditation, introspection, and questioning.
Remember, some of the things that are classics for me may not be classics for you. We need to remember that for each student. To the extent that students are expected to meet blanket standards of conformity, they miss out on the opportunity to individualize their own list of classics. This is a tragedy.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Keys of Great Teaching
I've been meaning to cover some of the Keys of Great Teaching for some time. I haven't had much time to add to this blog lately. The following are quotes out of the book, "A Thomas Jefferson Education" by Oliver DeMille. This 'Leadership Education' is what is needed in schools today. Although I don't know that we can apply every principle to it's fullest in a public school setting, to the extent we do apply these principles, we will see greater education.
1. Classics, not Textbooks
“As students become familiar with and eventually conversant with the great ideas of humanity, they learn how to think, how to lead, and how to become great. The classics, by introducing the young mind to the greatest achievements of mankind and the spiritual teachings of inspired individuals, prepare children to become successful human beings, parents and leaders in their own time.”
2. Mentors, not Professors
“A good mentor is someone of high moral character who is more advanced than the student and can guide his or her learning. Parents are the natural mentors of children. …Teachers, professors, coaches, music instructors, employers, neighbors and community leaders can also be good mentors. [George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first law professor in America, was the mentor of Thomas Jefferson.] …None of George Wythe’s students had quite the same curriculum; each student had a personalized program designed to fit his needs and interests.”
3. Inspire, not Require
“If the purpose is to train leaders, it’s important not to force the young person through their learning experiences. Force in learning kills the spirit, dampens the passion and destroys the zest and life of learning. Force trains followers, not leaders. …Inspiring, in contrast to ignoring and forcing, means finding out what the students need and then creatively encouraging them to engage it on their own—with excitement and interest.”
4. Structure Time, not Content
“We need structure in order to give adequate time and attention to learning, but the key is to structure the time, not the content. …Different things work for different students. Remember that the purpose of the structure is simply to ensure that students have sufficient time to study. The mentor doesn’t have to be there the whole time, but should interact often, and the students should be given great freedom to read and study and experiment according to their own interests. Always remember the Phases; this type of structure is usually detrimental before the young student is truly ready for intense study.”
5. Quality, not Conformity
“When Scholars do an assignment, either say “great work” or “do it again.” You can help them, but have them do most of the work and never accept a low quality submission or performance. Wythe was very demanding this way with Jefferson. Note that we’re talking here about more mature students, usually at least 12 and older, not of toddlers or children.”
6. Simplicity, not Complexity
“To achieve truly excellent education, keep it simple: Read, Write, do Projects and Discuss. The more complex our national curriculum has become, the less educated our society. …George Wythe structured Jefferson’s curriculum around these simple items: classics, discussion, projects, writing. Nearly the whole Founding generation did the same, and the further we have moved from this simple formula, the worse our education has become. What we need to improve education is not more curriculum, but better education, and that comes from classics and mentors.”
7. YOU, not Them
“Set the example. The best mentors are continually learning and pushing themselves. Read the classics. Study hard. This allows you to take the ‘agency’ approach to teaching, to let your students have a say in what they study next.
"…George Wythe studied as hard as Jefferson, and Jefferson contacted him with questions and for help through his life until he passed away. The mentor must lead the way, by reading what the student reads, discussing it with him and requiring quality work.
"…Children tend to rise to the educational level of their parents, and maybe a little above if their parents have shown them that this is important. The most effective way to ensure the quality of their education is to consistently improve your own.”
1. Classics, not Textbooks
“As students become familiar with and eventually conversant with the great ideas of humanity, they learn how to think, how to lead, and how to become great. The classics, by introducing the young mind to the greatest achievements of mankind and the spiritual teachings of inspired individuals, prepare children to become successful human beings, parents and leaders in their own time.”
2. Mentors, not Professors
“A good mentor is someone of high moral character who is more advanced than the student and can guide his or her learning. Parents are the natural mentors of children. …Teachers, professors, coaches, music instructors, employers, neighbors and community leaders can also be good mentors. [George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first law professor in America, was the mentor of Thomas Jefferson.] …None of George Wythe’s students had quite the same curriculum; each student had a personalized program designed to fit his needs and interests.”
3. Inspire, not Require
“If the purpose is to train leaders, it’s important not to force the young person through their learning experiences. Force in learning kills the spirit, dampens the passion and destroys the zest and life of learning. Force trains followers, not leaders. …Inspiring, in contrast to ignoring and forcing, means finding out what the students need and then creatively encouraging them to engage it on their own—with excitement and interest.”
4. Structure Time, not Content
“We need structure in order to give adequate time and attention to learning, but the key is to structure the time, not the content. …Different things work for different students. Remember that the purpose of the structure is simply to ensure that students have sufficient time to study. The mentor doesn’t have to be there the whole time, but should interact often, and the students should be given great freedom to read and study and experiment according to their own interests. Always remember the Phases; this type of structure is usually detrimental before the young student is truly ready for intense study.”
5. Quality, not Conformity
“When Scholars do an assignment, either say “great work” or “do it again.” You can help them, but have them do most of the work and never accept a low quality submission or performance. Wythe was very demanding this way with Jefferson. Note that we’re talking here about more mature students, usually at least 12 and older, not of toddlers or children.”
6. Simplicity, not Complexity
“To achieve truly excellent education, keep it simple: Read, Write, do Projects and Discuss. The more complex our national curriculum has become, the less educated our society. …George Wythe structured Jefferson’s curriculum around these simple items: classics, discussion, projects, writing. Nearly the whole Founding generation did the same, and the further we have moved from this simple formula, the worse our education has become. What we need to improve education is not more curriculum, but better education, and that comes from classics and mentors.”
7. YOU, not Them
“Set the example. The best mentors are continually learning and pushing themselves. Read the classics. Study hard. This allows you to take the ‘agency’ approach to teaching, to let your students have a say in what they study next.
"…George Wythe studied as hard as Jefferson, and Jefferson contacted him with questions and for help through his life until he passed away. The mentor must lead the way, by reading what the student reads, discussing it with him and requiring quality work.
"…Children tend to rise to the educational level of their parents, and maybe a little above if their parents have shown them that this is important. The most effective way to ensure the quality of their education is to consistently improve your own.”
Principles of Free-Enterprise in Public Education
When I mention that quality teachers should be compensated more than poor teachers, people are concerned about who gets to say which are the bad teachers are and which are the good teachers. I ask them, "Do you know who the poor teachers are in your child's school?" They answer "Yes." And there I make my point, we've been trained to think there is no measure you can use for good and bad, yet everyone knows when something is good or whether it is bad, even when it comes to teaching.
What happens because of collective bargaining and tenure for teachers is that poor teachers remain in the system and have no incentive to become quality teachers. Parents who are involved and know the system pull strings and leverage their children into the quality classrooms. This leaves other children, whose parents don't get as involved and have more need of quality teachers, with the poorer teachers. There are principles that apply here, they can be called principles of free-enterprise.
Free-enterprise principles teach:
- That when high-quality and low-quality options are compared side-by-side, it is self-evident which is the high-quality option.
- That whenever you allow freedom to choose, people choose the best options for them
- That these options are usually provided in the most efficient, effective way by those trying to attract others to certain options.
- That if parents were free to choose the classrooms and schools for their children, and schools and teachers were paid according to the number of students they attract, the following would happen:
- The better teachers would consequently be better compensated
- The poor teachers would have incentive to become better teachers
- The optimum number of students per classroom would naturally become evident, and it might be different for every teacher and classroom, being dependent on the teaching styles of teachers and the learning styles of students
- The optimum number of square feet per student in a school would also become evident, and it might be different for each school
- The competition would improve the entire school system as each school's administration and each teacher find more ways to attract students and more effective ways to educate
What happens because of collective bargaining and tenure for teachers is that poor teachers remain in the system and have no incentive to become quality teachers. Parents who are involved and know the system pull strings and leverage their children into the quality classrooms. This leaves other children, whose parents don't get as involved and have more need of quality teachers, with the poorer teachers. There are principles that apply here, they can be called principles of free-enterprise.
Free-enterprise principles teach:
- That when high-quality and low-quality options are compared side-by-side, it is self-evident which is the high-quality option.
- That whenever you allow freedom to choose, people choose the best options for them
- That these options are usually provided in the most efficient, effective way by those trying to attract others to certain options.
- That if parents were free to choose the classrooms and schools for their children, and schools and teachers were paid according to the number of students they attract, the following would happen:
- The better teachers would consequently be better compensated
- The poor teachers would have incentive to become better teachers
- The optimum number of students per classroom would naturally become evident, and it might be different for every teacher and classroom, being dependent on the teaching styles of teachers and the learning styles of students
- The optimum number of square feet per student in a school would also become evident, and it might be different for each school
- The competition would improve the entire school system as each school's administration and each teacher find more ways to attract students and more effective ways to educate
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