The prompt: Why Should SWE be taught in school, if so, how?
It’s hard for me to imagine anyone suggesting that SWE should not be taught in school. And, in fact, if someone suggested otherwise I would be wondering how they reasoned it away.
The first obvious fact that SWE should be taught in school resolves around the principle of language and how we, as a society communicate with one another. Besides the obvious mediums of the visual, audible and text, we are also taught body language, eye contact, idiosyncrasies, dress, etc.
This cornucopia of communication allows us to express our how, what and why’s to the other person, sometimes getting extremely complicated when one person says one thing and they mean another, “He’s sooo bad!” An expression like this could be taken as a sign of affection, depending on who said it: Grandma or Groupie.
With that being said, the written medium has to be explicit in form, because the writer does not know for sure who their audience is going to be. And, even if they do know for sure, the syntax has to express what facial, pitch and body language cannot, hence the complication. However, grammar can be exciting! While it may sound ridiculous to say, especially given my cynicism toward the subject, my background in education has allowed me to see the “light.”
Indeed, Bloom’s Taxonomy, a theory that says there are six hierarchical levels of cognitive functionality, claims that we as humans learn more, and retain more, when the higher levels are in operation. Typically, the highest level—evaluation—is used at the college and postgraduate level, resulting in assignments that ask us to “evaluate if SWE is necessary for success.”
Conversely, the lowest end of Bloom’s Taxonomy says that knowledge is the most primal way of learning and retaining information. For example, “a noun is a person, place or thing.”
It is here where I believe the education system needs to be overhauled.
I believe the “how” to teaching grammar should be more deductive: give the big picture first and then “assemble” the parts. Analogously, no one solves a jig-saw puzzle without knowing what it is they are putting together; they see the picture then they assemble.
If we continue this metaphor, and use me as bait, I HAVE BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER MY JIG-SAW PUZZLE WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE HELL IM SUPPOSED TO BE PUTTING TOGETHER!!
When I hear commands like, “Never start a sentence with a conjunction” and “Never end a sentence with a preposition,” my instinct is to ask “why?” (evaluative). I do not think I’m smarter than other people, I just want to know. It helps me process my thoughts, gives me peace and allows me to be more productive as a learner.
In short, I think kids need to be given more faith, trust and autonomy. Teachers need to explain the big picture first and then work forward in creative, evaluative ways.
I sincerely believe if teachers would explain the nuts and bolts behind SWE, then the appreciation for it would increase exponetially.
Help with Title? Go here > http://www.online-dictionary.biz/latin/english/vocabulary/reference/consilio.asp
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5 comments:
I totally agree bro. I could never put grammar and writing and reading together. I never saw them as one entity; something that three parts create a whole. I loved to read and write in school; but grammar? Hated it. Crazy huh? Now that I try to write, I understand how grammar funictions with writing, and writing fuctions with grammar. I think you hit it right on; grammar should be taught as a reinforcment for writing. Like you said, be taught that it is part of a whole, not seperate from writing.
Tommy, I think you have great intentions in the classroom, and I agree with you. It is great to see your enthusiasm towards the subject. But, how are you actually going to get high school kids to learn grammar at a higher level when you state that "the highest level—evaluation—is used at the college and postgraduate level." If this is the level needed to truly learn a subject and we are having trouble with some aspects, how are high school students going to effectively learn the material? Not that they are incapable of learning it, just how are they?
Also, what kind of activities would you have the students do that have them "work forward in creative, evaluative ways?"
One other thought I have. It helped me to learn all the little phrases like "a nound is a person, place or thing." These help me everytime I have trouble identifying a word. And this seems to be a problem that the class is having. "Is that word an noun?" I'm not claiming that this is the best way to study, or that it works everytime for me, just that it can help. And honestly, you won't be teaching grammar like that in a high school class.
I think it all comes down to the fact that students have to be engaged for any learning to be effective. Just like you said in class after we were diagramming sentences on the board, "Man, class is over? I was just starting to have fun." This is when learning takes place. This is where students need to be. This is where we need to take students.
ARB-
Evaluation is used most often at the college level and beyond, but that does not mean it cannot be applied at the lowel levels. Consider questions poised to five year olds: "Okay, class what color is brighter, yellow or black?" or we could up the ante to seniors in highschool with "Alright guys we learned last week that the first main division in a sentence occurs between the subject and verb. Can anyone tell me why this is important?" The point the theorist Bloom was trying to make is "I think it all comes down to the fact that students have to be engaged for any learning to be effective," as quoted by you, saying, in essence, that you are right! MOTIVATION IS KEY!
When it comes to activities, one of the best ways to work in "creative/evaluative ways" is to have the students give their answers in a nontraditional format. For instance, according to Howard Gardner, there are nine "intelligences." These are:
musical
kinesthetic
spatial
mathematical/logical
verbal
naturalistic
interpersonal
intrapersonal
So, you would ask your students to choose from this list (they could take a simple diagnostic test http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html)to see where they fit. If you leaned toward musical, you could sing your answer in class. Think of the song "conjunction, junction what's your function. Pickin' up clauses and taken em' by." (youtube it.)
This would tackle the problem you mentioned that some of us wer'e having in class: what is the function?
Lastly, I am a complete buffon at grammar-Truth sets you free, right? At least that's what I learned at church-but if you remember in class thursday, Dr. Benton had us get in groups (intrapersonal); explain our answer (logical,verbal); and write on the chalkboard (kinesthetic). Classes cannot always be structured in this format, but when they are you will hear me saying again and again "Man, class is over? I was just starting to have fun."
Tommy Hammons
Approaches to Grammar
Dr. Benton
10-14-08
Re: Blog Assignment
Due Tuesday, October 14th: A document listing: 1) the three blogs where you left a thoughtful comment; and 2) the author of the thoughtful comment(s) you responded to.
Students where I left thoughtful comments:
Holly
Rachel
Christy
The thoughtful response I responded to:
Adam
That was a good point about body language affecting grammar, both how we use it and interpret it.
Sadly, I learned this in my speech class at SSC from Marie Dawson about how the largest portion of communcation and the most effective portion of communication were both body language and I completely forgot that. While people tend to really stress what words they use and SWE, unless they are turning in an assingment, e-mailing someone, or any other form of a written document, body language can cancel all of the good intentions of good grammar usage. Someone could politely say, "Yes. That'd be lovely," and sound sincere or they could say it sarcastically with their arms crossed, then roll their eyes, and give you the bird as they walk away. (The latter not recommended of course.)
Thanks for the link to the Spanish-English dictionary by the way.
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