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Lesson Plans


Re: Thinking and Education; was "imagine" or "fantasize"

From: E Jane Beckwith (ejb35)
Date: Fri Jul 28 2000 - 07:08:27 PDT

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    Hi Lar, again!

    I do teach in the inner city, a middle school. I also teach in college. A
    college course I teach is Problem Solving and it is really a logic course. It is
    a lot of fun, and I wish I could teach a similar course to young people. You
    know how students love to start a discussion, "off the subject" to disract from
    the lesson at hand! I think you are right that we don't teach teachers how to
    lead a productive discussion. From talking to teachers, I have come to believe
    that they are worried that they won't be able to guide a discussion. They don't
    like it when "things get out of control." Particularly when the subject matter
    is sensitive. I recently asked a teacher how to handle a sensitive topic. "Touch
    on it lightly, and then move on quickly," was the advice I received. I don't
    mean that we should be running therapy sessions (a criticism I hear about a
    teacher who allowed a discussion of teen pregnancy in class), but because of the
    complex and difficult situations students — especially in the inner city — I
    wonder what our responsibility is, as art teachers, to somehow provide a place
    to process what they are constructing as their knowledge, their world, their
    selves. We have them for six hours. The street has them the rest of the time.
    Nothing could be more different in ethos and mores espoused than the street and
    the school. Where does art education fit in? Once again, I am interested in what
    you do; lessons you think would w 

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