Mês: Fevereiro 2012

Pintura: Greer Greyoal Glass, Spirit Holders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spirit holders

by Greer Greyoal Glass

There are many dimensions to this painting and I find a spiritual connection to each of its elements. For me, each of the main objects embodies spirit itself. The Spirit Fetish was carved for me by one of the most spiritual persons I know. The bear fetish is a classic Native American symbol of spiritual power. The wild bird feathers are viewed as power objects in many cultures. (The feathers were collected for my husband and myself in Greece by a woman who has a deep connection to the spirit worlds.) The wild grass seeds possess the potential of life force – spirit coming into form.

 

facing education

“I believe it is a serious mistake to view education as an inevitably progressive process, as an enterprise in which we succeed to the degree that children learn more, become more skilled in literacy and numeracy, give evidence of higher stages of psychological development, and so on, while ignoring or neglecting the losses associated with each gain. To beleaguered schools and teachers, I recognize that this may seem a somewhat exotic new complaint. And while so many students seem to acquire so marginal a degree of basic literacy and numeracy, the idea that even these meager successes might be snatched away can be very depressing. Depressing or not, it needs to be faced. I think the result of facing it can, in the context of the discussion of Romantic understanding, be liberating rather than the opposite because then we can see better how education might go forward during these years.”

[Kieran Egan, The Educated Mind: How cognitive tools shape our understanding, p. 97]

Gosto por faróis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Farol” deriva da palavra grega Faros, nome da ilha próxima à cidade de Alexandria onde, no ano 280 a.C., foi erigido o farol de Alexandria — uma das sete maravilhas do mundo antigo. Considerada uma das maiores produções da técnica da Antiguidade, foi construído pelo arquiteto e engenheiro grego Sóstrato de Cnido por ordem de Ptolomeu.

Os faróis têm a finalidade de orientar os navegantes, garantindo um caminho seguro. São norteadores da aproximação a terra firme. Há muitos tipos de faróis no mundo, embora todos partilhem algumas características: em terra ou em rochedos na água, uma estrutura elevada (habitualmente uma torre) que emite luz e sinaliza, como estrela terrestre.

Em tempos antigos, e mais para o norte da Europa, era preciso ter cuidado… porque além dos faróis, também havia afundadores, falsos faróis que provocavam naufrágios para o saque dos destroços … A prática nunca vingou na nossa costa, porque os salvados de naufrágio pertenciam à Coroa e não de quem os recuperasse…

(imagem: farol do Porto de Sidney)

Not all LEARNing is created equal!

SUPERFICIAL LEARNing was coined (and “trademarked” – WTH) by Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2004) and, as you may imagine, it also has a number of characteristics:

  • Reliance on rote learning or memorisation
  • Passive reception of information
  • Few, or no, connections made to previous knowledge
  • Focus on formulae needed to solve problems
  • Course content viewed simply as material to be learnt for examinations

However, it is not the characteristics per se that expose SUPERFICIAL LEARNing for what it is – but rather, according to Cohen et al., what this variety of LEARNing tends to be encouraged by;

  • Excessive amounts of material and inert, discrete knowledge as facts
  • An excessive amount of material in the curriculum
  • Relatively high class-contact hours
  • Lack of opportunity to pursue subjects in depth
  • Lack of choice of subjects and methods of study
  • Cynical or conflicting messages about rewards
  • Poor or absent feedback on progress
  • Fear of failure, and, therefore, attempts to avoid failure
  • Lack of independence in studying
  • Lack of interest in, and background knowledge of, the subject matter
  • Assessment methods that create anxiety and that emphasise recall or application of trivial knowledge – rather than asking students to apply understanding
  • Lack of reflective analysis of learning and assessments

Now, I’m not sure if you would agree with me – but as I look at this list, I see many of the things that schools systems, institutions and teachers “do to students” and far fewer “approaches to study” (on the part of students).

continuar a ler…..