Re: Forums etc.
Miguel Angel Perez Alvarez ( mapa@servidor.unam.mx )
Mon, 29 Sep 1997 00:41:32 -0600 (CST)
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 18:14:48 -0500
From: Laurie Pattison Gordon <lpg@bbn.com>
To: electronic-forums@list.terc.edu
Subject: Re: Forums etc.
Miguel has pointed to an important issue about fostering
reflective conversation. People speak most thoughtfully
about what matters most to them. for teachers of course,
student learning meets this criteria.
Additonally, as Miguel states the potential for rich
discussion hindges on a sharedclear focus. THis relates
to a component of Beverly's groups where she parti
in forums with a defined purpose.
I also do think that the internet has great potential for
both students and teachers.
Miguel, could you say more about what you tink it would
take to transform teacher forums to be a place of public
reflection??? Do you think it must
start with small groups of teachers themselves or can it
be fostered from the outside by curriculum develop
professional developmle etc.?
The forum was (for me) one of the most important
contribution of the greek culture to our culture. They
discuss fundamental polis issues and let the aristocracy
of rulers and thinkers define the way the social life
would be. Socrates create a method to elicit ideas. Was
the Socrates method a practical method? To discuss ideas
you must profess your ignorance and ask the other man if
he had any light on the subject. "When some definition or
description had given him, Socrateould profess
great satisfaction, but would intimate that there were
one or two little dificulties wich he would like to see
cleared up."(Copleston, A History of Phylosophy) The
dialectic proceeded from less adecuate definitions to a
more adecuate definitions.
Some years ago I read the De Bono text about how to teach
to think. I remember very well the Exlectic concept. You
put all your reasoning power to the service of your
analisis capabilities and not in your strenght to
convince that the other idea is wrong. Am I clear? In
the west view of inteligence the smart guy shows in every
discussion the others errors and inconsistency. But we
can use all our reasoning and thinking strength to
reflect in the experiences, words and ideas of people
from others countries, cultures and regions to discover
new and fresh ways to see our own practices.
In my next note I want to recover thoughts from an Italian
writer who never use Internet but state that the net could be
"dangerous".
In my previous note I wrote:
Laurie
>If we share focus about how contribute to the student
develop of scientific skills (like the "enviroment" or
the challenges) or about the way to contribute to the
student construction of scientific concepts and
categories, We have a core of ideas to disuss and our
discusion is rich because we share an horizon.
>
I wrote too:
>
>I am not agree. Students can find an opportunity to
share teenager view of life with pairs and discover that
to investigate and to share their own knowledge could be
cool is a plus in the student life. Many mexican
>students can feel how they can stablish respectful
dialogue other ownknowledge could be cool is a plus
in the student life. Many s can fe how
they can stablish respectful dialogue with other students
about enviromental issues or Physics or some other
subject. When I seeexican teenager sharing data about
t. ozone with pairs in Los Angeles o Santiago de Chile I
know that this student is begin to actual globally
uderstanding their own neiborhood. I learn a lot when I
send a Christmas congartulation to people from countries
with other cultures. When I am participating with my
horrible english in this forum about forums I am
contrasting not only my ideas but my way to see teaching
in oth perpective ( only personal way but national,
regional and ethnical).
Our students has a lot of things toare in forums from
a hello message to a table with data and the name of a
global idol.
>
>
> > I think this complexity of the relation of practice
to principles (What the teacher would like to do vs what
they actually enact) may be
difference between philatelic listserves and teacher
listservs, where the focus is on pedagogy rather than the
exchange of resources (for example) We must transform
teacher's forums in the place to build our own experience
by means of a public reflexion.
>
>
>Miguel Angel Perez
>
>maperez@spin.com.mx
mapa@servidor.unam.mx
>
>
>
>
>
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