Comments for scmorgan

Comment on How did I learn yesterday? by My learning and teaching today « Rhondda’s Reflections – wandering around the Web

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:04:11 +0000

[...] How did I learn when I was at school? I read a post a few weeks ago by Susan Carter Morgan “How did I learn yesterday?” It made me reflect about how I learnt but then I got caught up in the start of the year [...]

Comment on From the Pew Report…. by Susan Carter Morgan

Susan Carter Morgan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:47:14 +0000

Ah, David. Hmmmm, indeed.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on personal/academic writing, too. So well said.

Comment on Mountains to climb by David L

David L — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:20:57 +0000

Writing’s called personal when we seek words adequate to our experience — a hard enough task. It becomes academic when we push to the even harder problem of deciding what in our words can possibly be true, when we become determined that the words we find for our experience must not deceive, not even ourselves. Especially not ourselves.

Comment on From the Pew Report…. by David L

David L — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:45:27 +0000

I believe it is in the Phaedrus where Plato tells the story of Socrates telling the story of of how, Theuth, master of the arts and the inventor of writing came to Thamus, ruler of Egypt, to show off this amazing new technology, “a recipe for both memory and wisdom.” Skeptical Thamus observes that “this invention will produce forgetfulness in the souls of those who have learned it. They will not need to exercise their memories, being able to rely on what is written, calling things to mind no longer from within themselves by their own unaided powers, but under the stimulus of external marks that are alien to themselves. So it’s not a recipe for memory, but for reminding, that you have discovered. And as for wisdom, you’re equipping your pupils with only a semblance of it, not with truth. Thanks to you and your invention, your pupils will be widely read without benefit of a teacher’s instruction; in consequence, they’ll entertain the delusion that they have wide knowledge, while they are, in fact, for the most part incapable of real judgment. They will also be difficult to get on with since they will have become wise merely in their own conceit, not genuinely so.” Where the philosopher Plato stands is more than a little hard to pin down — he’s using the very technology the story seems to call in question, after all. Socrates does say, “Writing, you know, Phaedrus, has this strange quality about it, which makes it really like painting: the painter’s products stand before us quite as though they were alive; but if you question them, they maintain a solemn silence. So, too, with written words: you might think they spoke as though they made sense, but if you ask them anything about what they are saying, if you wish an explanation, they go on telling you the same thing, over and over forever. Once a thing is put in writing, it rolls about all over the place, falling into the hands of those who have no concern with it just as easily as under the notice of those who comprehend; it has no notion of whom to address or whom to avoid. And when it is ill-treated or abused as illegitimate, it always needs its father to help it, being quite unable to protect or help itself.” Hmmmmm.

Comment on Mountains to climb by Susanne Nobles

Susanne Nobles — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:02:48 +0000

What a great process. I particularly liked how they researched first then came up with thesis statements. A great way to show them that they can think and that they are not just repeating information they find through their research.

Comment on A Leap of Faith by Heidi

Heidi — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:42:14 +0000

Jump! Because there will always be outstretched arms to help…

Comment on Reflections on SLA and Educon 2.2 by Debra Garcia

Debra Garcia — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:11:31 +0000

Great post Susan and thanks for introducing me to the SLA/Educon experience. Now that I have been there, I wish I had put my work aside when you asked me to go two years ago. I would be much further along with my thinking and learning and teaching than where I am now.

Comment on Play then eat? by Susan Carter Morgan

Susan Carter Morgan — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:18:45 +0000

Ah, Matt. I think you and I should start a school together!

Comment on Play then eat? by Matt Montagne

Matt Montagne — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:13:57 +0000

ahh, school schedules…you gotta love them. Often times we end up with schedules and systems of convenience that are simply backwards.

In addition to the relationship between the eating and recess activity, I question the kind of food that we are feeding youth in our schools–often times it is of the poorest nutritional value possible, which obviously isn’t helpful for their performance in school. Anyway, there are many systems that we end up with that are a result of convenience, habit and history. Here are are few other systems that I have questions about:

1. Why is are classes like art, music, etc the often times the same amount of time as every other class? How will students ever experience ‘flow’ working on their art within a 45 minute time constraint?

2. So many high schools start at the raw hour of 7:00 am. Given what we know about adolescent development, this seems just crazy.

I’ll stop here, but I’m thinking right now about how this list could easily go well into double digits…sigh.

Comment on A shared reading by Todd Finley

Todd Finley — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:19:44 +0000

I’ve tried to set up Diigo activities for my students this semester. Your explorations are inspiring. And Gardner’s comments about “amplifying the reading moment” is nicely articulated. Great stuff!

tbf