Respond to at least two of the questions below. Be sure to comment on another blogger's post.
1) Are your students learning to be symphonic thinkers? If so, how can we teach this capacity? Does the traditional means of organizing teaching by discipline interfere with students' and teachers' ability to think symphonically?
2) Do you agree with Pink that video games are important for developing skills like problem solving, visual perception and symphonic thinking? Explain.
3) Respond to this quote from Twyla Tharp (p. 139): "Metaphor is the lifeblood of all art."
4) Which of the Symphony exercises would you recommend to another educator? Why?
5) Can you teach empathy? Should you teach empathy? How?
6) Pink states, "But Empathy is much more than a vocational skill necessary for surviving twenty-first-century labor markets. It's an ethic for living. It's a means of understanding other human beings..." (p. 165) Your thoughts?
7) Reread the section on Men, Women, and Empathy (pp. 172-174). What are the implications for the classroom? How does this jive with what you know or have experienced with single gender classrooms?
8) Test yourself (p. 177-178) Select one of the tests to take. Share your experience.
9) We're all pressed for time. Share with the rest of us how you find time to volunteer? Where do you volunteer? What kind of volunteer work do you do? What advice would you give to anyone considering volunteering for the first time?
Happy Blogging!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have chosen to respond to questions 6 and 8. The discussion on Empathy is very intriguing because I feel that it is the single most important element that separates man from computers. The capacity to feel, to read other's emotions, to grieve with one another in times of loss and rejoice in times of celebration, this is the human component which cannot be fabricated by technology. Furthermore, empathy is a trait posessed by not only mankind, but also members of the animal kingdom. I am reminded of a documentary clip of a mother gorilla who clung to her baby for days after it's passing while other gorillas in the family clan gently stroked and comforted the grieving mother. This demonstration of true empathy fascinated scientists who, although they understood that primates are highly evolved, had rarely seen this type of behavior displayed by animal species.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, without the capacity to empathize we are no more than machines going through the motions of daily existence. Here is an unlikely, and fictitious, example of a life without empathy. The Bruce Willis movie, THE SURROGATES, depicted the use of robotic surrogates completing the mundane tasks of daily life creating a barrier between the emotional connections that people have for one another. Although the robotic surrogate made life easier for the owner, an existence devoid of feeling and emotional connections with others was the ultimate downfall of civilization leaving the true human counterparts feeling empty and isolated. Empathy is a living trait that cannot be taught, fabricated, or mass produced.
In reflecting upon my own ability to empathize, I took both the EQ and SQ quizzes. The results were not very surprising as I scored a 48 (47 is average) on the EQ test and a 23 (24 is average) on the SQ test.
I am responding to questions 4 and 6. I would recommend The Boundary Crosser exercise because being able to multitask in our profession is extremely important. Because of todays large diverse classrooms, you must go from easy to hard and then on to challenging in each of your lessons. My classroom alone has a very diverse group of students. I have students reading at or above 2nd grade level, students working at grade level, students almost at grade level as well as some who still do not have a clue. Therefore when I am planning a lesson I have to add activities to meet each of their needs and be able to teach all levels at once. I may be engaged in an advanced reading group and have to quickly change my thoughts to a center or table activity that is working on a totally different level. Also, being able to change from a lesson to helping a child that has just fallen or whatever and then back to that lesson is very important. Teachers must be able to multitask in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteAs for Emphany, this is one of the most important traits teachers and other career workers can possess. So many children come to you now with extreme home lives. You must be able to recognize and acknowledge the needs of your students. Machines could not do this. Only people and animals have the ability to possess emphany. Carring for your students needs as well as teaching them what they need to know to survive and prosper in the world is a valid tool we must possess.
I totally agree with Amanda's comments on emphany. This is truly something that cannot not be fabricated, mass produced or taught. You must possess this in your heart.
I took the Empathy Quotient test, Spot the Fake Smile, and Mind in the Eyes Test. I felt pretty confident in predicting how I would perform on each test. I'm satisfied with my scores on the EQ test and the test for reading facial expressions. However, I was surprised that I was not better at distinguishing fake from real smiles. Hhmmm--I wonder what it means in regards to my encounters with others?
ReplyDeleteI am responding to questions #4 and #1 in that order because I think they are related. The symphony exercise I would recommend is creating an Inspiration Board. I love this idea. It is very easy to get bogged down in details, some of which do not matter. I think I could do this to help me see the connections between my two schools as I work to define my role. I think educators could learn a lot about themselves with this exercise as patterns begin to emerge. To what images are you drawn? What colors stand out? What emotions seem to persist? I think this exercise could be a way to step out of your comfort zone in a classroom and grow in a new direction, or it could reaffirm what you already know about yourself. To answer #4, I think the Inspiration Board is an excellent way to teach symphony. Students can create their own boards in a scrapbook. This would be fabulous in writing. I have always tried to help my students understand the big picture. We look at the whole chapter together in every subject. I summarize from the beginning often during a unit of study. However, I am not sure I do a good job of connecting what is being taught between subjects in a holistic way. Yes, I try to merge some subjects here and there, but does it really help my students see the big picture? I'm not sure. I know that as a learner myself, I need to see the big picture. That's why I am aware of it in my classroom. I know now that I will seek ways to teach symphony to my students even more effectively. I do think that one of the drawbacks to our method of teaching by discipline is that it puts each subject in its own box. Children see them separately, and teachers may also lose sight of the importance of all disciplines, related arts especially. I think vertical teaming, observing each other, and planning group activities is a step in the right direction of incorporating symphony into our schools.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #7 - As I read the book, I kept sharing with my husband that L-Directed was like men and R-Directed was like women. So, I was glad to get to this part of the chapter that discussed that topic. Also, I read a few years ago that men think in boxes and women think like a bowl of spaghetti. Men are in one box at a time - the work box, the video game box, the fixing the lawnmower box, or the nothing box, and if he gets hungry he might jump in to the dinner box or just go for the snack box, but not unitl he gets hungry. But for women, all of those subjects link together. Ex: after work, her husband might have time to play video games after he finishes fixing the lawnmower before he chills out at night but when will there be time for supper and that snack would ruin supper and . . . . . This made me really think about my teaching style. Being female, all the things in the class room that happen in one day link together from my perspective. No wonder that sometimes the guys check out. It ususally happens when I feel like I am making everything flow together and I am so happy about the lesson because it all fits. At that point, I am getting big blank stares from several guys. Hmmmmm , no wonder I am getting those stares. I have never taught in a single gendered classroom. While from a teaching / lesson planning persepctive, I can see how it would be great. However, isn't the goal to make R and L work together? Can that be facilitated better in the context of the mixed classroom?
ReplyDeleteQestion #1 - Organizing by subject sure makes planning and placing teachers (secondary) more managable. But wouldn't it be great in a perfect world if teachers could work together more. Example: Vitor Frankel could be addressed in Psychology when discussing theories, it history when discussing WWII, and it literature with a piece discussing the era. The goal would not be to make student experts on the man, but to create a symphonic perspecitive.
ReplyDeleteSo, my answer to question 1 is YES - I think it greatly interferes, expecially in secondary grades. It interferes not because everthing is organized in that way, but because the people in the subjects don't work together like they should to facilitate that type of thinking. As a classroom teacher, I was guilty of that. Sometimes, I felt my subject was more important that anyone else's. Since I am not in a regular classroom and work with students in all grades and at all levels, I have noticed that students who see relationships between different subjects seem to enjoy school more overall (not scientific, just my general observation).
Per Amanda and Shelia's comment on empathy - I agree also - it is a matter of heart. Most people who are teachers become so because the have some degree of it. However, I think the process of education the requirements of test scores robs many educators, over time, of some degree of empathy. Young or new teachers seem to have a lot of it.
ReplyDeleteIn response to CD regarding teaching boys when your outlook on life is from the female perspective, there is a great book about this called "Teaching the Male Brain". It is about how boys respond to instruction, conflict, and daily educational practices. It is great reading and compares the male approach to life and learning with the female approach. It is very insightful and I have found it to be useful in my classroom instruction. It is true, women are from Venus and men are from Mars!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where this best fits, but I had to share this quote that was under the heading,"Celebrate Your Amateurness." "...do what you can't and experience the beauty of the mistakes you make." Too often we all, children included, only want to do things we are really good at. This quote really jumped out at me as a PE teacher. Each day I encourage students to try new skills and to learn from their mistakes and move on, have fun along the way. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 4, which of the Symphony exercises I would recommend, "Do Some Real Brainstorming" gets my vote. I have used brainstorming in a variety of classrooms with great success throughout the years since its introduction to educators. I do agree that the rules must be followed to elicit the best ideas. They are covered very nicely on page 156. I love how the whole class is involved. Courtesy is practiced, everyones ideas are important. I loved the suggesstion about taking a break after the session before evaluating the list. This gives time to switch gears before heading into the next part of the assignment. I am a huge fan of Brainstorming.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 5. I don't know for a fact that we can teach empathy. I do believe we should try. I grab available opportunities as they arise. Having students to stop and think how it would feel to be in the shoes of the person they just offended or injured. Often when stopped and asked the student immediately feels remorse for what they have done. It is just taking the time to think it through and apologize to the person wronged. Students need guidance in the process. In the past, I have modeled empathy by making up ficticious scenerios that could occur and discussing them with my students. This often prevents them from actually happening. In literature there are many books that introduce great discussions about empathy through the characters and the things they go through. I am afraid empathy isn't taught in many homes, so it is important for us to share the importance of understanding another's feelings in the classroom!
ReplyDeleteWynde, I too love the inspiration board. I agree with your ideas and usage in the classroom. I am a details person and often get bogged down, as I feel many students do. Seeing the big picture is a skill that needs to be practiced and exercised. Using the inspiration board is one great way to accomplish this task.
ReplyDeleteFor question over Empathy... it is needed for everyday life in some sort of degree. It does comes from the heart and cannot be fabricated. I often model empathy during and after class time. I get to know the students personaly so they have the comfort to share matters with me. I also agree that the younger and newer teachers show this quality more than the older ones. However, as teachers, we have to model this behavior because most children are not being taught to understand others feelings.
ReplyDeleteI took the "Spot the Fake Smile". Well... I was actually surprised that I only scored 10 of 20. I thought I would at least get a few more!!! Geeezzz
I am responding to question number 5 and 8 over empathy.I feel that empathy is a very difficult subject to teach as a teacher, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. As a teacher we spend so much our time getting ready and coaching to a standardized test, yet quite often we are unaware of what is going on in a particular child's life. If the child'd home life is a bad situation we are more than empathic when we find out aboutIt is one of those things that we model as much as we can but it is hard to replace whatever their situation is at home or what kind of behavior is being modeled at home.
ReplyDeletereponding to question 8 I took several of the empathy tests and then roped my husband into taking them for comparison. On the EQ I scored a 55 while my husband scored a 34. On the SQ I scored a 32, husband 29 both average. We scored the same on the fake smile 14/20. Finally, on the eyes test we scored 26 and 25. I was more suprised with my own scores than my husbands, by the EQ test I'm more empahtic than he, which I expected.
ReplyDeleteResponding to cd. I have taught in systems where their is a great deal of team teaching and others where their is none. I agree that teaching across subjects is whole-heartedly better and more effective for the student and the teacher.
ReplyDelete#6 Empathy- I do believe that empathy is an ethic for living. Can people be sucessful in the cooperate world without it, probably, but can they be sucessful in their personal life as well, probably not. As a Christian, I believe that I am called to have empathy for others and as an educator, I do try to teach it in the classroom. Unfortunately, it is not necessarily something that children always pick up at home. I try to teach empathy in situations that happen in our classroom, through stories we read and even with puppets. It is amazing how many children will sit behind a puppet theater holding a puppet and express feelings and thoughts you never knew they had.
ReplyDelete#8 I took two of the tests. The first I took was the Empathy test. It was a long test. There were 60 statements which you were to rank Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. My score was a 76. I also took the smile test. One of my pet peeves is "fakeness" I scored an 18 out of 20. I guess I have had a lot of practice seeing fake smiles-not sure if that is good or bad.
In response to Rhonda:
ReplyDeleteI think that it is great that you "roped" your husband into taking the tests too! That gave you a comparison and made it fun at the same time. I think I might try to see if my husband will take the tests. Maybe I will try the SQ with him. I am sure he would do great on the SQ, and I probably won't.
I am responding to questions 2 and 5. As someone that has always and still plays video games, I can see the value in certain games. Many are designed to make you think on another level or to make you work your way through the game by utilizing problem solving skills. Video game systems have become so advanced that like it or not, most of our students will be playing some version of them. Personally, I look at this as an opportunity for me to connect with my students, and to develop the mutual respect between us. If they realize you care about them and their interests; they always work harder for you in the class room.
ReplyDeleteAs far as teaching empathy, I believe this is a very difficult thing to try to teach someone. You can try to make them feel certain emotions through storytelling and other various means, but I believe empathy is something everyone is born with. It is our human nature. That being said, students that have had bad childhoods and not had proper care might be less empathetic toward peers and other people. Where we as educators see the need for this, we try to intervene and help as best we can in hopes the child can develop his or her own social skills.
Re: Amanda
ReplyDeleteI thought that was a great point about empathy not only isolated to our species. I have seen the same clip, and am amazed by the animal kingdom as well. Elephants also form extremely close bond, and scientists have learned that they also feel empathy. When the young was killed, the mother stayed by the baby for hours rubbing its trunk back and forth as if to say its goodbyes. I think that most developed creatures have this ability to feel empathy, which is remarkable.