End of Education Pt. 2

POST NOT JUST FOR TEACHERS- This is a challenge for all.

Last time I wrote about two things to help improve the art of teaching and learning suggested by Neil Postman in his book The End of Education. This time I will be posting his third idea to improve it.

Now this one I hope and encourage you to see how it can be applied to your life. If you have ever been "right" or certain of something, it may do you some good to consider the possibility that, in some cases, you could be wrong. This is a challenge to make sure you have good, solid reasons for thinking or believeing something to be true.

This can even be used when arguing some of the finer points of religious belief. Never let it be said that believing in Christianity is simply a blind leap of faith. Anyway, I digress. Let us continue.

3. Having students learn to pay attention to the lesson, trying to find error and correcting it.

It has been said that we learn most by failing, trial and arror, making mistakes, correcting them, making mistakes, correcting them. If as teachers we help students see that not everything we say is completely true and you challenge students to challenge what is said (by coming up with a better idea and presenting it [this would be hard in lower grades, but could be adapted]) if it doesn't seem right.

That is one thing I try to do with this blog, sometimes I'm wrong; and I need your help figuring out when that is. If I think your reason for my being qwrong are sound and you offer good ideas why that may be the case, I need to be intellectually honest enough to admit it.

Are you up for the challenge of thinking you may not always be right? I could be mistaken, but I think that is a good idea and a tough challenge.