Music 23241
September 15, 2011
Preparing for Today and Tommorrow
Through this article, Elliot Eisner explains that if we want to prepare for the future we need to learn teach our students to live in present. He goes further with that statement by saying that we need to challenge students intellect and motivate them. The desired outcome that he wants is a genuine educational experience that will be meaningful to the student. From this point he lays out what he wants schools to teach. He says schools should teach judgement, critical thinking, meaningful literacy, collaboration, and service and with each area he explains how and why it would be important to teach students these concepts. The primary goal that Eisner is trying to make is that we are trying to help our students do well outside of school and in their futures.
As I read this article I look back into my schooling I really do agree with the points Eisner made in this article. While I was in high school true collaboration and critical thinking were at a minimum. My teachers claimed that they were trying to make these points happen but because we never had the chance to really leave the surface of any one subject I was hard pressed to believe them. One of the most important points that Eisner made in his curriculum was judgement. from the experience i have gained teaching at multiple schools i really do see why he makes this point. Young students seem to have the hardest time with this concept but i understand why this is the case. I feel as if in the school we should make sure that students understand what is really right and wrong and how to make good judgement calls for their life.
I would have to say from my background and personal experiences that i a really do agree with the points made in this article. I say this because I believe that as teachers we should not only teach our content area but how it may apply to life. I really feel that at the end of the day a student should leave knowing that they didn't just learn some facts on a page. They should go home with something that will be valuable down the road in the real world.
Ryan - great comments and writing here! You have a solid understanding of this article and what Eisner is saying. Eisner really suggests that we use our subject matter to teach our students to become independent thinkers with a broad sense of democratic self and social understanding so that they can be active and informed participants in society. Well done!
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