education
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The Incomparable Mr. G: Part 2
Before I began teaching CEGEP, I taught intensive summer English Immersion programs at a university in small-town Quebec. I’d already been teaching in various capacities for a while at that point, but one experience with these five-week programs made me think suddenly of Mr. G. My class that summer was a joy, and I established… Continue reading
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does this mean I let them take them out of their bags?
A post on the use of mobile devices in the classroom. Can someone please tell me once and for all whether I should keep confiscating every cell phone I see? Continue reading
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The Incomparable Mr. G: Part 1
Mr. G. taught me literature and creative writing when I was in high school. He was in his late 50s at that time. During the two years I knew him, I never saw a discipline issue arise in his classroom. He encouraged students to bring snacks and lunches to class with them, and often said… Continue reading
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ways of knowing: part 2
How can understanding the different ways of knowing (see “ways of knowing: part 1”) help us understand how students learn? According to research, most college/first-year university students are in the absolute or transitional stages of knowing, with a few in the independent stage. In a literature class, “absolute knowers” are often frustrated. They expect to… Continue reading
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ways of knowing: part 1
In studying the psychology of learning, we look at a number of models of different “ways of knowing.” For example, Baxter Magolda’s Model of Epistemological Reflection divides ways of knowing into four stages: Absolute Knowing, Transitional Knowing, Independent Knowing and Contextual Knowing. We all start out in the first stage, and achievement of later stages… Continue reading
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Class Size: The Root of All Evil
My main beef with the educational system as it stands, from kindergarten up through university, is with class size. I believe that if every class in the country were reduced to a maximum of fifteen students, many, if not most, of our educational and social ills would be resolved. Children, young adults and adults would… Continue reading
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Overture
I’ve been meaning for years now to write about teaching. And I’ve been meaning to write a blog. The fundamental question, where blogging is concerned, is whether one has anything to say. I don’t know a whole lot about most things, and nothing I have to say about those things would be very meaningful. When… Continue reading
About Me
My job is to teach people to read and write; aside from that, I like to learn things.
Classroom as Microcosm 