On 2008-05-01 20:18:12 +0100, default <default@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> said:
>
> On Thu, 01 May 2008 14:28:03 -0400, default <default@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> wrote:
>
>>> Kids learn their times tables by rote. Is that brainwa****ng? When I'm
>>> teaching kids science I use mnemonics. Is that brainwa****ng? If you
>>> think kids can be made to believe what you want them to believe y such
>>> techniques you have a very low opinion of them. I've taught thousands
>>> of them - believe me, they think what they want.
>
>
> You are a teacher? Well then you are probably familiar with
> "programmed learning?" That would be brainwa****ng in my opinion - the
> aim is to instill the knowledge, and it works quite well.
>
> One of our problems in the US, is we tend to teach, and test
> knowledge but not understanding.
>
> I was in a position hiring people for technical jobs - lot of book
> learning but not many with the ability to know what it all meant.
>
> Some of the candidates would spout off all these equations like it was
> second nature - things I forgot and I'm thinking "here's a keeper,"
> then I'll ask a question pertaining to the topic just covered and find
> they have no concept of what the equation means. Or one of these
> Einstein types will have all the answers then not be able to look at a
> drawing with two different pulleys and a belt and be able to tell me
> if the driven pulley is turning faster or slower than the drive pulley
> or which direction it should turn in.
>
> And that is the problem with "brainwa****ng, programmed learning or
> rote learning" rewards the ditto heads.
>
> It was often better to hire some kid with curiosity, analytical
> thinking and enthusiasm for tinkering with cars, or bee keeping, or
> model planes, than someone with a college degree. - realizing that I'm
> generalizing, and there are some schools that do turn out competent
> people more often than not.
I wholly agree with what you say here. Rote learning is fine for
memorising facts, but for developing genuine understanding it's pretty
useless, and for developing a love of subject it's positively toxic.
This is why, in practice, if a religion practices it it tends to be a
bit of a foot-shooting exercise. Genuine faith takes the kind of
enquiring mind that you refer to. And, to be fait, you may be right in
some of what you say about churches, and that might explain why people
are turning away from them - especially those who have experienced that
kind of 'rote learning'.
|
