Teaching by example
The President spoke to Congress tonight.
Now that the President has spoken to people who understood what he was talking about, it is time for him to talk to people who did not fully understand what he was talking about.
In other words, you can not talk to your students, people who you want to understand you, the same way you talk to your colleagues in the teachers’ lounge.
You can not throw words around like “deficit, adding to the deficit, tax cuts, cut spending, corporate tax rates, stimulus, payroll tax cuts, collective bargaining, free trade” etc., to neophytes.
For example, if you want beginners to know what two o’clock is, you tell them it is two o’clock when the long hand is on the twelve and the short hand is on the two. You take nothing for granted when you want people to understand you. Nothing!
Once you have told people what you mean when you use certain words, they can fully follow you. Also, they would now be placed in a position to know when somebody does not know what they are talking about or are lying to them. I think the word is "Bamboozled!" People would remember what you have said as the model.
One of my favorite parts of the early shows of Rachel Maddow was when she and Kent Jones would have a skit or something explaining a situation. A lot of learning was done during those episodes and I learned a lot. The strongest teaching tools you have is the ability to give examples by any means necessary.
In my opinion, when the President takes his Jobs’ Bill on the road to further expose it to his constituents, it would be nice if he would explain it in terms of a young adults’ first pay check using the words he used in his speech to Congress. If he could get the scenes dramatizes on stage, so much the better. I guarantee there would be gasps, tears and laughter but above all, there would be learning.
Want another example of a good teacher? Thomas (The world is flat) Freidman. How’s that? And there is Ms. Melissa Harris-Perry. Enough already?
As always,
BB
P.S. When you want people to understand something, you must always go from the known to the un-known. How can a person understand you when you start ‘splanin’ something using words they don’t know the meaning of? You can always start with "Three little pigs".
View video of Job Speech 9/8/2011
http://www.google.com/#q=president+speech+tonight&hl=en&prmd=ivnsu&source=univ&tbm=nws&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=T3xpTvmtM8T50gHrs4XnBA&ved=0CD8QqAI&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=289517196f4192bf&biw=560&bih=286
Now that the President has spoken to people who understood what he was talking about, it is time for him to talk to people who did not fully understand what he was talking about.
In other words, you can not talk to your students, people who you want to understand you, the same way you talk to your colleagues in the teachers’ lounge.
You can not throw words around like “deficit, adding to the deficit, tax cuts, cut spending, corporate tax rates, stimulus, payroll tax cuts, collective bargaining, free trade” etc., to neophytes.
For example, if you want beginners to know what two o’clock is, you tell them it is two o’clock when the long hand is on the twelve and the short hand is on the two. You take nothing for granted when you want people to understand you. Nothing!
Once you have told people what you mean when you use certain words, they can fully follow you. Also, they would now be placed in a position to know when somebody does not know what they are talking about or are lying to them. I think the word is "Bamboozled!" People would remember what you have said as the model.
One of my favorite parts of the early shows of Rachel Maddow was when she and Kent Jones would have a skit or something explaining a situation. A lot of learning was done during those episodes and I learned a lot. The strongest teaching tools you have is the ability to give examples by any means necessary.
In my opinion, when the President takes his Jobs’ Bill on the road to further expose it to his constituents, it would be nice if he would explain it in terms of a young adults’ first pay check using the words he used in his speech to Congress. If he could get the scenes dramatizes on stage, so much the better. I guarantee there would be gasps, tears and laughter but above all, there would be learning.
Want another example of a good teacher? Thomas (The world is flat) Freidman. How’s that? And there is Ms. Melissa Harris-Perry. Enough already?
As always,
BB
P.S. When you want people to understand something, you must always go from the known to the un-known. How can a person understand you when you start ‘splanin’ something using words they don’t know the meaning of? You can always start with "Three little pigs".
View video of Job Speech 9/8/2011
http://www.google.com/#q=president+speech+tonight&hl=en&prmd=ivnsu&source=univ&tbm=nws&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=T3xpTvmtM8T50gHrs4XnBA&ved=0CD8QqAI&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=289517196f4192bf&biw=560&bih=286
posted by BB at 11:05 PM
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