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February 28, 2006
February Reading
This past month, I had a scary revelation: I had not completed a book since I finished A Feast For Crows in early December. Not only had I not finished anything, but I really wasn't working on anything. It's not like I was working my way through Moby Dick and it was just taking awhile. I just wasn't reading. For someone who grew up on books, this was startling and unacceptable. I headed to Books a Million to rectify the situation.
Although at one point I had four or five books in my hand, I settled on Nick Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree. I like Hornby and this book was a managable 120 pages -- a good way to get back into reading mode. What's more, TPS is a book about reading; it's a collection of his columns from The Believer in which Hornby talks about books he's read and bought in a given month.
My favorite line from the book reads: "All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. . . With each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not." (125)
I agreee with Hornby here. If someone had to examine artifacts of my existence to learn stuff about me, I would have them look at my books -- especially if one includes gaming books and comics. Actually, you don't even need to include the five boxes of comics sitting in the study closet, because I have graphic novels shelved with the rest of the library. I think the books say more about me, who I am and who I think I am, than my CD's or any other artifacts in the house.
Hornby's Believer columns always begin with a list of books he's bought in a given month, followed by a list of books he's read in that month. He then spends the column talking about those books -- both sets. He'll discuss how he picked up the such and such book for two pounds at some used bookstore, or how he spent the month working his way through some biography of some British author I've never heard of and makes it all entertaining. I like to read Hornby talking about books because he's smart without being pretentious -- a delicate balance in the literary world, if you ask me.
Inspired by Hornby, I'm going post the books I've bought and the books I've read for the month, beginning with February. This will keep me somewhat accountable. Hopefully, people will ask me about stuff I've picked up and suggest new stuff. I'll also include any graphic novels I buy, but leave out the monthly comic titles to which I subscribe (Conan, The Amazing-Spider Man, and Knights of the Dinner Table magazine. Okay, I guess I didn't really leave them out).
Since this was my birthday month, I received several gift certificates, so my book budget was expanded this month. I've still got a couple of gift cards to Books A Million to suppliment future purchases.
February Books Bought: The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby; The Fortress of Solitude by Johnathan Letham; Ringworld by Larry Niven; Dungeon Masters Guide II by a bunch of people (shipping from Amazon).
February Books Read: The Pollysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
Posted by Nakia at 08:47 AM | Comments (8)
February 27, 2006
Does TV really rot your brain?
A new study, reported in today's NY Times, deals with watching TV and test scores:
Here's the article in the Times.
Notice what the study says and what it does not.
Also notice it talks about the Coleman Report, which we will mention in class.
Posted by Nakia at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2006
Structural features of identity
One of the things we didn't get to really talk about in class this week was how schools and other institutions influence one's identity -- the "structural features of identity." Your text talks about this on the top of page 117.
The idea here is pretty simple -- part of our social identity is defined or determined by the institutions to which we belong. Others see what institutions we participate in and use that to help figure out who we are. If, for example, we tell a new co-worker that we cannot play golf with them on Sunday because we will be in church, then they may see us as Christian (the dominant religious group that keeps Sunday as its holy day, with a few exceptions). We also see ourselves in terms of institutions to which we belong. For many of us, one of the things that being a Christian means is belonging to a particualr institution -- a church. Students who belong to a fraternity or sorority see that institutional affiliation as part of their identity. One even says "I'm an A-D-Pi."
Now, take this idea and apply it to schools. Belonging to an educational institution such as an elite prep school is a part of who you are. It helps to set how you see yourself. It helps to set how others see you. And it helps to determine expectations of behavior and performance. Prep school kids are "supposed to be smart" so they may, in fact, work harder to make that prediction come true. And they may benefit from those expectations of intelligence when it comes time to apply for colleges or get a job.
The other side of the coin is students who have to go to a "bad" school or are placed in "lower" tracks. According to this view that structures and institutional affiliations influence identity, how do you think those students see themselves and are seen by others?
Posted by Nakia at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
Reading the Philosophy Chapter for 110
Chapter 5 in Sadovnik (on Philosophy of Education) can be a little difficult and overwhelming. There are a lot of "isms" and a lot of philosophers discussed in a small amount of space. While philosophy of education is my specialty and I like it a lot, I'm not terribly thrilled with the way it's presented in the text. Philosophy isn't about "isms", it's about a particular stance on the world and one's place in it.
Nevertheless, it's still a good idea to have some basic familiarity with some philosophical basics. To help folks gain this familairity without getting bogged down in minutiae, use the following guidelines when reading chapter five.
1. Read the first part ("The Persepective of Philosophy of Education") thouroughly. It's only two pages, but its the most important part of the chapter.
2. The Powerpoints (already online) will have the most important parts for each "ism". Know those well, then skim the section on each "ism" to gain a better understanding. In particular, pay attention to the "generic notions", the "goals of education," the "role of the teacher," and the "methods of instruction" portions of each "ism."
3. While we may not get to the articles at the end of the chapter before the exam (which means they will not be on exam #2), we will discuss them. They are some of the most interesting stuff in the whole textbook, IMHO. So do read them. We'll probably talk about them after spring break.
Happy philosophizing!
Posted by Nakia at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2006
Philosophical Hands on Experience
As a teacher who deals with philosophy and other theorectical or abstract disciplines, I often wonder how to provide students with "hands on experience" that appeals to folks who are more kinesthetically orientied.
We are, after all, dealing with ideas and concepts. The way one deals with ideas and concepts is to read about them, write about them, and talk about them. Discussion is "hands on experience" for philosophy.
I have the scene from Dead Poet's Society in my head -- the one where Keating has his students quote lines of poetry while kicking soccer balls. I wonder if that would work . . .
Posted by Nakia at 09:56 AM | Comments (3)
February 22, 2006
Are private schools really better?
A new study casts doubt on the "common-sense" assertion that students in private schools score better on achievement measures than public school students. The study finds that, when controlling for the socio-economic status of students, public school students perform better. It also discusses which type of private schools have higher-achieving students.
The study can be found here.
Posted by Nakia at 09:27 AM | Comments (4)
February 21, 2006
The White Space Scares Me
Wow. So I pulled up the blog today and it's just a big white space. That's what I get for not updating in so long. There's no really big reason for my inactivity, just lots of small ones. I was sick (again) for a couple of days; it was all I could do to stay on top of my classes. My Annual Report was also due last week, which was a considerable amount of work. I gave my first batch of exams to my 110 students, so I was grading those at the end of last week and over the weekend. Plus, there was Sarah's trip to the Emergency Room on Saturday. Nothing huge, she just cut her finger at work. But it still involved some sitting in the ER at a hospital in Charlotte and a couple of extra drives into Charlotte for me.
Now, I feel caught up. I got here early and took care of a couple of Powerpoints for my classes. I also wrote a handout/class activity we'll do at the beginning of next week. Now, I've got a couple of posts to take care of for those classes and my precis papers to grade for my 600 students. But I've reigned things in a bit better and will endavor to keep them that way.
Just wanted to let folks know I was still around.
Posted by Nakia at 11:10 AM | Comments (2)
February 20, 2006
Reading guidlines for 600
I wanted to state/reiterate where the 600 class was at in terms of reading, so folks could target their reading a little better and make better use of their time. This will also help people go back before class and look over the things we are going to be talking about that day.
Feb 27th -- We'll talk about the "isms" of the philosophy of education chapter in some depth. They'll be a Powerpoint (which will be on the website soon) to help us out. We'll also talk about the dangers of "isms."
I quote Ferris Bueler: "isms, in my opinion, are not good. A person shouldn't believe in an ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon: 'I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.' Of course, he was The Walrus. I could be The Walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off of people."
March 6th -- We'll talk about the articles at the end of Chapter Five. Your Pedagogic Creed can also be turned in on this date.
March 13th -- Spring Break. Have fun in Cancun.
March 20th -- We'll talk about Chapter 4 -- the sociology of education. Read the Rist and the Wells/Serna articles at the end of the chapter as well, but you can skip the Goodman one if you want. This is the last day to turn in your Pedagogic Creed as well.
Again, this is for my 600 class only. If you are in 110, we're still pretty much on track.
Posted by Nakia at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2006
Lost 2/8/05
I'm glad Lost is back. I am completely addicted. Now I'm discussing it in my blog, which may make me one of those people I talked about a couple of months ago.
At least I don't have any screenshots. In fact, I am more interested in discussing theme, tone, etc that "what really happened" or "what will happen next". I'm content to let the narrative unfold.
And, yes, I made us leave the Winthrop basketball game early so we could get home and watch it. Winthrop was up by 30, so it was not a big deal.
Spoilers for everything up to this week, including the previews for next weeks show.
Dark Charlie = wearing hood. When will the folks on the island pick up on the fact that all you have to do to make Charlie behave is take away his jacket? Seriosuly, every time Charlie is up to something, he wears the hood.
Seems like a theme of the show, one that will be continued next episode, (a clip showed Sayid saying "I am a torturer") is that you can't change who you are. Sawyer is still a con man, even though conning people he's stranded with really does him no good. Jack still has control issues, which is what puts him in conflict with, well, everyone he comes into conflict with. Charlie's still shiftless, even though he's not using.
The only people who seem to have undergone signficant change on the island is Locke. His change has primarily been physical, but he seems much more competent and self-assure on the island than he did in his flashbacks.
One could argue that Shannon and Boone also changed. Boone was able to resolve his love/overprotectiveness of Shannon. Shannon was able to love and find someone to believe in her. Of coruse, they both died, which gives some creedence to the Purgatory theory, I guess, if one wants to ignore the distinction between narrative, meta-narrative, and non-plot reasons for people leaving the show.
Other notes, many gleaned from the ENWorld thread in this topic:
The waitress in the diner where Sawyer and the other conman met was Kate's mother. I knew she looked familiar.
Hurley is becoming the writer's voice to the rabid fan. His comment last ep, with Sayid, about the radio signals coming from "another time" were an example, as were his line about the newer washing machine in the Hatch a few episodes ago. At the end of season one, he was involved in the conversation with the High School science teacher about why he was still heavy and how he was part of the "cool crowd" on the island.
Posted by Nakia at 11:18 AM | Comments (6)
February 08, 2006
Going to the Movies
Lots going on, lots to talk about, but I've got my Annual Report due next week and it's pretty time consuming.
I just took a break from said report to check out Mark Cuban's blog.
I haven't been to the movie theatre since before Christmas (King Kong, actually). There are lots of reasons for that -- Netflix, money, the fact that a good theatre is 30-40 minutes away. But I can't help but think that if I had the kind of theatre Cuban talks about in this post, I'd be a little more likely to go. Sarah and I have date night once per week, yet we never go to the movies. Some of that is because the movie going experience isn't that enjoyable to us any more.
I'm curious as to what others think. Do you still go to the movies as much as you used to? If not, why not?
Posted by Nakia at 11:47 AM | Comments (9)
February 03, 2006
Teacher In Trouble for Showing "Faust" Excerpt
A teacher in Colorado is in trouble for showing her elementary school students an introduction to opera video that has scenes from the opera "Faust."
Did she do anything wrong?
Posted by Nakia at 12:51 PM | Comments (7)