Rationale
A prerequisite to activism is thorough research that produces understanding of the facts surrounding the issues at hand. "Being a student researcher not only helps one look at things from another perspective, but it also helps one look past the things that are obvious. Being a student researcher has its own way of causing one to think. With student research, there is an endless trail of questions. Ultimately, student research is a cooperative endeavor (4)."
"When you're dealing with students that come from conditions of poverty who bring
urban youth culture to the table, keep in mind that it gets denied by the school," Tobin explains. "It's very difficult for teachers who are usually from some other ethnic background, to empathize with urban minority youth. Teachers have to learn new cultures and students have to learn a new culture in order to make the classrooms click (4)."
"Conventional wisdom is the dominant consciousness of any culture. It is a culture's most taken-for-granted understandings about the way things are and about the way to live. It is a culture's construction of reality and the internalization of that construction within the psyche of the individual (5)." "When culture serves the ends of conquest and the preservation of oppression, it always involves a parochial view of reality; a static perception of the world and the imposition of one world view upon another. It denotes an invasion and implies the "superiority" of the invader on the one hand. The opposite hand symbolizes the "inferiority" of those who are invaded, as well as the imposition of values by the former. The invaders posses the latter and they are afraid of losing them (6)."
"Man's attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we have now acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. Since Rachel Carson spoke these words, our war on nature, and thus ourselves, has continued to accelerate. Despite numerous warnings, the United States continues to act as if the global environment has an unlimited capacity to provide its citizenry with natural resources and to absorb the continued production of toxic materials (7)."
Changing our world view is the fastest and most effective way to expand our consciousness. "By shifting our consciousness, then our culture and institutions, we can create a world that works for all. The most effective way to promote change is to show a person that it is in his own self-interest. When we catalyze a shift in consciousness that benefits all 303 million of us in this country and all 6 billion of us on this planet, profound change will unfold (5)."
What catalyzes deep change is an appeal to the heart. "Compassion has been the most potent force for positive change. People move when they are reminded of their highest values and ideals, and when they see those values embodied in authentic leaders (8)." Although teachers complain about their lack of status in the community, I espouse that we are some of the most influential people in the lives our students. Many of them believe that whatever we say is true, to a certain extent. At least in terms of content knowledge. Therefore, it is critically important for us to demand that our students understand their inseparable connection to the environment. The way we treat the environment is the way it in turn treats us. When humans pollute the Earth with toxic chemicals, then our tissues become contaminated as well. Consequently, we must protest to our students that the planet must be respected!
Understanding intelligence is imperative for significant improvement in pedagogy. "According to the theory of multiple intelligences, the mind's problem-solving capacities are multifaceted, exceeding the traditional view of intelligence as being verbally and mathematically bright. In 1983, Gardner identified seven forms of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. A dozen years later, he added an eighth intelligence, that of the naturalist, one who specializes in recognizing and classifying natural and human-made phenomena. Recently, Gardner has suggested an additional intelligence; existential intelligence, which refers to the human desire to understand and pursue the ultimate questions, meanings, and mysteries of life (9)."
"The gulf between what we know and what we need to know is called the 'intelligence deficit,' according to Wargo. The antidote is what he terms 'green intelligence:' the types of knowledge and ways of thinking necessary to navigate among life's imperceptible chemical dangers. The causes of our intelligence deficit are many and include illiteracy, secrecy, deception, privacy, fiction, language diversity, and perhaps most importantly the control and ownership of science by powerful private and public institutions. Collectively, these cultural conditions have overwhelmed individual capacity to identify and avoid important environmental and health threats (10)."
Constructivist theory suggests that effective learning only occurs when our students are participating in a meaningful way in the interpretation of their environment. "This active participation in the learning process is by far the best way for students to acquire knowledge (3)." I think the purpose of public education is to provide every student with a learning experience that insures proficiency in diverse subject knowledge, critical thinking, creative problem solving, and technological literacy in order for upcoming citizens to cooperate in a global marketplace. Furthermore, I feel public education should cultivate the emotional intelligence of all students in order for every graduate to actively support a sustainable world for the next generation.
Engaging students in community change has far reaching benefits that not only support but also extend beyond academic achievement. "Rapport feels good, generating the harmonious glow of being simpatico, a sense of friendliness where each person feels the other's warmth, understanding, and genuineness. These mutual feelings of liking strengthen the bonds between them, no matter how temporary. When people are in rapport, they can be more creative together and more efficient in making decisions (11)."
"We need to train children in the personal intelligences in school (12)." Helping students to enhance their creative thinking, communication and cooperative learning skills is much more important to me than having them memorize facts. Active learning is at its best, when students are actually responsible for and involved in their own intake of information, with minimal transmission from the teacher. "Classrooms like these, where students take responsibility for their own learning, as they engage with problems, ask thoughtful questions, connect ideas, and work together, are the catalysts for student-led scientific communities (3)."
"Youth learn their role in improving the health of the community by exploring current health concerns and developing authentic interventions. Some people feel schools cannot or should not take on health issues. Yet, students who participate in such efforts become better connected to their schools and communities while learning and practicing the principles of democratic citizenship. By focusing on real community health issues, our students have the opportunity to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills which foster their ability to make smart decisions about their own health (13). And when teachers invite parents into the classroom to share with their children in this climate of deep respect and caring, even more possibilities emerge in schools for fulfilling the human spirit (14)."
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