Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Teachers need opinons because.... sorry, what were we talking about?
Today in class we were discussing about teaching without opinions, the first problem that arises from this would be that all the passion would be lost in the teaching. When have you ever liked a teacher who didn’t feel strongly about their subject, or an opinion they stood by. If no teacher was allowed to express their views just about every class would be the most boring monotone regurgitation of textbook dialogue you ever did hear, you would have more kids drooling in that classroom then the JC bookstore has overpriced books! The best teachers I have ever had were passionate about their subject; they loved what they taught and by being so involved in their subject and their views were able to keep their students interested in what they had to say. If no one was allowed to express their personal opinion, America would still be ruled by great Brittan, and we would be spending our lunch hour drinking the tea we didn’t throw in the ocean! It was an interesting class discussion to be sure… at least I think that’s what we talked about, one of the many attractive ladies in our class was wearing a rather eye catching blue dress, I might have been slightly distracted >.<
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Here are a few questions for everyone: Teaching without opinions? Is it possible to teach without bias? What about writing without opinions? Is it possible to write without bias? If knowledge is socially constructed and we are, in part, products of our environment, personalities, experiences, etc, how do we divorce ourselves from our opinions? Can we?
ReplyDeleteWow, you werent kidding when you said you would comment with questions... and it makes sense... way to go Lauren
ReplyDeleteI love the title of the post.
ReplyDeleteProfessors that share their opinons are usually the one that are passionate about his/her subject. I agree thats what make some class so interesting. However, I have professors in the past where their share too much opinions and experiences during class time, and not focusing on the course materials...and thats when i can also become too distracted bc i am stressing over whats going to be on the test.
I dont think its possible to teach without any bias. We can not absolutely separate from our opinions, its just the way we are. When we feel strongly about a subject, we would naturally want to know more about it (and talk more about it).
It is extremely hard to remove bias, from teaching and writing. If their was no disposition or proselytizing, there would be little human progress. It is necessary and natural. Truth is subjective and bias is healthy unless forced upon a individual.
ReplyDeleteHowever a teacher (or student for that matter) can remain objective by acknowledging their bias. As well as, recognizing alternate reasoning and beliefs.
As far as entertainment value. Yes, passionate (even if biased) exploration of a subject is much more engaging and authentic to the world outside the classroom.
Of course teachers should feel passionate about the subject they are teaching, otherwise they should not be teaching it in the first place. Even though I agree that it is impossible to be completely without opinions and unbias while teaching, I also think that there is a way to present the information in an interesting, thought-provoking way that does not necessairly force the information onto a student.
ReplyDeletefunny and so true. The best teachers i have had were the ones with strong opinions. If they didnt it would just be boring lecture that no one would find interesting. also i think that teachers that have this passion inspire students to follow into the same field.
ReplyDeleteTeachers should have strong opinions, but they also should be careful not to teach only their opinions. I feel that, if you are going to teach in a classroom, it is your responsibility to present more than just one side of a subject, whether you agree with it or not. It is also important that teachers don't let their opinions change the learning outcome of a course. For example, in Fish's essay, Mr. Barrett's class was referred to as "...a course on 9/11" (64). Wasn't it supposed to be a course on the religion and culture of Islam? That's what I thought, since the course was titled Islam: Religion and Culture. Or maybe that's just Stanley Fish generalizing in his writing?
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