We got to try some simple twisting structure to make rope! Below are two corn leaves twisted together and two pairs of two corn leaves twisted together in a similar fashion. It's surprisingly strong together and we couldn't break it by pulling (I broke Jun's 😂)
And here we have the poem about the senses while we sat at the garden
The reading was quite a lot shorter this time, but nonetheless I found it quite interesting. Looking around the room I'm sitting on campus right now, there is just about nothing I can confidently say I know how to make one. The nice chairs, hardwood table, computers, whiteboards and markers, none of these are products I have any idea on how to make. This made me stop, and reflect for a moment on what kind of privilege we have as we go through the day consuming all these things that are made by others, sometimes very distant and disconnected from us.
The idea of backsourcing is quite interesting to me, as just about anything is outsourced and very little is left to be made in an expensive urban center like Vancouver. Thinking back, the last time I made something with my hands were probably very far back, and it's definitely an interesting exercise to try and make something, as the author suggests "even for one small item, creates a heightened sense of self-esteem for the skills learned".
Of course the author is not suggesting that we should go back and make everything for ourselves, living in caves and hunting for our own food, but I think it's very feasible that we learn to knit some clothes, fix our jeans, and maybe have a little garden where you can grow your own tomatoes and green onions (my mom tried to do that but the tomatoes weren't sour enough for some reason and she went back to planting flowers for hummingbirds and butterflies).
The ropes and strings were quite fascinating to watch, as all these complex textiles were often made by machines and we simply brush it off our minds, but seeing the mathematical descriptions for it is refreshing. Our braided cables and ropes and strings to hang stuff is not as simple as we think.
I think much of the article is timeless. It's about human nature, societal constructs, and the author is not hesitant on being critical about it. For instance, tis one particular description "teachers who are unreflective about their work uncritically accepts this everyday reality in schools and concentrate their efforts on finding the most effective and efficient means to achieve ends and to solve problems that have largely been defined for them by others" (104) . It was quite a touching quote, and replace teachers with say student, or just anyone in general and the same would hold true for most. I think we like comfort. We like to do what we know, and it might be a survival instinct that we stay in a safe and comfortable place when we can, and in doing so we don't question and reflect as much. There was another bit in the article about "this impression management is understandable and is a natural consequence of existing power relationships in teacher education" (105), and I think all teacher candidates can relate to with all these progressive theories and techniques taught at UBC, followed by going into a school which is likely to not follow exactly what is shown to us, and having to navigate through the differences while demonstrating that our teaching aligns with the values expected. I'm sure the debate is ongoing, but the article mentioned in the beginning about the most effective instructional methods and classroom structure for students being unclear. I think it might be dated, as some courses in our program (EPSE in mind) show us that progressive, student-centered, universal approaches to teaching yield the best results.
After watching the short video on Frank McCourt, I am amazed at how strong his inspiration must be to get through all the obstacles in his life and get to a position of teaching, and even then he chose to teach in low-income areas to be a change in the students' lives. I really like how he said when students are resisting, which is inevitable, he does not go in opposing force and try to establish authority. As he says that is pointless, and instead he goes along with it. That's a good takeaway for me, as teachers have traditionally been portrayed as some kind of authority figure, being all strict and in proper attire, demanding certain behaviour from students and are often seen as the opposing force of the students. I will certainly keep this in my mind whenever I'm inclined to say no. Am I saying no just because I am unwilling to change or accommodate, or is it because saying no is the right thing to do because it would benefit the student from accomodate a certain thing.
It provokes the question of where is the boundary that teachers should set? If students don't like a certain text, I'm sure another one could be used, but if students don't want to learn about fractions, we cannot simply say well sure let's toss it out the window. It would be lovely to hear more from him in the interview where he outlines several scenarios from his experience and that will certainly inform my teaching philosophy.
