Monday, June 25, 2007

Much in what he says ...

... Michael Gorman's latest: Jabberwiki: The Educational Response, Part I. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

His objection to "urban myths about the supposed uniqueness of the young generation" is sound, I think, as is his concern over "the prevailing and embarrassing spectacle of teachers and administrators trying to conform to their perceptions of today’s youth (perceptions that are, if history is any guide, wildly wide of the mark)."
His concern over questioning "the very authority of credentialed teachers" is more questionable. I agree with some of this: "The fact is that today’s young, as do the young in every age, need to learn from those who are older and wiser; they need to acquire good habits of study and research; and they need to be exposed to and learn to experience the richness of the human record." Except that older does not always - and perhaps only rarely - equals wiser. And I can't help wondering if Gorman thought this way in the '60s when he was on the other side of the authority divide.

In the meantime, Bryan weighs in, sort of, and manages to say more in less space with fewer words, even tossing in as a bonus a must-see video clip at the end: A Debate Between Elitist, Luddite Baby Roasters.

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