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Subject:Re: Gerber approach to education From:Romay Jean Sitze <rositze -at- NMSU -dot- EDU> Date:Mon, 10 Apr 1995 11:04:04 -0600
I really like what Bill Burns had to say about education. It has to
involve more than simply pouring information into the heads of students
through a funnel. Until we learn how to find the information we
need--and how to apply what we find in meaningful ways, we are not truly
educated. While I know many people who are well educated despite a lack
of formal schooling, for most of us, the interaction between minds
stimulates us to new ways of looking at things and opens up opportunities
that we might otherwise have missed.
Bill reminds us that good students gain an education that goes beyond the
system requirements. I believe that his statement that education is an
active internal process is an accurate assessment. It is this internal
motivation that seems to mark the difference between the passive learner,
and the student who is really interested in a topic.
> Being in an academic setting allows dialogue--interaction between minds
> concerning a pool of ideas. In this setting, students can learn how to
consider
> problems using different approaches. The most valuable skill I have gained
> from my education is the ability to approach problems from more than one
> perspective. This capability should be the ultimate aim of formal education.
> Good students will pursue education regardless of the system's requirements
> by tapping in to whatever resources are available. Some people choose to
pursue
> education in academia, and others in employment. In either case, true
> education is an active internal process, not a passive influence from external
> sources.
RoMay Sitze, rositze -at- nmsu -dot- edu
The body of every organization is structured from four kinds of
bones. There are the wishbones, who spend all their time wishing
someone would do the work. Then there are the jawbones, who do
all the talking, but little else. The knucklebones knock every-
thing anybody else tries to do. Fortunately, in every organization
there are also the backbones, who get under the load and do most of
the work.
