Just two random ideas for you this morning from my holiday viewing of mass media: first, Deepak Chopra says that what we’re missing in school is the telling of stories with emotional impact, especially about the heroes in our world. He also says that if we don’t have uncertain outcomes and flexibility in direction as we study, we lose the ability to be creative. It occurred to me that our lock-step direction in education is destined now to hold up all our creativity, meaning that what we are doing with stories in TPRS is ever more valuable.
If someone else saw the interview that has these pieces in it or knows where to find this other than on CNN, I’d love it.
Separately, I’m listening to Robert Lustig on sugar (check him out; you’ll change or affirm your entire attitude toward our food industry). I laughed out loud to hear him use a TPRS teacher technique. He said that the next section of his lecture would be boring for anyone without a degree in biochemistry. So to get those who are not biochemists through that section of the lecture, he said for everyone to just count arrows.
I usually give the job of counting structures to higher-level kids, but maybe it should be for lower-level kids!
Happy January, everyone!
MJ's Comprehensible Input 