Teaching or...?

Translation of post "Insegnare o...?" of March 19th 2008 on "Il deserto dei tartari 2.0".

An interesting lexical question.

Well, first of all I want to make it clear that I deem laughable many of the lexical fashions taxing especially the education world in Italy. A primary school is not different just because it's no longer called elementary, and so on.

But words also express the thought of their user, luckily, when there is one. In RashKath's post in educatorslogin, a blog of Indian teachers, I found a couple times this association: "teaching learning". For example, the author states that she is "exploring new strategies for teaching learning mathematics". Bravo for what she is doing, bravo for "mathematics" plural as in British English or in French and not singular as we Italians or American English speakers say. Bravo especially for this expression: "teaching learning mathematics". She does not teach maths: she teaches how to learn it.

Well, it's clear that if I teach you to learn maths, you learn to learn maths, but in the process you learn maths. Classic two birds with a stone. With the additional value that once I'm not there, if I taught you learning maths, you can still learn maths...

In my opinion this is worth some reflection. Also because learning processes, unlike our cement-cast syllabuses and curricula, change with time...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Let's open (again!)

Translation of post "Apriamo!" of March 11th 2008 on "Il deserto dei tartari 2.0".

This blog means to be an attempt at opening a discussion.
The discussion is about the use of technology in didactics, in particular about the so-called Web 2.0, more in particular in Italian high schools, even more in particular for scientific subjects.
The title of this blog suggests my expectations about the level of interest of the average Italian teacher.
And yet perhaps waiting will not be vain.
Welcome to all who want to have a chat here, in this fortress.

Blogged with the Flock Browser