Replying to LO28042
Hello Terri:
At 02:02 22-03-2002, Tadeems@aol.com wrote:
>There is at least a subtle difference between instruere (to put in) and
>educere (to draw out), and I think it's relevant to the LO ideal. An LO
>does not occur via instruction -- putting in -- but by way of educere --
>drawing out.
Your comment is very interesting!!! As you know, the more common
distinction is between training and education. With your distinction, we
can easily see that both training and education (as it is done at our high
schools and Universities) are indeed "instruction", as "putting in".
As a parent, and I think that this is true of most parents, my objective
has always been to "draw out" - to allow for the development of my
children's capacities to their full potential - that are quite diverse in
each one - and not to "put in".
But, at least in Portugal, the only level of the school system where I
found many teachers that have the objective of "educere", as "drawing
out", is at the elementary schools. When my daughters were at high school
and later at the University, I was surprised to see that their teachers
were mainly interested in "putting in knowledge" (as the teachers saw it)
and then testing the knowledge they have been (or not) able to "put in" -
as if this was a fault of the students and not mainly of their
(in)capacity to teach them.
When later I was teaching as an invited Professor at an University, and
contrarily to the majority of teachers there, and elsewhere in Portugal,
my main objective was to treat students as I would like my children to be
treated at the University - and to allow for and facilitate the maximum
development of the student's capacities.
I am glad to see, from your explanation, that what I was doing was
"educere". I wonder why so many teachers are only "imparting knowledge" or
"instructing". And I wonder what do they do to their own children: do they
educate them - or do they also only "instruct" them?
Regards
Artur
--"Artur F. Silva" <artsilva@mail.eunet.pt>
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