On a different note, I meant to post this link to your Man Friday about Magic Science, alas I was distracted. So, I’ll put it here. It’s an article in WIRED by James Randi. As you’ve noted, amongst his talents, Randi is also a great writer:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/opinion-randi-magic-scientists/

Steph

The private schools have a small pool to draw from for hiring. At most public boards they are cutting off applications due to the sheer volume. It is a numbers game. I remember back 10 years ago when there was a shortage of teachers how desperate the private schools were to find some.

The students that go to private schools generally don’t compete to get there, rather they are born into the families that send them to private schools. Many students at private schools are hard to serve and not necessarily engaged.

Some high end private schools promise university entrance for all students regardless of proven or unproven abilities.
My solution is to get rid of compulsory schooling.

Lots to think about.

I think the metaphor apt but that you wander from it, in the sense that your solutions don’t really address the problem of how to get teachers to the river so their thirst may be quenched.

The problem isn’t students or candidate teachers lacking “thirst”. I really disagree. The problem is that we don’t let them drink.

Why not create school , even Faculty of Eds, as places of learning and not “being taught”. Why don’t we teach teachers that the objective of education is NOT how to teach but how to make learning happen?

The problem isn’t “thirst”. Learning is a strong, evolutionary trait. The problem is the nature of the systems in which we construct for the purpose of learning. We ask the faithful to be thirsty and then we always keep that water just out of reach. No wonder most give up or find the easy way. And also, I’ll mention how elitist our educational system is by promoting the notion that it’s all about “the head up”.

But interesting thoughts you raise. I’m not sure of anything but that we got to change a few things.

David

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/universities-arent-about-teaching-v-research-theyre-about-teaching-and-research/article2184781/

Stephanie

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/too-many-teachers-cant-do-math-let-alone-teach-it/article2183700/

It made me sick to my stomach….but didn’t surprise me at all given how poor the math skills are in our first year class.

Stephanie

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-music-instinct-science-and-song/\

enjoy!

Here is a link to an interesting documentary concerning a phenomena I am interested in…what’s known as the ‘frisson’. We all experience it, you know, when you hear a piece of music that really resonates and you get what I had always termed ‘The Tingle-Shiver’, but apparently there is a name for it: “Frisson”.

My idea was to study that effect, that phenomena….with the goal of eventually someday harnessing that in some sort of bio-feedback scenario, where a band would play and the crowd would generate energy (we all know, or any of us who have seen a live performance by a band who are amazing musicians and who can improvise and spontaneously, with a sense of adventure, take the crowd on a musical journey that generates huge amounts of energy…a sort of energy that hasn’t yet been quantified or measured or named, (something perhaps akin to what Reich called ‘orgone’)….if that energy could be tapped, then it could easily power the amps and p.a. and lights and all that….(it would be like an oroboric energy vortex)

Well, enough of my beer-fuelled musings, take a look at this documentary if you are interested in the effects of music on human consciousness, here is the description from YT:

The Music Instinct: Science and Song provides a ground-breaking exploration into how and why the human organism and the whole ebb and flow of the cosmos is moved by the undeniable effect of music.

This follows visionary researchers and accomplished musicians to the crossroads of science and culture in search of answers to music s deep mysteries.

This is a comprehensive look at how the brain reacts in performance, just listening, atonal music, the sensory reactions from person to person, instrument, voices to others .

The mic and camera into the uterus of a pregnant woman showing the baby smiling and hearing the music. All subjects confirming what music makers have always believed – we are hardwired to appreciate and perform music with the cortex of the brain showing white hot light in the MRI – the brain on music.

Very exciting program and all the more sad and depressing when it also shows the importance to our childrens’ education in all subjects when they learn to play music before the age of 10 and we have cut music and art as non essential subjects.

……….

I would have just started a thread with this, but I haven’t figured out how to do that…
Do any of you reading this have comments about the ‘Frisson’ or ‘Tingle-shiver’ effect and the potential of harnessing this awesome blissful force?

driven by curiosity,
James
http://pprrg.tumblr.com

http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/pinkribbonsinc

http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com/

Steph