An article by Joanne Lipman states that she had teacher once that called kids "idiots". He made them rehearse to their fingers almost bled. She states that today he would fired. But when he died a few years ago, forty years worth of former students and colleagues flew back to her New Jersey hometown to play a concert in his memory. She was stunned by the turnout, and also what amazed her was the success of his students. Research tells us there is a positive correlation between music education and academic achievement. But she states, that alone did not explain the belated surge of gratitude for teacher who tortured them.
She says that we are in the mist of a national wave of self-recrimination over the U.S. education system. Every day there is something hand-wringing over our students falling behind the rest of the world. She wants to ask what did her teacher do right? Comparing her teachers methods with the latest findings in fields from music to math to medicine leads to a single, startling conclusion: it's time to revive old-fashioned in the sense that many kids, with strict discipline and unyielding demands. Projects and collaborative learning are applauded; traditional methods like lecturing and memorization-derided as "drill and kill"- are frowned upon.
She believes the conventional wisdom is wrong and these eight principles explain why.
1. A little pain is good for you.
2. Drill, baby, drill
3. Failure is an option
4. Strict is better than nice
5. Creativity can be learned
6. Grit trumps talent
7. Praise makes you weak...
8. ...while stress makes you strong.
My opinion of this article varies in different aspects. I am torn between the strictness along with memorization and the conventional way teachers are integrating to today. To be honest, I believe there should be strictness in the classroom, but not in a over dramatic sense. I feel that teachers should expect their students to accomplish as much as needed. I also feel that strictness gives students the will to embrace what they can do, rather then depend on someone telling them what to do. However, I do believe that memorization does hurt the students in some ways. If you are taught to memorize your lesson, how can this help you in the long run? Will the students still remember this knowledge when it is needed?
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