Author: Kyle Owens

I tried to attend the 1:00pm discussion group with Adam Griffin. No one was there and the leader did not attend the discussion.

Kyle Owens

Topic 4 – project 2 

Teaching without teaching 

What exactly is good teaching? This is a question that has gone unanswered for quite some time. Walker Percy and Paulo Friere; authors of The Loss of the Creature, and The Banking Concept of Education, have spent much time trying to answer this question. Although Percy and Freire both value the role of the teacher, they caution against the act of teaching. Freire states “The people subjected to domination must fight for their emancipation”(1968) . In this case the students have to fight for their education. From a students point of view I agree with many of the ideas of Percy and Freire. Professors should be able to cater the lesson plan to the specific needs of the students. As Percy identified, the educator can do nothing for the student. In order to achieve teaching without teaching at West Chester University, classrooms need to become student based and incorporate styles of learning that benefit the students individually. Some ways real student learning can be implemented include project based learning, student led classes, personalized learning environments and experiential learning. For me, the most concrete idea that came to mind was implementing project based learning in the classroom. 

Project based learning can be beneficial to many students, specifically those who struggle with standardized tests. Replacing standardized tests with projects, students will be able to essentially teach and learn themselves. Students will be able to work at a pace that is most beneficial to them. Freire and Percy views would strongly support this idea. As stated previously, although Friere and Percy value teachers, they believe in “avoiding the educator’s direct presentation of the object as a lesson to be learned.” (1975) Students would be more inclined to work on their own schedule in a way that is most productive to them. In addition, students should have both options of working in groups or working independently, as each student benefits from these options differently.  When only one option is offered some students are at an advantage, while others are put at a disadvantage. I believe that this is essential for this topic, all students know how they learn best. Project based learning is a large part of the marketing class for my major and I have seen positive results. Percy believes students do not all benefit from the same premade lesson plans and class rules that have been used for years. I believe giving the students some leadership and responsibility in the classroom will solve this problem.

Good teaching without teaching should include input from the students on how the course content is delivered, as all students have their own unique ways they learn best. Student led classes will give individuals at West Chester University more leadership in the classroom. This can be done by implementing student led discussion groups and speeches into the curriculum. The way the class would be managed  would stem from the thoughts and beliefs of the students themselves. Students do not learn from a prepackaged idea that the teacher creates, students have to think for themselves. As Percy has identified,‘”For there is nothing the educator can do to provide for this need of the student, everything the educator does only succeeds in becoming, for the student, part of the educational package.”(1968) In order to achieve teaching without teachers at West Chester University classrooms need to become more student led by incorporating styles of learning that benefit each student individually. Students will better relate to each other when in a learning environment that personally fits them. Percy further explains this by stating “The educator is well aware that something is wrong, that there is a fatal gap between the students’ learning and students’ lives.” ( 1968 )College students have been taking classes for 12+ years and are able to identify what learning styles will be most beneficial to them.

Another idea to encourage good learning through teaching without teaching includes letting students learn with others who share their same needs and preferences to create a more personalized learning environment.This can be executed through a number of surveys to find strengths and weaknesses, and the best learning strategies of each student. These different classes would include the same workload, however they will be presented in a different manner. Classes with 200+ students sharing the same lesson plan seems non authentic. Percy reiterates this by stating,“It is now apparent that as between the many measures which may be taken to overcome the opacity, the boredom, of the direct confrontation of the thing or creature in its citadel of symbolic investiture, some are less authentic than others.”( 1975 )This would specifically benefit my large marketing class. In this overcrowded classroom some students are succeeding while many others are falling behind. I believe students find it easier to become non engaged when the student to teacher ratio of about 1 to 150.

Lastly teachers can keep students engaged while teaching without teaching by implementing “experiential learning”. Experiential learning is the process of learning through experience, and is more specifically defined as “learning through reflection on doing”. Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning, but does not necessarily involve students reflecting on their product. An example of this would be the professor of my marketing class taking students on a field trip to a marketing firm. This would give the students a hands on experience in the marketing world. Experiential learning may also include internships, studies abroad, field research, and service-learning projects. This can be implemented at West Chester University if the institution is able to partner with local businesses. This would be beneficial since Percy does not believe the professor truly knows what life is like for the students. Percy emphasizes this when stating  “the educator whose business it is to teach students biology or poetry is unaware of a whole ensemble of relations which exist between the student and the dogfish and between the student and the Shakespeare sonnet.” (1975) This quote further proves the teachers are out of touch with the minds of the students. Experiential learning would personally benefit me as I am a marketing major who learns best by doing. 

In conclusion although Percy and Freire value teachers, they believe in “avoiding the educator’s direct presentation of the object as a lesson to be learned.” (1968)These ideas show that students themselves have more to offer in the classroom. The students should be a part of the teaching experience just as much as they are a part of the learning experience. By implementing project based learning, student led classes, personalized learning environments, and experiential learning students are able to receive a much more beneficial education. Project based learning will help kids who struggle with test taking succeed. Student led classes will give students a much more in depth understanding of the topics being taught. Personalized learning environments will allow students to learn at a pace in which best fits their needs. Last but not least experiential learning will benefit kids who learn best from hands on experiences. If teachers can begin to give students a voice in the classroom they will be able to relay what teaching techniques work and which do not. Although this is mainly beneficial to the students this will help professors gauge how to teach future classes. Overall Friere and Percy make great points  to show why and how students can take control of their education. 

Kyle Owens review of Sabrina Lindey

Praise: introduction paragraph is very well organized and does the job of relaying to the reader what will be discussed in following paragraphs.

use of Percy: I like how you introduced your idea of the package then shared the Percy quote. it helped me to better understand it.

constructive: the whole entire paper should be summed up in this paragraph. Restate the main ideas of the paper.

Kyle Owens Haley Myers review

praise: good introduction of Percy, be sure to introduce Friere as well if needed.

Use of Percy: this quote is very fitting for your paper. good choice and use of Percy.

Constructive: try to work on developing longer transition sentences to more easily change topics.

Kyle Owens

Topic 4 – project 2 

What exactly is good teaching? This is a question that has gone unanswered for quite some time. Walker Percy and Friere(full name)(describe loss of creature and banking concept) have spent much time trying to answer this question. Although Percy and Freire both value the role of the teacher, they caution against the act of teaching. Freire states “The people subjected to domination must fight for their emancipation”. In this case the students have to fight for their education. From a students point of view I agree with many of the ideas of Percy and Freire. Professors should be able to cater the lesson plan to the specific needs of the students.  Professors are able to support real student learning by teaching the class a way that increases student interaction, and will benefit students most, not the professors. Some ways real student learning can be implemented include project based learning, student led classes, personalized learning environments and (sub point 4 ). The most relevant idea that came to mind was implementing project based learning in the classroom. 

Project based learning can be beneficial to many students, specifically those who struggle with standardized tests. Replacing standardized tests with projects students will be able to essentially teach themselves. Students will be able to work at their own specific pace that works best for them. Freire and percys views would strongly support this idea. Although Friere and Percy value teachers they believe in “avoiding the educator’s direct presentation of the object as a lesson to be learned.” They would be more inclined to work on their own schedule in a way that is most productive to them. In addition to this students should have both options of working in groups or working independently, as students benefit from these options differently.  When only one option is used some students are given an advantage, while others are put at a disadvantage. I believe that this is essential for this topic, all students know how they learn best. Percy believes not all students would benefit the same from the premade lesson plans and class rules that have been used for years in a row. Perhaps giving the students some leadership in the classroom can solve this problem.

Good teaching should include input from the students on how the class is run, as all students have their own unique ways they learn best. Students having more leadership in the classroom can lead to student run classes.In addition to this student led discussion groups and speeches may also be implemented. The way the class would be ran would stem from the thoughts and beliefs of the students themselves.As Percy has identified,‘”For there is nothing the educator can do to provide for this need of the student, everything the educator does only succeeds in becoming, for the student, part of the educational package.”  In order to achieve teaching without teachers at West Chester University, classrooms need to become more student based and incorporate styles of learning that benefit each student individually. Students will better relate to each other when in a learning environment. Percy further proves this by stating “The educator is well aware that something is wrong, that there is a fatal gap between the students’ learning and students’ lives.” pg 4

College students have been taking classes for years now and are able to identify what learning styles will be most beneficial to them.

Another idea to encourage good learning includes letting individuals learn with students who share their same needs and preferences to create a more personalized learning environment.This can be implemented by a number of surveys to find strengths and weaknesses, and the best learning techniques. These different classes would include the same workload, they will be presented in a different manner. Classes with 200 different students sharing the same lesson plan seems non authentic. Percy reiterates this by stating,“It is now apparent that as between the many measures which may be taken to overcome the opacity, the boredom, of the direct confrontation of the thing or creature in its citadel of symbolic investiture, some are less authentic than others.” pg2 (talk ab instructional differences (relate a specific marketing 250 class to this and use examples )(take out park ab group work and non group work)

Sub point 4

“The educator whose business it is to teach students biology or poetry is unaware of a whole ensemble of relations which exist between the student and the dogfish and between the student and the Shakespeare sonnet.” pg4 

In conclusion although Percy and freire value teachers, they believe in “avoiding the educator’s direct presentation of the object as a lesson to be learned.” These ideas show that students themselves have more to offer in the classroom. The students should be a part of the teaching experience just as much as they are a part of the learning experience. By implementing project based learning, student led classes, personalized learning environments, and (sub point 4) students are able to receive a much more beneficial education 

Kyle Owens peer review of Maddie Barker

Constructive- Constructive: you have a strong thesis, however I would include some more detail to add length to this introduction.

Use of percy: I would relate the quote back to Percy a bit more to better relate your thesis and Percy.

praise: your topics are very clear and the paper is very well organized. All of the facts and quotes are able to support your claims.

Kyle Owens peer review of Rabi

constructive: Possibly add a factual statement to support this claim and to be more persuasive.

Praise: I think this is a great quote to strongly support your claim about working outside the classroom. I would add this quote into the same paragraph.

Use of Percy: When citing Percy I would put the quote before the explanation, and add more detail.

Topic 4Team- Kyle Owens
Paragraph 1

What should good teaching be? This is a question that has gone unanswered for quite some time. Percy and Friere have spent much time trying to answer this question. Although Percy and Freire both value the role of the teacher, they caution against the act of teaching .Freire states that “the people subjected to domination must fight for their emancipation”, in this case the students have to fight for their education. From a students point of view I agree with the ideas of Percy and Freire. Professors should be able to cater the lesson plan to the specific needs of the students.  Professors are able to support real student learning by being more open to teaching the class a way that increase student interaction, and will benefit students most, not the professors. Some ways this can be done include project based learning, student lead discussions, (sub point 3) and (sub point 4 ). The most relevant idea that came to mind was implementing project based learning in the classroom. 
Paragraph 2

project based learning, no exam (groups or individual) would allow students to essentially teach themselves. Although Friere and Percy value teachers they believe in “avoiding the educator’s direct presentation of the object as a lesson to be learned.” They would be more inclined to work on their own schedule in a way that is most productive to them. Students should have both options of working in groups or working independently, as students benefit from these options differently.  When only one option is used some students are given an advantage, while others are put at a disadvantage. I believe that this is essential for this topic, all students know how they learn best. Percy believes not all students would benefit the same from the premade lesson plans and class rules that have been used for years in a row.

Paragraph 3 

The next example of good teaching stems from the thoughts and beliefs of the students themselves. 2. Student led / student contribution discussion group / speeches As Percy has identified, the educator can do nothing for the student. In order to achieve teaching without teaching here at West Chester University, classrooms need to become more student based and incorporate styles of learning that benefit the student individually. Percy states ‘”For there is nothing the educator can do to provide for this need of the student, everything the educator does only succeeds in becoming, for the student, part of the educational package.”Good teaching should include input from the students on how the class is run, as all students have their own unique ways they learn best. College students have been taking classes for years now and are able to identify what learning styles will be most beneficial to them.

“Avoiding the educators direct presentation of the object as the lesson to be learned.”

“The educator is well aware that something is wrong, that there is a fatal gap between the students’ learning and students’ lives.” pg 4

Paragraph 4 Paragraph 5 Paragraph 6 In conclusion 

Praise- lots of detail is seen in your thesis. Good work, just work on adding a transition sentence.

Constructive- good sub points. work on expanding on these ideas. how are you going to challenge students? how are students going to be given new knowledge?

Percy- It is now apparent that as between the many measures which may be taken to overcome the opacity, the boredom, of the direct confrontation of the thing or creature in its citadel of symbolic investiture, some are less authentic than others.

Praise- You have a strong thesis that includes your main points and ideas. I would add a little more detail. other than that it is great.

Constructive- I would add detail to this point. Explain why it is that students have a preconceived idea of learning. where did they get the preconceived ideas?

Percy- To put it bluntly: A student who has
the desire to get at a dogfish or a Shakespeare sonnet may have the greatest difficulty in salvaging the creature itself from the educational package in which it is presented. The great difficulty is that he is not aware that there is a difficulty; surely, he thinks, in such a fine classroom, with such a fine textbook, the sonnet must come across! What’s wrong with me? pg4 II

Topic 4: Team- Kyle Owens
2 sub points – 

Good teaching should include input from the students on how the class is run, as all students have their own unique ways they learn best. College students have been taking classes for years now and are able to identify what learning styles will be most beneficial to them.

Students should have both options of working in groups or working independently, as students benefit from these options differently.  When only one option is used some students are given an advantage, while others are put at a disadvantage. 

Thesis – Professors can support real student learning by being more open to teaching the class a way that will benefit students most, not the professors. 

2 supporting percy ideas- “Avoiding the educators direct presentation of the object as the lesson to be learned.” “The educator is well aware that something is wrong, that there is a fatal gap between the students’ learning and students’ lives.” pg 4

Kyle Owens 

Topic 2: student power

Thesis:

 Freire encourages students to use their power to overcome the systematic oppression in the classroom, and to reject previous outdated techniques.West Chester students can use this inspiration to lead endless amounts of movements on campus such as boycotting classes, withholding tuition payments, and even physically block off streets on campus. Freire wants students to recognize this power they hold. 

Quote 1: “The capability of banking education to minimize or annul the students’ creative power and to stimulate their credulity serves the interests of the oppressors, who care neither to have the world revealed nor to see it transformed.” pg2

Quote 2:  “Based on a mechanistic, static, naturalistic, spatialized view of consciousness, it transforms students into receiving objects. It attempts to control thinking and action, leads women and men to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative power.” pg3

Quote 3: “Those truly committed to liberation must reject the banking concept in its entirety, adopting instead a concept of women and men as conscious beings, and consciousness as consciousness intent upon the world.” pg4

Kyle Owens

 Topic 2: student power

Thesis: Freire encourages students to use their power to overcome the systematic oppression in the classroom, and to reject previous outdated techniques.

Quote 1: “The capability of banking education to minimize or annul the students’ creative power and to stimulate their credulity serves the interests of the oppressors, who care neither to have the world revealed nor to see it transformed.” pg2

Quote 2:  “Based on a mechanistic, static, naturalistic, spatialized view of consciousness, it transforms students into receiving objects. It attempts to control thinking and action, leads women and men to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative power.” pg3

Quote 3: “Those truly committed to liberation must reject the banking concept in its entirety, adopting instead a concept of women and men as conscious beings, and consciousness as consciousness intent upon the world.” pg4

Freire mentions the subject of student power in the learning environment, and how students can take action. In our discussion group we talked about the different ways students can help themselves, as well as their teachers and peers in the classroom. One common point that was made is that students can help educate others by sharing past experiences and opinions. I often do this by asking upperclassmen for course recommendations. I also ask if they would have done anything differently in the past to improve their college experience. This led to our next point that open discussions in the classroom may be more beneficial than a lecture. Students tend to be much more engaged in a group discussion with the teacher and peers. Lastly we discussed the example of younger generations of students helping older teachers with technical difficulties and how to use the newer technology in the classroom. Overall teachers and students should be willing to learn from each other and listen to the opinions from each others point of views.

Kyle, Mimi, Nick ,Abbi, Tj ,adam

In our discussion group we talked about the importance of spacing in a classroom and how it has affected each of us individually. Spacing greatly affects how students feel in a classroom and the interactions they make. The amount of seats in a classroom plays a big factor in how well each student knows their professor. We agreed in lecture halls with over 100 students it is much easier to become sidetracked, and less engaged. When in small classroom settings students feel more focused and motivated. In a smaller class size students are much more likely to reach out for help if needed. Many of us prefer smaller classroom settings for this reason. We also discussed how the seats are all set up the same which gives each student a similar point of view. However we agreed students in the back of the room find it much easier to become distracted, while students in the front are motivated to focus. Lastly in our discussion we talked about online classes. The majority agreed it is more beneficial to have a professor in the room with you. I personally find it easier to become less engaged in an online class. Overall classroom spacing greatly affects how we learn.

Kyle O ,Noah H, Riley, Nick p, Donny L, Haley M, Sean 
Bella d, Muhhammad rabi 

Leader- Noah

Kyle O

Gabby L

Timothy D

Sarah V

Rabi Cristian G

Sabrina V

In Our discussion we talked about How Friere describes teachers as being opposite of the students and how creativity of students is being limited. Teachers and students are often looked at as opposites because the student has no voice while the teacher has the only voice and dictates how the class is run. The teacher chooses the content, and how they relay that content to the students. This gives teachers an overwhelming amount of control in the classroom. We also discussed how teachers are able to persuade students to think like them, which in time makes students far less creative. Teachers talk about the world in a predictable manner which takes critical thinking away from the students. If students are not able to think critically and form their own opinions they will in time become much less excited to learn. Many classrooms are being run in a non creative manner like this. This is in no way benefiting the students. Friere even compares students to slaves because due to the excessive structure in classrooms. Lastly,my group also discussed that teachers today are becoming more open to ideas of students and allowing them to think more critically. Friere wrote this piece in 1970 which is why some of his views may be outdated. Overall I agree with his idea that students are being limited in the classroom but I believe things have been changing for the better in my recent classroom experiences.