Lecture 1
Liberation theology can only be truly understood by examining the situations in which it arose. There are more strictly defined ways of describing liberation theology but the most crucial question of liberation theology is “what does a Christian do in today’s society?” This emphasis of liberation theology on praxis indicates the need to study the situation where liberation theology was born. Two things which emerge from the first prescribed reading is that liberation theology is question of God and liberation. The two are not to be understood separately. The first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI stated “Deus caritas est”, God is love and in liberation theology the love of God is expressed a compassion and action for the poor.One of the key figures of liberation theology, sometimes considered its founder, is Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian priest who is both highly educated familiar with poor people especially in his native land. The combination of studying in elite institutions and then witnessing the poor people had a profound effect on Gutierrez. From his life’s work it would seem that he did not abandon his faith on seeing the suffering in the world but instead resolved to live the love of God that he preached. In essence, if God really is love then anyone who knows God by definition must help the poor, the suffering, the oppressed.According to Gutierrez the first act is a commitment to the poor and then theology is the second act. This commitment is shown by making a common cause with the poor. It cannot be emphasised enough that the heart of liberation theology is to encounter the poor and be in solidarity with them. The suffering of the poor inspired this commitment in Gutierrez in the light of Christian faith and that fundamental experience is still the centrepiece of liberation theology. Its is probably accurate to say that theology itself, being always the second act, has been gradually elaborated over time and is still being elaborated today. Gutierrez is not the only person elaborating theology and the cause is not confined to Peru or even the Americas. A large number of leading thinkers have contributed to the elaboration from all parts of the world including first world countries where the average Christian would not encounter such horrendous poverty.Our first prescribed reading makes it clear that Jesus is a liberator. Being a liberator however is not an abstract title, Jesus’ mission is to help the poor and first and foremost. This vision of Jesus as one who empowers people “is after long neglect in Christian History, being appreciated again.” In modern times it is clear from a brief survey of international media that there is no shortage of poverty and suffering in the world but this raises the question of where the response is that liberation theologians have their work cut out for them if the message of liberation theology is needed more urgently. The two options are not entirely the same. It is certainly worth pondering the words of Jesus “the poor will always be with you.” Did Jesus mean that the poor will never be entirely liberated or that the struggle will take longer than his audience at the time would have realised. Perhaps this quotation is not as relevant to liberation theology as it would seem because nowhere in the first prescribed reading did it say that the success or validity of liberation theology can be determined by how many poor people are liberated or when the entirety of them are. Liberation theology is a practice and a process, a process which does not have a set end date. The success can only be judged by whether a person actually loves the poor.
Reflection on Lecture 2 & 3
Saturday's workshop further developed the concept of the rivalry between the purity and prophetic projects but first I would like to refer back to the second lecture. The beginning of the material is to understand that the bible (in particular the first testament) is a text which was revised and edited over many generations and in this context the meaning of the events depicted in the first testament can be understood. The central event of the first testament is the exodus, the liberation of the Hebrew people from the oppression of Egypt and the pharaoh. It is worth noting that names like Hebrew, Jew and Israelite did not emerge in history until sometime after the event and this gives a hint that the text was written to fit in with the sentiment and understanding of writers after the fact. It is quite probable that the people referred to are the Apiru, a poor, citizenship-less underclass that existed throughout the city states of the area.The exodus is a sign of God's preference for the poor, which is not to say that God does not care for the wealthy but that when God acts he acts in defence of the poor at the expense of the rich. The exodus can be seen as a primitive social uprising of one people over the oppressors and the project can be called the Promised Land project. Having escaped into the desert, Moses hands down the Decalogue and all the associated laws. This is a necessary part of the formalization of the process that Moses had started but also gives berth to a rival project of achieving purity through obedience. Having received the law the Israelites proceed into Canaan and develop their own sovereign state although perhaps this did not happen in the conquering manner depicted in the bible, it could have been that the Israelites expanded the Promised Land project to include all sorts of downtrodden people in Canaan. After sometime the project grows stale and the people who had been liberated begin to lose the meaning of the original exodus, this heralds the time of the prophets. Throughout biblical history one of the main duties of the prophets is to speak out against the nations who had started to oppress people and lost the original sense of God. From here on the two rival projects are the prophetic project, concerned with justice and the purity project, concerned with the law. This brief outline of the bible sets up the theme of lecture three.Around one thousand years after the exodus, the figure of Jesus emerges in history. Understanding Jesus is not as simple as may at first seem. The schisms within the church and associated violence is a testament to the fact that Jesus is controversial. However it is clear that Jesus was controversial even in his own time (Mt 10:34-36). Jesus incurs the incredulity of the Pharisees when he cures a paralytic (Mt 10:3-8), heals a sick woman (Lk 13:14-17) and in many other places. Jesus was also scorned for dining with a tax collector, Zacheus (Lk 19:1-20). The tax collector is an interesting aspect of Hebrew society at the time. The tax collectors were considered the greatest of sinners and the reason is simple: it was the tax collector who was making injustice against the people. The Roman Empire instituted a policy of employing local people to assist in the administration of the empire. A tax collector was hired and told to collect tax from the people at a rate set by the empire and was given access to the roman army to enforce it. It was then the tax collectors own business if he decided to charge a higher tax and keep the remainder for himself. The Jews resented greatly the tax collectors because they were being victimised but could not rise up against their own. When Jesus dines with the tax collector it sends a message that Jesus forgives also the sin of injustice. Furthermore, after Jesus agrees to dine with Zacheus, Zacheus feels inspired to return all that he stole, in fact he declares he will make a four-fold restitution.
Regarding the Sabbath Jesus takes an unpopular view, that “the Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27). In these and other passages Jesus seems to favour the prophetic project over the purity project because he does not follow the laws strictly when they contradict the opportunity to do good. Later however Jesus speaks highly of the law and says that those who break the law will be considered the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. So this begs the question: was Jesus a prophet or a puritan? Michael Elphick articulated on this point by drawing attention to the pros and cons of each school of though: the purity project can restrict love and can even grow violent while the prophetic project can make any notion of truth relative and confusing (bumfuzzling). In a certain way Jesus is both pure and prophetic, he upholds and treasures the law himself while scolding those who make an idol of the law. In my personal opinion Jesus is perfect, he upheld the law perfectly, even when he apparently broke the law, because he understood that the law itself was made to improve relationships, which is to say to enshrine love for God and for one’s fellow man. This can be explained with a bible quote:
But when the Pharisees hear that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to put him to the test, one of them put to him a question, “Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Jesus said to him, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your, and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hand the whole law, and the prophets too.(Mt 22:34-40)
In this short passage Jesus succinctly explains the meaning of the whole history of Israel, from Abraham to Malachi.
The most though provoking component of the talk was the story of the passion of Christ, a theme made more topical by Mel Gibson. First of all it is necessary to understand why Jesus died and the reason why is very simple. When God became human, in the figure of Jesus, he became fully human, subjected to all the realities of humanity. Clearly then Jesus was going to die and of course Jesus became subjected to the injustice of others. Jesus died as a victim of the purity project. This however was not some script written by God, it is purely a consequence of humanity’s free will. Since Jesus was God, the passion can be seen as an act of solidarity, where God is willing to suffer alongside humanity. It may appear in the Gospels that Jesus acknowledges that the cross was God’s plan for him but these passages must be understood in their historical context. Most of these passages come from the Gospel of Luke, who was writing at the time of the destruction of the temple. He had a particular purpose which was to show that Jesus had great Jewish credentials. The non-planned nature of the cross can also be proved by examination of the scriptures. Throughout the New Testament God is described as a loving father, and this has been the fundamental theology of the church for 2,000 years, so how then can a loving Father require such a sacrifice of his own son? Clearly God does not intend all the suffering of the world. When Jesus says “anyone who does not take up his cross is not worthy of me” he is saying that all his followers must have a similar spirit of solidarity, not that God gives to each person a cross to carry.
Lecture 4
The course progressed in lecture 4 from a discussion of the basis for liberation theology to the application for today which is to say reading “the signs of the times”. The current situation of the world cannot be separated from the effects of globalisation. Globalisation means that the whole world lives in a globalised economy where a small scale economy which previously affected only one town, one city or one country is now reproduced on a global scale. The well being of each of the earth’s 6 billion inhabitants is intrinsically linked through trade, diplomacy and certainly warfare. The current situation is often referred to as the 80:20 divide, where 80% of the people control 20% of the wealth while the remaining 20% of the people control the remaining 80% of the wealth. Since the industrial revolution the wealth of the world has increased exponentially and this has created an even wider gap between the wealthy and the non wealthy (haves and have-nots).
The dominant country in today’s world, economically, socially, culturally and in terms of military is without doubt the United States. The influence is particularly strong in English speaking countries like Australia. It is worth reflecting on the Americanization of the Australian society during the ten years of John Howard being in office. The most vivid concern in today’s climate is terrorism. Terrorism was made apparent to everyone through the events of September 11, 2001. The televised images of innocent people dying by the thousands shocked the western world and paved the way for the invasion of Afghanistan and then Iraq and perhaps North Korea and Iran. But then is terrorism really that new? In the previous lectures we examined the story of the Exodus, particularly looking at the mythologically free, historical context of the story. It could perhaps be said, especially with regard to the slaying of the first born, that the exodus involved terrorist practices. We have already said that the exodus was a social uprising where the Hebrew (or Apiru) liberated themselves from the oppressors and so it would seem logical to analyse 9/11 in terms of oppression and uprising.
As previously stated the military might of America has dominated the global landscape, especially since WW2. The involvement of America in the war in Europe and the Pacific was one of the elements which helped the allies win the war. In particular the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was an effective show of America’s dominance, albeit in the twilight period of the war. In the 60 years that have followed, the USA has become the most militant and aggressive country by far. Successive wars, in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East have been interspersed by smaller scale military action performed by America or sponsored by America. The American military budget is larger than all the other military budgets in the world. It could be said that the American military is defending the wealth divide of the global economy. In the light of liberation theology, these issues start to become apparent.
Lecture 5
The final lecture examined further the American micro climate, the effect this has on the average citizen in the western world who may have scant political interest and only a limited understanding of theology. The situation of America today is very much linked to the theology of the people that arrived in the country more than 400 years ago.
At the time various pressures in Europe existed, such as the competitive nature of the numerous empires of Europe. The exhaustion of many avenues for wealth in the old world led to an age of exploration. One particular pressure going on was the schismatic nature of Christendom. Since the 15th century, various reformers of the church had received the backing of temporal powers to create breakaway churches (protestants) the most well known of these is Martin Luther but others existed, including John Calvin. Calvin bears the name of a reform movement that was forged by a large number of people. One of the doctrines of the movement is that of predestination where “God freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass." This idea was carried by Pilgrim Fathers to America. One of the realities of Europe at the time was that the different churches were warring against one another and puritans came to America to escape the oppression of their old country.
To make a side note, I do not think that religious reform was invented in the middle ages. I think the process has been going on far longer, Jesus himself was a reformer after all. Various saints of the church, in particular St Francis of Assisi, were also reformers: their actions changed the history and practice of the church. The reason for the reformation gaining such momentum is due to the expiry of Christendom. From the period of the expulsion of the moors, Christianity in Europe involved a sometimes awkward combination of politics, god, economics, academia and warfare. Christendom itself was a theological and cultural force was protected itself using the method of the time. By the 15th century the situation had changed and realistically the Pope’s support was not needed to defend Europe form invasion. Christendom started decay and gave way to a more unified expression of Christianity where the only concern of the church is fostering love in the same fashion as Jesus did.
Having arrived in the new world the Pilgrim Fathers would have been delighted to discover that this was the most exploitable land ever seen. The forests of the North West were torn down and made way for farming, the mineral deposits of the mountainous regions were exploited. The doctrine of predestination helped in colonising the interior of the continent and removing the indigenous population who, for various reasons, were unable to maintain a strong resistance. As technology improved and new infrastructure was created the forests in the north east were allowed to regrow, creating the rich Ivy League foliage for which it is famous. The newly tamed region of the Mississippi Valley created an immense agricultural gold mine that made so many other areas obsolete.
With the doctrine of predestination the status of the colonist grew from aspiring home builders to bearers of a manifest destiny. This idea that America’s right to exist and prosper was a plan of God has continued to this day. America’s fiercely competitive attitude to life finds its way into the consumer driven society we live in today. It is worthwhile to pause for a moment and consider when the last Australian election was held where the key issues did not relate to how much each person has in their back pocket. Consumerism is the goal of life today and it also drives the society. Japan’s recent economic downturn was caused by a lack of consumer spending, which in turn has put many skilled workers on the streets.
Amidst all this, what is liberation theology going to do? What is Jesus liberating us from? The oppression of our time is not any on particular person but rather a philosophy put into practice. It is the philosophy that all things in life are designed to gather more wealth. It creates a practice that ironically cheapens life, as all sense of Justice is given over for the might dollar. It is from this subtle but powerful slavery that God saves us. As can be seen in the following Bible quote:
‘And now a man came to him and asked, ‘Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?’ Jesus said to him ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one along who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus replied, ‘These: You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false witness. Honour your father and your mother. You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these. What more do I need to do?’ Jesus said, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when the young man heard these words he want away said for he was a man of great wealth.’
Reference: A New Way of Encountering God. ‘Liberation Theology’ An Introductory Guide, Robert McAfee Brown. Chapter 3
Monday, June 4, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
ED4134 Assesment Two - Catering For Learning Styles
Video - Meisner Effect
Principle
Application
These videos are a demonstration of the Meisner effect. This seemingly supernatural phenomenon is a result of the superconducting properties of certain materials at extremely low temperatures.
Gardner
This demonstration would suit those with visual intelligence. The first video is the simplest demonstration of the effect. This demonstration is important because the theoretical understanding of superconductivity is very hard to grasp but the effect is readily demonstrated. All the theoretical attempts to understand the effect are first based on having observed it.
The second video is an application of this effect with a voice-over explanation of what is happening. This would be particularly relevant to those with visual spatial intelligence because this demonstrates the way of thinking that engineers and artists use.
A logical thinker would also benefit from this presentation because the voiceover explains the logic of how the system works: magnetic fields are trapped in the superconductor. From here it follows logically that the train will run as it appears to.
Implementation
This could be implemented as a video presentation in a classroom setting. In Bloom's Taxonomy this presentation would fall into the lowest level of cognitive ability however the stunning visual and the sequence of first the concept is illustrated without explanation and then application is given could be a very effective aid to remembering.
In Vygotsky's theory this could be seen as cultural mediation where the cultural significance hinted at in the second video aids a process of internalization.
This effect is briefly covered in the year 12 Physics syllabus and
Audio File
Sound of the Big Bang
"(c) John G. Cramer - 2003
Sound file of what the Big Bang would have sounded like in the very early stages of the Universe if someone were around to hear it and if that person could also hear very low frequencies.
Gardner
This sound file would be very useful to musically intelligent people. The sound does in fact have a rythm and melody to it (albeit not a very appealing one). The changing pitch and volume of the sound could be easily remembered by a musically able person and this would re-enforce the theory behind the sound, which is that the universe expanded and changed characteristics.
Implementation
Two simple ways to implement this device are to play it to the class or embed it in a document, blog, webpage or email so that the sound file fits with the text it describes. The combination of linguistic implementation and audio re-inforcement can be experienced individually or with a group, that is, at the student's own pace or at the teacher's pace.
Image Slideshow
Gardner
This demonstration is clearly useful to the visually able. The three pictures have a logical order to them that lends itself to knowing the history of scientific principles which is one of the objectives of the NSW Syllabus. The sequence reads: there was a man called Isaac Newton, he published an important historical document, the result of which can be seen on people's desks worldwide.
This would also help people with linguistic curiousity. Newton's paper was published in Latin, as can be seen in the picture and this puts the question of scientific advancement in the context linguistic abilities to convey them.
Implementation
As a cognitive ICT tool this slideshow can be helpful as an easy to remember visual record of key parts of the NSW syllabus. The combination of the picture and caption and the animation of the pictures in the form of a book puts this historical and sometimes dull practise in a new dimensions. Now the students can see that the historical developments has influenced the world in the four hundred years since Newton was born. The Newton's cradle is something which most people would have seen and used but have not really understood.
Online Game
free online games
The player controls a paddle which is used to hit the ball past the computers paddle and score a goal.
Gardner
This game is highly advantageous for visual spatial learners because it uses angled lines to convey a three dimensional system. According to Gardner's theory, those with an artistic eye would grasp the meaning of the game quicker.
The kinesthetic students would also be drawn in more quickly into the game because it exercises their physical abilities.
Implementation
The first thing which makes this game a good ICT tool is that it is very fun to play, in this way it draws the students into play. What the game demonstrates to the students is the nature of spin on a ball. In the same way that a tennis ball hit with top spin will fall more quickly than one without, a ball hit with side spin will curve away. The game is designed so that the player can impart spin onthe ball and score the goal. The spin motion is consistent with the laws of physics and is an important thing to be understood in basic Newtonian mechanics.
Visual Map
A mindmap of Isaac Newton and the concepts which he pioneered or was influenced by.
Gardner
A mindmap is very helpful to a visual spatial learner. It allows the key ideas to be displayed in a way which can be more easily remember. Furthermore it allows each concept to be linked with another by a very concrete method.
Implementation
Mind maps are proven to be a valuable aid to learning for students. One of the benefits of mind maps is that it allows students to add to them as they gain new knowledge and also allows them to build the connections themselves. This requires students to be active learners, analysing and then implementing the knowledge they recieve.
Principle
Application
These videos are a demonstration of the Meisner effect. This seemingly supernatural phenomenon is a result of the superconducting properties of certain materials at extremely low temperatures.
Gardner
This demonstration would suit those with visual intelligence. The first video is the simplest demonstration of the effect. This demonstration is important because the theoretical understanding of superconductivity is very hard to grasp but the effect is readily demonstrated. All the theoretical attempts to understand the effect are first based on having observed it.
The second video is an application of this effect with a voice-over explanation of what is happening. This would be particularly relevant to those with visual spatial intelligence because this demonstrates the way of thinking that engineers and artists use.
A logical thinker would also benefit from this presentation because the voiceover explains the logic of how the system works: magnetic fields are trapped in the superconductor. From here it follows logically that the train will run as it appears to.
Implementation
This could be implemented as a video presentation in a classroom setting. In Bloom's Taxonomy this presentation would fall into the lowest level of cognitive ability however the stunning visual and the sequence of first the concept is illustrated without explanation and then application is given could be a very effective aid to remembering.
In Vygotsky's theory this could be seen as cultural mediation where the cultural significance hinted at in the second video aids a process of internalization.
This effect is briefly covered in the year 12 Physics syllabus and
Audio File
Sound of the Big Bang
"(c) John G. Cramer - 2003
Sound file of what the Big Bang would have sounded like in the very early stages of the Universe if someone were around to hear it and if that person could also hear very low frequencies.
Gardner
This sound file would be very useful to musically intelligent people. The sound does in fact have a rythm and melody to it (albeit not a very appealing one). The changing pitch and volume of the sound could be easily remembered by a musically able person and this would re-enforce the theory behind the sound, which is that the universe expanded and changed characteristics.
Implementation
Two simple ways to implement this device are to play it to the class or embed it in a document, blog, webpage or email so that the sound file fits with the text it describes. The combination of linguistic implementation and audio re-inforcement can be experienced individually or with a group, that is, at the student's own pace or at the teacher's pace.
Image Slideshow
Gardner
This demonstration is clearly useful to the visually able. The three pictures have a logical order to them that lends itself to knowing the history of scientific principles which is one of the objectives of the NSW Syllabus. The sequence reads: there was a man called Isaac Newton, he published an important historical document, the result of which can be seen on people's desks worldwide.
This would also help people with linguistic curiousity. Newton's paper was published in Latin, as can be seen in the picture and this puts the question of scientific advancement in the context linguistic abilities to convey them.
Implementation
As a cognitive ICT tool this slideshow can be helpful as an easy to remember visual record of key parts of the NSW syllabus. The combination of the picture and caption and the animation of the pictures in the form of a book puts this historical and sometimes dull practise in a new dimensions. Now the students can see that the historical developments has influenced the world in the four hundred years since Newton was born. The Newton's cradle is something which most people would have seen and used but have not really understood.
Online Game
free online games
The player controls a paddle which is used to hit the ball past the computers paddle and score a goal.
Gardner
This game is highly advantageous for visual spatial learners because it uses angled lines to convey a three dimensional system. According to Gardner's theory, those with an artistic eye would grasp the meaning of the game quicker.
The kinesthetic students would also be drawn in more quickly into the game because it exercises their physical abilities.
Implementation
The first thing which makes this game a good ICT tool is that it is very fun to play, in this way it draws the students into play. What the game demonstrates to the students is the nature of spin on a ball. In the same way that a tennis ball hit with top spin will fall more quickly than one without, a ball hit with side spin will curve away. The game is designed so that the player can impart spin onthe ball and score the goal. The spin motion is consistent with the laws of physics and is an important thing to be understood in basic Newtonian mechanics.
Visual Map
A mindmap of Isaac Newton and the concepts which he pioneered or was influenced by.
Gardner
A mindmap is very helpful to a visual spatial learner. It allows the key ideas to be displayed in a way which can be more easily remember. Furthermore it allows each concept to be linked with another by a very concrete method.
Implementation
Mind maps are proven to be a valuable aid to learning for students. One of the benefits of mind maps is that it allows students to add to them as they gain new knowledge and also allows them to build the connections themselves. This requires students to be active learners, analysing and then implementing the knowledge they recieve.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Copied from Offspring
How do we manage multiple intelligences in the ICT environment?
AIM: To answer this question as a collaborative group using the links below...
Explore e-learning This is a catalogue of resources for Teaching Maths and Science in Secondary schools http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspResourceCatalog This is a site that provides a wide range of activities based on Gardner's multiple intelligences (fantastic site!) http://surfaquarium.com/mi/intelligences.htmThis site provides a number of very useful sites in relation to Gardener's MI with ideas for the classroom and the use of ICThttp://hometown.aol.com/abctagteam/multiple_intelligences.htmApplying Bloom's Taxonomy in the classroomThis gives you concrete leads....but how do you use it in the ICT environment?http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htmThere are a number of different sites that link you into research on e-learning and current trends. This site won't provide you with an immediate answer but it will help you begin collaborating with those who are researching in this field.http://www.ncsl.org.uk/networked/index.cfmConstructivist learning theory...don't forget that you are basing all this work on this theory. This is a good summary for you and not too technical.http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/constructivistlearning.htmlThis site from Bradford England goes through the various intelligences and gives you possible activities in ICT to use to develop particular intelligences. While it is way beyond our technologies it is good to know because schools are getting these resources. There are also an increasing number of these technologies available as free software.http://www.bradfordschools.net/content/view/226/182
Tools and resources provided by Intel for free to support collaborative student centered learning. Online thinking tools are active learning places where students engage in robust discussions, pursue investigations, analyse complex information and solve problems. Resources for 21st century teaching help teachers play a critical role in facilitating learning activities and posing questions that take student thinking deeper.http://www.intel.com/education/tools/index.htm
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Labels: Compiled by Allan Coman
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Reflection on Lecture 2 & 3
Saturday's workshop further developed the concept of the rivalry between the purity and prophetic projects but first I would like to refer back to the second lecture. The beginning of the material is to understand that the bible (in particular the first testament) is a text which was revised and edited over many generations and in this context the meaning of the events depicted in the first testament can be understood. The central event of the first testament is the exodus, the liberation of the hebrew people from the oppression of egypt and the pharoah. It is worth noting that names like hebrew, jew and israelite did not emerge in history until sometime after the event and this gives a hint that the text was written to fit in with the sentiment and understanding of writers after the fact. It is quite probable that the people referred to are the Apiru, a poor, citizenship-less underclass that existed throughout the city states of the area.
The exodus is a sign of God's preference for the poor, which is not to say that God does not care for the wealthy but that when God acts he acts in defence of the poor at the expense of the rich. The exodus can be seen as a primitive social uprising of one people over the oppressors and the project can be called the promised land project. Having escaped into the desert, Moses hands down the decalogue and all the associated laws. This is a necessary part of the formalization of the process that Moses had started but also gives berth to a rival project of achieving purity through obedience. Having recieved the law the Israelites proceed into Canan and develop their own sovereign state although perhaps this did not happen in the conquering manner depicted in the bible, it could have been that the Israelites expanded the promised land project to include all sorts of downtrodden people in Canan. After sometime the project grows stale and the people who had been liberated begin to lose the meaning of the original exodus, this heralds the time of the prophets. Throughout biblical history one of the main duties of the prophets is to speak out against the nations who had started to oppress people and lost the original sense of God. From here on the two rival projects are the prophetic project, concerned with justice and the purity project, concerned with the law. This bief outline of the bible sets up the theme of lecture three.
Around one thousand years after the exodus, the figure of Jesus emerges in history.
Note to Michael: I'm still writing this post. Will add more shortly.
The exodus is a sign of God's preference for the poor, which is not to say that God does not care for the wealthy but that when God acts he acts in defence of the poor at the expense of the rich. The exodus can be seen as a primitive social uprising of one people over the oppressors and the project can be called the promised land project. Having escaped into the desert, Moses hands down the decalogue and all the associated laws. This is a necessary part of the formalization of the process that Moses had started but also gives berth to a rival project of achieving purity through obedience. Having recieved the law the Israelites proceed into Canan and develop their own sovereign state although perhaps this did not happen in the conquering manner depicted in the bible, it could have been that the Israelites expanded the promised land project to include all sorts of downtrodden people in Canan. After sometime the project grows stale and the people who had been liberated begin to lose the meaning of the original exodus, this heralds the time of the prophets. Throughout biblical history one of the main duties of the prophets is to speak out against the nations who had started to oppress people and lost the original sense of God. From here on the two rival projects are the prophetic project, concerned with justice and the purity project, concerned with the law. This bief outline of the bible sets up the theme of lecture three.
Around one thousand years after the exodus, the figure of Jesus emerges in history.
Note to Michael: I'm still writing this post. Will add more shortly.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Reflection on Education,Service & Community Management
Liberation theology can only be truly understood by examing the situations in which it arose. There are more strictly defined ways of describing liberation theology but the most crucial question of liberation theology is “what does a Christian do in today’s society?” This emphasis of liberation theology on praxis indicates the need to study the situation where liberation theology was born. Two things which emerge from the first prescribed reading is that liberation theology is question of God and liberation. The two are not to be understood separately. The first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI stated “Deus caritas est”, God is love and in liberation theology the love of God is expressed a compassion and action for the poor.
One of the key figures of liberation theology, sometimes considered its founder, is Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian priest who is both highly educated familiar with poor people especially in his native land. The combination of studying in elite institutions and then witnessing the poor people had a profound effect on Gutierrez. From his life’s work it would seem that he did not abandon his faith on seeing the suffering in the world but instead resolved to live the love of God that he preached. In essence, if God really is love then anyone who knows God by definition must help the poor, the suffering, the oppressed.
According to Gutierrez the first act is a commitment to the poor and then theology is the second act. This commitment is shown by making a common cause with the poor. It cannot be emphasised enough that the heart of liberation theology is to encounter the poor and be in solidarity with them. The suffering of the poor inspired this commitment in Gutierrez in the light of Christian faith and that fundamental experience is still the centrepiece of liberation theology. Its is probably accurate to say that theology itself, being always the second act, has been gradually elaborated over time and is still being elaborated today. Gutierrez is not the only person elaborating theology and the cause is not confined to Peru or even the Americas. A large number of leading thinkers have contributed to the elaboration from all parts of the world including first world countries where the average Christian would not encounter such horrendous poverty.
Our first prescribed reading makes it clear that Jesus is a liberator. Being a liberator however is not an abstract title, Jesus’ mission is to help the poor and first and foremost. This vision of Jesus as one who empowers people “is after long neglect in Christian History, being appreciated again.” In modern times it is clear from a brief survey of international media that there is no shortage of poverty and suffering in the world but this raises the question of where the response is that liberation theologians have their work cut out for them if the message of liberation theology is needed more urgently. The two options are not entirely the same. It is certainly worth pondering the words of Jesus “the poor will always be with you.” Did Jesus mean that the poor will never be entirely liberated or that the struggle will take longer than his audience at the time would have realised. Perhaps this quotation is not as relevant to liberation theology as it would seem because nowhere in the first prescribed reading did it say that the success or validity of liberation theology can be determined by how many poor people are liberated or when the entirety of them are. Liberation theology is a practice and a process, a process which does not have a set end date. The success can only be judged by whether a person actually loves the poor.
Reference
A New Way of Encountering God. ‘Liberation Theology’ An Introductory Guide, Robert McAfee Brown. Chapter 3
One of the key figures of liberation theology, sometimes considered its founder, is Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian priest who is both highly educated familiar with poor people especially in his native land. The combination of studying in elite institutions and then witnessing the poor people had a profound effect on Gutierrez. From his life’s work it would seem that he did not abandon his faith on seeing the suffering in the world but instead resolved to live the love of God that he preached. In essence, if God really is love then anyone who knows God by definition must help the poor, the suffering, the oppressed.
According to Gutierrez the first act is a commitment to the poor and then theology is the second act. This commitment is shown by making a common cause with the poor. It cannot be emphasised enough that the heart of liberation theology is to encounter the poor and be in solidarity with them. The suffering of the poor inspired this commitment in Gutierrez in the light of Christian faith and that fundamental experience is still the centrepiece of liberation theology. Its is probably accurate to say that theology itself, being always the second act, has been gradually elaborated over time and is still being elaborated today. Gutierrez is not the only person elaborating theology and the cause is not confined to Peru or even the Americas. A large number of leading thinkers have contributed to the elaboration from all parts of the world including first world countries where the average Christian would not encounter such horrendous poverty.
Our first prescribed reading makes it clear that Jesus is a liberator. Being a liberator however is not an abstract title, Jesus’ mission is to help the poor and first and foremost. This vision of Jesus as one who empowers people “is after long neglect in Christian History, being appreciated again.” In modern times it is clear from a brief survey of international media that there is no shortage of poverty and suffering in the world but this raises the question of where the response is that liberation theologians have their work cut out for them if the message of liberation theology is needed more urgently. The two options are not entirely the same. It is certainly worth pondering the words of Jesus “the poor will always be with you.” Did Jesus mean that the poor will never be entirely liberated or that the struggle will take longer than his audience at the time would have realised. Perhaps this quotation is not as relevant to liberation theology as it would seem because nowhere in the first prescribed reading did it say that the success or validity of liberation theology can be determined by how many poor people are liberated or when the entirety of them are. Liberation theology is a practice and a process, a process which does not have a set end date. The success can only be judged by whether a person actually loves the poor.
Reference
A New Way of Encountering God. ‘Liberation Theology’ An Introductory Guide, Robert McAfee Brown. Chapter 3
Monday, April 2, 2007
ED 4134 - Reflections on John Hattie
John Hattie is a New Zealand academic whose interests lie in research methodology, structural equation modelling, self concept and models of teaching and learning. In a 2003 presentation to a world leadership forum he explained that his motivation was to improve the quality of New Zealand’s education system for the benefits that a world class education system has on the global economy. In the same paper, Hattie suggests that the most critical factor affecting the students outcomes is actually the teacher and not the school. Furthermore he suggests that teaching needs to go from an experience oriented activity to a clinical science, as has similarly happened for doctors who at first treated patients based on their own experiences of what works but gradually changed to treating patients based on what evidence has been amassed about that particular situation. Quantifying the influences on educational quality was the topic of Hattie’s inaugural professorial address in 1999. Hattie collected the data from many different studies in order to rank the effect size of each influential factor. In that paper as well Hattie identified qualities of the teacher as having the biggest effect and suggested that experience as a teacher is not enough to become an accomplished teacher, instead each teacher may require further training to follow up on the initial training that teachers receive before entering the school system.
ED 4134 - Reflections on William Glasser
William Glasser is an American psychiatrist who developed reality therapy and choice theory. His work has contributed to a diverse range of fields including education. Reality therapy is not the same as giving people a “dose of reality”, instead it is based on the idea that at all times, every person is trying to fulfill five needs, specifically: power, love & belonging, freedom, fun and survival. Reality therapy is about making realistic choices to fill the desires based on the five psychological needs. Glasser’s criticized classroom practice by saying that teachers are too concerned with making students obey rather than providing the satisfying educational experience that helps students fulfill their five needs. Glasser said in Choice Theory (1998) that 95% of all behavioral problems in the classroom are the students trying to fulfill their need for power. Glasser also described seven caring habits and seven deadly habits of the teacher. When dealing with a misbehaving student, teachers are encouraged to use reality therapy to modify the student’s behavior. The William Glasser Institute maintains a list of schools in the United States which are run according to Glasser’s philosophy, these are referred to as Quality Schools.
ED 4134 - Reflections on Jerome Bruner
Jerome Bruner is an American psychologist whose work is related to that Lev Vygotsky and who has had a big impact on teaching in the United States. A landmark text by Bruner is The Process of Education (1960) which had a direct impact on United States education policies. The book put forward the view that children are active problem solvers and are ready to explore difficult subjects. Bruner stated: “We begin with the hypothesis that any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development.” As such Bruner criticized schools for putting off teaching more difficult areas. Bruner further criticized the motives for learning saying that goals such as grades or later competitive advantage are not as beneficial as the desire to learn the subject matter for its own sake. Bruner believed that education was not a question of committing various facts to mind but rather becoming a part of the process which makes learning possible. Bruner did not leave his criticism at that but went on to write Towards a Theory of Instruction (1966) where he says that a theory of instruction should address four major aspects: 1) predisposition towards learning, (2) the ways in which a body of knowledge can be structured so that it can be most readily grasped by the learner, (3) the most effective sequences in which to present material, and (4) the nature and pacing of rewards and punishments.
ED 4134 - Reflections on Vygotsky
Lev Semanovich Vygotsky was pioneering psychologist who researched and published extensively, particulary on the topics of cognitive psychology, child development and education. One of the key concepts used by Vygotsky was cultural mediation. Vygotsky was particularly interested in the way a child’s mind develops through social and intrapersonal interaction. According to Vygotsky there are tools and signs made available by a culture which facilitate the higher mental processes, which are unique to humans. Tools and signs can be something tangible but can also be actions used by child like pointing or making noise. Vygotsky reasoned that mental development is therefore a function of cultural and social interactions. Vygotsky also pioneered the idea of a zone of proximal development which is the gap between an individual’s current level of knowledge and the potential level which that individual can achieve. For a child to develop within the zone of proximal development an adult is required to bridge the gap, this process was referred to as scaffolding. Vygotsky was heavily criticized during his lifetime for his theories on cultural psychology. Vygotsky died of tuberculosis in 1934 and did most of his work during the time of the soviet empire.
ED4134 - Reflections on Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who was one of they key figures in the theory of cognitive development. Piaget’s research defined cognitive development as being composed of four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concerete operational and formal operational. These four stages correspond to different ages during a child’s development although Piaget himself conceded that the age of progression from stage to the next is not set and the progression itself may not necessarily be smooth. Piaget’s understanding developed by observation of children in a learning environment, first as a teacher in Switzerland and later with his own three children. Paiget’s theory has been challenged on the grounds that, as previously stated, the stage transitions are not necessarily smooth or completely predictable and that the development does not occur simultaneously for all of the child’s cognitive faculties. Despite this Piaget’s work has become very influential in many areas including education. The Jean Piaget Society is one example of the effect his life's work has had. Piaget was certainly concerned with the outcomes of education and what qualities in the child are trying to be nurtured. Piaget is quoted as saying that education must produce innovators and not conformists. It is worth noting that Piaget preferred not to use the term psychology for his work but genetic epistomology instead.
Monday, March 26, 2007
ED4236 - Assignment One
I must confess that when I was a student I was probably the student who asked “why bother?”. I didn’t hate my teachers or feel compelled to rebel against their authority but I never bothered with anything. I consider it a profound fact that now I am being called on to answer the question. Before giving an answer to the student who has asked this question I think it is important that I have reflected on my own experiences and see if in fact I do bother.
The question, I feel, is less about education or history and more about life in general. When the classroom is messy, it’s an afternoon class and it has rained all day the simplistic notion that everybody should want to learn just doesn’t add up. A student wants to learn for their enjoyment of the subject but in such terrible circumstances there can be little prospect of “enjoyment” of teaching and learning.
I arrived at the decision to do teaching a little while after I had finished my first degree and only as I was approaching the end of my second degree. It seems to me now that the time spent wondering which career to take up was fruitful. I come from a family of secondary school teachers and my initial hesitation (and perhaps refusal) to teach was caused by my own non-acceptance of education and learning. As a student I could never accept my position which involved going to classes when everything seems hopeless and completing assignment when I wasn’t interested in the topic. An important concept I have realized is that these impossible classes for both teacher and student are not an abnormality to be shunned but rather they are the very reality of educational life.
Fortunately these questions have been studied and the professional experience of many teachers has been used to understand the situation and determine a solution. One useful text written on the topic is entitled “You Know The Fair Rule! And much more” by Bill Rogers. Chapter 7 of this text deals with the question of the harder than usual class. According to the author one of the contributing factors is the attitude of the teacher. Rogers states: “If a teacher has a negative attitude at the outset, expressed in blame, frequent nagging and criticism, students will often team up psychologically to ‘pay the teacher back’”. As a trainee teacher it is encouraging to see this fact put in writing but it is also something I have had to reflect on personally for some time: if as a student I could not accept having to participate in such a class than as a teacher how can I participate now?
I think it’s easy for any person looking to become a teacher to have visions of smiling classrooms where an intellectual passion is passed from one person to another just as a stimulating conversation at a sophisticated dinner party can keep two people enthralled for hours. The smelly, messy classroom on a long wet day is the furthest from the dinner party setting that any teacher can get. The pleasantness of each other’s company, the admiration for the teacher’s knowledge and of course the smiling faces have all disappeared. In this context a student might ask “why bother?”.
This was surely the problem addressed in the film Mr Holland’s Opus. Mr Holland was a hopeful composer who took a job as a teacher in order to provide a temporary income for his family while he put his plans on hold. When I watched the film I was certainly impressed with the main character’s ability to suffer. I consider this to be the fundamental skill acquired during someone’s personal growth: the ability to do what we really don’t want to do. In the film Mr Holland discovers a surprising joy in the difficult circumstances of his teaching. His passion for music does in fact pass on to his students and the difficulties only serve to illuminate more clearly how much Mr Holland cares for his music and his students.
In the classroom setting giving the students a lecture about the themes in Mr Hollands Opus is certainly not possible but no lecture is necessary when actions can speak so much louder than words. If asked this question by a student under these circumstances I hope that my response would be to continue teaching and let my determination in the face adversity be the response.
One reason why I had been hesitant to launch into teaching immediately as I finished my bachelor’s degree is that I like science and mathematics but had no particular fondness for the context of schools. An interesting text which was loaned to me by a more experience teacher as I pondered my vocation addressed the fundamental student-teacher problem: “Students, regardless of their class, race or gender express a belief in the utility of education for pursuing their goals in life. However this belief does not necessarily coincide with acceptance of the form schooling takes.” This text was called “Secondary Schooling in a Changing World”. As I delved further into the book and discovered the wealth of research already done on the topic of education I came to perceive a surprising parallel between the vocation of the teacher and the vocation of a student: both see the utility of education but cannot always accept its context. As has been stated education does not happen in a vacuum. No person acquires or dispenses knowledge without a social context in which to do so.
I am pleased in the end to have spent a few years of my adult life not sure of my vocation because it has allowed me the opportunity to reconcile with my adolescent vocation as a student. Now I know that school and education is about so much more than knowing more after class than before. It is about acceptance of a person’s individual situation in a broader social context. If I could speak to my younger self I would like to advise him to get out his books, pay attention to the teacher and make notes on everything that gets said and if I had the option to choose the moment at which I appear to my younger self I would choose a moment like in the question. I would appear to myself at the end of a long wet day in smelly classroom. I would choose the most painful and drawn out moment at the very end of the term. I would go to myself and say “Get out your books, pay attention, take notes. If you can bring yourself to accept this moment in life then you will learn so much more than history, you will learn about life itself.” Unfortunately I won’t have the opportunity to appear to my younger self but when I gain the opportunity to be a teacher I will certainly give this response to the student that asks “why bother?”.
If the student doesn’t listen or if it is not appropriate in that moment to be drawn into a discussion about the merits of education then I hope my action will speak louder than words and student will know the answer form observation.
Herek, S. (Director), and Duncan, S.D. (Writer). (1995) Mr Holland's Opus [ Motion Picture]United States:MGM
Rogers, B (2003) ‘You Know The Fair Rule’ and much more: strategies for making the hard job of discipline and behaviour management in school easier. Acer Press: Melbourne
Groundwater-Smith, S., Brennan, M., McFadden, M. and Mitchell J. Secondary Schooling in a Changing World (2001) Harcourt:Sydney
The question, I feel, is less about education or history and more about life in general. When the classroom is messy, it’s an afternoon class and it has rained all day the simplistic notion that everybody should want to learn just doesn’t add up. A student wants to learn for their enjoyment of the subject but in such terrible circumstances there can be little prospect of “enjoyment” of teaching and learning.
I arrived at the decision to do teaching a little while after I had finished my first degree and only as I was approaching the end of my second degree. It seems to me now that the time spent wondering which career to take up was fruitful. I come from a family of secondary school teachers and my initial hesitation (and perhaps refusal) to teach was caused by my own non-acceptance of education and learning. As a student I could never accept my position which involved going to classes when everything seems hopeless and completing assignment when I wasn’t interested in the topic. An important concept I have realized is that these impossible classes for both teacher and student are not an abnormality to be shunned but rather they are the very reality of educational life.
Fortunately these questions have been studied and the professional experience of many teachers has been used to understand the situation and determine a solution. One useful text written on the topic is entitled “You Know The Fair Rule! And much more” by Bill Rogers. Chapter 7 of this text deals with the question of the harder than usual class. According to the author one of the contributing factors is the attitude of the teacher. Rogers states: “If a teacher has a negative attitude at the outset, expressed in blame, frequent nagging and criticism, students will often team up psychologically to ‘pay the teacher back’”. As a trainee teacher it is encouraging to see this fact put in writing but it is also something I have had to reflect on personally for some time: if as a student I could not accept having to participate in such a class than as a teacher how can I participate now?
I think it’s easy for any person looking to become a teacher to have visions of smiling classrooms where an intellectual passion is passed from one person to another just as a stimulating conversation at a sophisticated dinner party can keep two people enthralled for hours. The smelly, messy classroom on a long wet day is the furthest from the dinner party setting that any teacher can get. The pleasantness of each other’s company, the admiration for the teacher’s knowledge and of course the smiling faces have all disappeared. In this context a student might ask “why bother?”.
This was surely the problem addressed in the film Mr Holland’s Opus. Mr Holland was a hopeful composer who took a job as a teacher in order to provide a temporary income for his family while he put his plans on hold. When I watched the film I was certainly impressed with the main character’s ability to suffer. I consider this to be the fundamental skill acquired during someone’s personal growth: the ability to do what we really don’t want to do. In the film Mr Holland discovers a surprising joy in the difficult circumstances of his teaching. His passion for music does in fact pass on to his students and the difficulties only serve to illuminate more clearly how much Mr Holland cares for his music and his students.
In the classroom setting giving the students a lecture about the themes in Mr Hollands Opus is certainly not possible but no lecture is necessary when actions can speak so much louder than words. If asked this question by a student under these circumstances I hope that my response would be to continue teaching and let my determination in the face adversity be the response.
One reason why I had been hesitant to launch into teaching immediately as I finished my bachelor’s degree is that I like science and mathematics but had no particular fondness for the context of schools. An interesting text which was loaned to me by a more experience teacher as I pondered my vocation addressed the fundamental student-teacher problem: “Students, regardless of their class, race or gender express a belief in the utility of education for pursuing their goals in life. However this belief does not necessarily coincide with acceptance of the form schooling takes.” This text was called “Secondary Schooling in a Changing World”. As I delved further into the book and discovered the wealth of research already done on the topic of education I came to perceive a surprising parallel between the vocation of the teacher and the vocation of a student: both see the utility of education but cannot always accept its context. As has been stated education does not happen in a vacuum. No person acquires or dispenses knowledge without a social context in which to do so.
I am pleased in the end to have spent a few years of my adult life not sure of my vocation because it has allowed me the opportunity to reconcile with my adolescent vocation as a student. Now I know that school and education is about so much more than knowing more after class than before. It is about acceptance of a person’s individual situation in a broader social context. If I could speak to my younger self I would like to advise him to get out his books, pay attention to the teacher and make notes on everything that gets said and if I had the option to choose the moment at which I appear to my younger self I would choose a moment like in the question. I would appear to myself at the end of a long wet day in smelly classroom. I would choose the most painful and drawn out moment at the very end of the term. I would go to myself and say “Get out your books, pay attention, take notes. If you can bring yourself to accept this moment in life then you will learn so much more than history, you will learn about life itself.” Unfortunately I won’t have the opportunity to appear to my younger self but when I gain the opportunity to be a teacher I will certainly give this response to the student that asks “why bother?”.
If the student doesn’t listen or if it is not appropriate in that moment to be drawn into a discussion about the merits of education then I hope my action will speak louder than words and student will know the answer form observation.
Herek, S. (Director), and Duncan, S.D. (Writer). (1995) Mr Holland's Opus [ Motion Picture]United States:MGM
Rogers, B (2003) ‘You Know The Fair Rule’ and much more: strategies for making the hard job of discipline and behaviour management in school easier. Acer Press: Melbourne
Groundwater-Smith, S., Brennan, M., McFadden, M. and Mitchell J. Secondary Schooling in a Changing World (2001) Harcourt:Sydney
Monday, March 5, 2007
First Entry
Hi, this is my first entry. As the name of my suggests this is all about becoming a great teacher. Not a good teacher or a reasonable teacher but a GREAT teacher.
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