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“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.”
Albert Einstein
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“He explained to me with great insistence that every question possessed a power that did not lie in the answer.”
Elie Wiesel
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socrates
Very good quotes, Charles 🙂
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Thank you so much!
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Good quotes! My brain may not be as big as I’d like, but that’s my view too.
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I agree!
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What a coincidence! I’ve been working with an instructional designer all day tonight developing a course with an inquiry-based approach.
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That is wonderful. I focus my English 1 at Lehigh University on the Socratic method.
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Socrates indeed had it right! It just occurred to me that children are naturally curious and know intuitively how to ask good questions. Then we put them through K-12 education, and by the time they get to college, we have to teach them how to ask good questions.
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Yes, we do, and teaching them to ask good questions is one of the most important skills we can help them acquire.
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Boy, does that hit a nerve. You are so right! When does this change? I think grades 1-3 are okay (not as great as preschool or kindergarten), but beyond that, the natural questioning crumbles. Sad!
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I think it crumbles because of the way students are taught to obey and recite, not to question and truly learn. I am not criticizing teachers, but the approaches they are forced to take.
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Brilliant, Charles. You are absolutely right. When it comes to early education and grade school, Finland has it nailed. Their approach to learning is so right, and they rank #1 in reading. America ranks #26. At your end, who do you think does the best in education at the high school and college level? I don’t even know if that’s a fair question, because by then the ‘obey and recite’ has already taken its toll. Just thinking aloud and wondering how the long term comes into play.
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I suspect that countries like Finland also do very well with higher education. I try very hard, in my classes, to open students up to the idea of independent thinking and questioning, but I fear I am a dinosaur in my approach.
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No! You are not a dinosaur in your approach! If you were, your students wouldn’t be writing their own wonderful blogs. A dinosaur doesn’t start a U.L.S. A dinosaur doesn’t have students debate Shakespeare. You are the lifeline of independent thinking for students. Thank goodness.
I think you’re right that countries like Finland probably do well in higher education, too. If they do well in the early years, that carries through. My biggest worry in education today is technology. It’s being pushed, and it’s not a natural way of learning for young children. If children skip or miss the hands-on learning, the real, true thinking is gone.
On a side note, I read that surgeons today are not as skilled, because they didn’t play with sticks and stones and build forts out of rocks when they were kids. They were playing games and working on their computers. Therefore, their hand skills aren’t as precise. Makes sense.
Apologies for such a long response, Charles. While our system might not be the best, we can still make a difference and teach children to love learning.
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Jennie, thank you, and I appreciate your response. I was not being self-critical–I often say that I wear my dinosaur scales proudly, because I do think my approach to teaching works!
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I love that!! Yes, it does work. I need to find a teacher dinosaur T shirt, one with scales. 🙂
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That would be wonderful! Please let me know if you do find one.
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I will!
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome!
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My mother, who was a preschool teacher, had a theory that something happened in the fourth grade that killed children’s natural curiosity and desire to learn. You’re right, sad!
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I think your mother was absolutely right. K-3 is still pretty good, but not so much after that. Although, private schools do a good/better job at stimulating creativity and thinking.
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Thank you for sharing the musings if these greats ❤❤❤
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You are very welcome!
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Wonderful quotes from sources hailed by us all.
Miriam
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Miriam, thank you.
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Excellent!
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Thank you!
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Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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Thank you!
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I was taught to question everything, except my parents. Then I started to question them too. 🙂
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I completely understand!
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Excellent quotations, Charles! Einstein nailed it.
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Jennie, thank you! Yes, he certainly did.
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You are welcome, Charles!
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