Edification

Memory has been a subtopic for me and quite a number who also wrote about it for Ed Psych 606. Caroline Speer from Detroit Country Day sparked some thoughts in me about rote memory and factual knowledge when she said she doesn’t require historical dates from students since with on-line resources these dates are now always at our fingertips. The first chord this struck with me is that thought—not fact—is the objective of a history class, and memorizing dates and facts crowds out higher order thinking. Second, as I mentioned in class, the engagement with history is so enhanced by the Internet as a reference resource, that it more than compensates for less emphasis on memory: one ends up knowing more of history, be it facts or ideas. And the ready reference reinforces long-term memory content.

Jen Semanco of the Catherine Ferguson Academy was amazing, and really drove home to me the difference high school teachers can make in a student’s life. Yolanda and Chelsea spoke about the school as well, which showed how the Academy itself has made a difference in Detroit. It is always good to hear good things about Detroit, about kids there being given a chance in life, about the greening of Detroit. Like the vegetables in the Academy’s garden, we dream of a blossoming as well of the city we love.

What sticks with me most of all, however, is something George Williams said about kids being distracted by cellphones and music in the classroom. He was very intent upon ensuring the student’s focus in the classroom. One thing I liked about the program this summer was that the professors did not hesitate to allow us silent work time in the classroom, be it reading or writing, and I really value the opportunity to work in class independently and without distraction. What motivates George to create and safeguard this mental space for his students is clearly a very deep concern for others. I detected in this a connection to his former calling.