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Title: Growing Minds by Herbert R. Kohl ISBN: 0-06-132089-7 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 04 May, 1989 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Motivation for creative educators . . .
Comment: As an educator that works from strong roots of creativity, I have found multiple obstacles in the school system and was beginning to feel concerned about my 'calling to teach.' This book provided me with motivation to continue working from such a unique source, as I could identify with the cause & effect scenarios presented by Kohl.
If you require concrete representation, you may be disappointed -true to the ebb and flow of a creative mind, his techniques for reaching out to children and challenging their learning behaviors is quite organic and describes an environment where the class works as 'one.' Another reviewer was appalled at the mere idea of children being capable of abstract thought, also stating "...there is no example of the theories working for any other teacher" - This is not the case -
Kohl had all to recognizable troubles with children of all ages, learning styles and (of course) administration. In regards to abstract thought, Kohl has this to say, "I believe that intellectual sophistication can be developed even within the context of an overcrowded, undersupplied, stuffy public schol classroom. What is essential is taking time for what the Germans call 'Sprache,' which can loosely be translated into English as serious continuing discussion which allows people's voices to develop and be heard." The chapter that follows describes an example of Sprache and middle school children.
Each of his concepts is supported by practical experience and inspiring experiences with children that taught him how to teach. I only hope other current and future educators read this book, as we begin to revisit what the CHILDREN need, want, and how to teach accordingly.
"Teachers need to stretch out and touch the world, to forget their authority and allow themselves to be curious children every once in a while." - Herbert Kohl
Rating: 1
Summary: Neither practical nor believable
Comment: Although I think that some of Mr. Kohl's advice is good, the stories he tells about being a teacher ring false. Examples of student work seem overcoached and disingenuous.
Mr. Kohl proposes an almost mystical teaching method which does not involve a set curriculum or lesson plans but instead relies on a teacher allowing student creativity to guide the flow of classroom learning. Mr. Kohl rejects the idea that specific topics should be taught to children in favor of an unstructured learning environment in which elementary school children explore on their own with only occasional guidance from the teacher.
Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this idea, it seems that it would require rather idealized conditions to work. Mr. Kohl seems to have achieved these conditions, according to the stories he tells in the book. He gives examples of sixth graders constructing the natural numbers using set notation, complete with curly braces and a capital lambda. He includes entire stories, supposedly written by fourth graders, which include paragraphs like: "Minnie looked at her mother's slim figure in the doorway, 'Yes, Ma,' she said gloomily". This story contained the caption "Will Minnie win Harper?" and included references to parasols and a play on the phrase "mountains out of molehills".
Apparently not just a few of his elementary school children were capable of advanced abstract thought. Mr Kohl repeatedly writes "the students did ...", "the students wondered ...", "the students said ..." as if all the students in his class acted as one. None of his students seem to have had problems, and he gives no indication of how he might have helped individual students who might have had trouble with, say, the John von Neumann construction.
I was very disappointed with this book and felt somewhat insulted by it. It was long on advice but did not include believable evidence that Mr. Kohl's methods worked in his classroom. And there is no example of the theories working for any other teacher. I don't recommend that anyone who is looking for practical teaching advice buy this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Call to Teach
Comment: I first read this book in college when I was studying to become a teacher. Herbert Kohl's story of his journey as a teacher is inspiring. His narrative about his "calling to teach" describes in great detail the dedication of a superb teacher. I have reread the book several times and often give it as a gift to other teachers. Another book about the inspiring role of the teacher is "The Last Barrier" by Reshad Feild. Both books touch both the heart and the soul as they reveal that the teacher is, in fact, merely a student himself.
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Title: Social Studies in Elementary Education (11th Edition) by Walter C. Parker ISBN: 0130213373 Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub. Date: 02 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $86.00 |
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Title: The Elements of Teaching by James M., Jr. Banner, Harold C. Cannon ISBN: 0300078552 Publisher: Yale Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 1999 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher by William Ayers, Gloria Ladson-Billings ISBN: 0807739855 Publisher: Teachers College Pr Pub. Date: March, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Planning Lessons and Courses : Designing Sequences of Work for the Language Classroom by Tessa Woodward, Penny Ur ISBN: 0521633540 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 08 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Practical Guide to Elementary Instruction, A: From Plan to Delivery by Suzanne Borman, Joel M. Levine ISBN: 0205141889 Publisher: Pearson Allyn & Bacon Pub. Date: 24 January, 1997 List Price(USD): $77.00 |
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