it's not just the substance of the reading--they could ask chatgpt to summarize it or spit out multiple interpretations--it's the process of learning together that they like
I overheard three boys in one of my freshmen classes talking about their essays on LOTF on Friday. The conversation was something like, "I really like this part of my essay, but I'm not sure about this other aspect yet." Another kid responded, "Yeah, I think I want to revise this section still."
They were having a full-on discussion among themselves about style and purpose. Sometimes I feel like my job is just to give them the language to say to each other what they already know.
Anti-intellectualism is a feature of the population as a whole. Some of us are trying to fight that, but it can be exhausting when you are dealing with every type of person and student.
Step one is getting rid of grades. 90% of focus and effort revolve around: “Is this graded?” “Do this or it will hurt your grade!” “What can I do to improve my grade?” No room for intellectualism if you are focused on immediate gratification and the commoditization of learning.
Honestly you got me thinking I might just open my AP Seminar class with this next year. I am always trying to squeeze it in, maybe I just need to give it to them during the first week of classes and then we'll have that metaphor at the foundation of what we do
This is exactly why it's a staple of the freshman philosophy curriculum. So easy to grasp the drama of, and still so many interesting lines of thought to chase down.
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