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mashkif



Joined: 17 Aug 2010
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
Quote:
1. Walk in and teach ESL and leave?

2. Try to open their minds?

3. Change their perceptions and attitudes toward education?


Nobody asked me, but for what it's worth - 2 & 3 are inappropriate pretty much everywhere, IMO.






On the contrary: #2 and #3 are what higher education and academia are all about! You go to a university to learn, to question to wonder, to doubt, to research, to investigate, to form INFORMED opinions.

Now, you might argue that those are not necessarily the aims of P.Y.Ps, but they are, should be, MUST be the aims of academic programs.

Of course, that is not necessarily applicable to Saudi Arabia or similar totalitarian states.
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MuscatGary wrote:
scot47 wrote:
What is Plumpynut's problem with Abha ?


No idea, I thought they were great in their heyday, love Waterloo, still a great song.


Sorry Muscat what you're talking about is ABBA.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
On the contrary: #2 and #3 are what higher education and academia are all about! You go to a university to learn, to question to wonder, to doubt, to research, to investigate, to form INFORMED opinions.


I've been teaching in progressive western universities for over a decade. The minds of students may (hopefully will) open and their perceptions and attitudes towards education may (hopefully will) evolve in positive directions - but we cannot make these overt aims and goals of what we are doing.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear spiral78,

I agree - there's far too much danger of teachers having a proselytizing agenda, pushing their own opinions upon students,

If minds do open and perceptions and attitudes toward education change as a by-product, well and good (though one's definition of an "open mind" could well be very subjective.)

But these are not what we were hired for nor should they be considered our objectives.

Regards,
John

P.S. Dear plumpy nut - you DO, realize that MuscatGary was making a joke (and a pretty good one, in my opinion Very Happy ), right?


Last edited by johnslat on Wed Nov 27, 2013 6:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
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sicklyman



Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930

PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

plumpy nut wrote:
MuscatGary wrote:
scot47 wrote:
What is Plumpynut's problem with Abha ?


No idea, I thought they were great in their heyday, love Waterloo, still a great song.


Sorry Muscat what you're talking about is ABBA.

Sorry Plumpy Nut... I think your sense of humour may need a checkup...
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sicklyman wrote:
Sorry Plumpy Nut... I think your sense of humour may need a checkup...


Yeah, the funny bone may need to be examined.

Warm regards,
fat_chris
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