Amen Parker Palmer! This chapter really spoke to my condition. Palmer did a good job of articulating how binary thinking oversimplifies the world. There are so many complexities that get overlooked when we see the world as a series of choices, either/or. For a while I felt like it was more appropriate to look at things on a spectrum. Like people... they are maybe not just masculine or feminine. Maybe they fall somewhere on a spectrum between the two. Lately though I have felt like even that is too restrictive, and Palmer affirm my suspicion in this chapter. If we allow many truths to co-exist then people could potentially be both very fem and very masculine at the same time. The gender thing is just an example, but what I am trying to say is that we must be much more humble in our assessments of the world. We are not omniscient, and thus should not presume complete understanding of situations or interactions. I love this idea. It puts the wonder back into life, because it means that the possibilities are truly infinite.
What is not so clear to me is how this translates into teaching. I see the value in disbanding the teacher student binary rolls. Teachers teach and talk while students listen and learn. If you allow movement to go both ways, then you allow much more life into the classroom. I suspect though that Palmer sees a lot of wider ramifications for holistic thinking in teaching. Unfortunately I didn't quite make out what they were. Any insights?
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I never really gave the binary thinking much thought and how we do it all the time in life. Now I see where it can get us into some trouble in teaching.
ReplyDeleteI gathered that Palmer was trying to say that yes, we do need boundaries in the classroom but we need flexibility as well. He said something to the affect, we need boundaries so we recognize the destiny of our journey. He was clear in stating that we run into problems when we have no structure and also when we have too much structure. Thereby reinforcing this idea that we need both, structure and flexibility within that structure. I'm not sure I've clarified much for you Carli. Anyone else care to expound a bit.
ReplyDeleteThe real pearl of wisdom I got was that we are to embrace those situations that make us feel torn. Seek the profound truth rather than the quick fix. Not only will that enable us to learn from those paradoxes, but it will produce in us the love needed to hold together the teacher-student relationship through trying times.
ReplyDeleteTo apply this chapter to teaching we must think of it on its deepest level; not just the teaching part. Going beyond binary thought opens our world as individuals who can work and share together. This community that is formed creates the basic needs for a learning environment. It does not matter how fantastic the information being taught is if no one feels comfortable in the setting.
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