Ten Theses: A Coda

In the past five days more than 17 000 people have read my Ten Theses.  This number of readers is two orders of magnitude greater than my previously best read posts.  If anyone still thinks that the contemporary university does not take teaching seriously, the scope of interest in the piece and the seriousness of the debate which followed is evidence that it does.  I do not expect my position or the criticism it aroused to be the final word.  I have been making these arguments for a decade (without much practical success at the institutional level) and, while I am always open to counter-argument and to developing my own pedagogy in light of others’ good ideas, I remain committed to a more open practice of teaching which I do not think is well-served by learning outcomes.  For those who in good faith disagree and argue that without clear objectives students’ interests are compromised, I ask you to look at the debate here.  It was not framed by any extrinsic outcomes, was not steered or conducted by The trick is a shift in the front wheel. viagra 100 mg If any of these effects continue for a long time, it will do constant damage to kidneys, causing chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis and then kidney Failure; Besides, drugs like gentamicin, if improperly used, can also lead to generic tadalafil canada kidney Fail. Quitting smoking helps your blood discount viagra cialis pressure return to normal. Hence, both partners should ideally give each other mutual pleasure and satisfaction. order viagra overnight any extrinsic goals, but developed spontaneously through the considered interventions of the participants, but a coherence evolved that enabled all of us to learn a great deal, just by virtue of our participation and not because we gave each other assignments to assess.  I prefer the higher intensity of face to face argument to the flatness of electronic communication, but even so, the argument as it evolved here is an excellent illustration of what I meant in the post where I identified the dialectic of problem-question-re-posing of the problem as the life of a well-taught class.  I do not mean that I assumed the role of teacher here, but rather that this spontaneous energy of idea development is analogous to what happens in a class when it is doing what it should:  stimulate in the students the desire to think and contribute and see where the argument leads.  Thanks to everyone for their contributions.  The conversation can of course continue and I will respond as best I can to subsequent comments and criticisms, but other projects call.

3 thoughts on “Ten Theses: A Coda

    • Hi Keith– Thanks for the detective work tracking this book down. I have not heard of him, but I am going to get the book.
      Best
      Jeff

  1. Jeff – I believe the postmodern university has become more of a career-focused training experience than a place of learning for the benefit of actually understanding self, life, society, and popular culture influences. When we attempt to standardize outcome expectations we limit the scope of critical thought and curiosity. I believe every student needs at least a few classes that leave them with more questions than answers. I endeavor to satisfy the institutional demands and my personal passion for exploring ideas, the history of knowledge, and the experience of learning. It is not easy, but worth the effort!

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