[CP] On the Philosophy of Teaching

From: Sean Wilson <whoooo26505@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Myron Moskovitz <mmoskovitz@xxxxxxx>, CONLAWPROF <conlawprof@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 09:16:41 -0700 (PDT)
... one thing I would say about this is that the professor also has the duty to 
put a little kerosine on the item that will hold the flame. You have to help 
them get the flame going. But I do agree with the general premise that the 
student cannot be passive in the relationship. You can place things into their 
minds, but they have to ultimately do something with it. And the rare ones who 
are especially good at it will end up placing something back in your mind 
(making the matter reciprocal).  

The person who has been most influential in my teaching philosophy has been 
Wittgenstein. 


(P.S. sent to Critical Politicology) 

Regards and thanks.
 
Dr. Sean Wilson, Esq.
Assistant Professor
Wright State University
Personal Website: http://seanwilson.org
  (Subscribe:  http://ludwig.squarespace.com/sworg-subscribe/ )
SSRN papers: http://ssrn.com/author=596860
New Discussion Groups! http://ludwig.squarespace.com/discussionfora/




________________________________
From: Myron Moskovitz <mmoskovitz@xxxxxxx>
To: CONLAWPROF <conlawprof@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sun, October 3, 2010 10:33:55 PM
Subject: J.M. Coetzee's "Philosophy of Teaching"


Colleagues:

I've been reading Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee's latest novel, "Summertime". 
 At page 163, the main character proclaims his philosophy of teaching:

“What I call my philosophy of teaching is in fact a philosophy of learning.  It 
comes out of Plato, modified.  Before true learning can occur, I believe, there 
must be in the student’s heart a certain yearning for the truth, a certain 
fire.  A true student burns to know.  In the teacher she recognizes, or 
apprehends, the one who has come closer than herself to the truth.  So much 
does 
she desire the truth embodied in the teacher that she is prepared to burn her 
old self up to attain it.  For his part, the teacher recognizes and encourages 
the fire in the student and responds to it by burning with an intenser 
light.  Thus the two of them rise to a higher realm.  So to speak.”



I've read (and written) a lot about teaching, but this is the first time I've 
read about a burden on the student to meet the teacher at least halfway by 
"burning to know" - as opposed to putting off the real world of work as long as 
possible, etc.  I wonder how many of our students have it.


Myron Moskovitz
Professor of Law
Golden Gate University School of Law
536 Mission St., San Francisco, California 94105
Phone: (510) 384-0354; FAX: (415)563-6872
e-mail: mmoskovitz@xxxxxxx; website: myronmoskovitz.com
[CP] On the Philosophy of Teaching

Other related posts:
