Claudia MacPhee on tue 15 jul 08
While reading this thread I was really struck by how 'culture specific=
' the answers are. This is the root problem in the relationship between N=
ative American children and their failure in the school system. Not all c=
ultures teach and learn in the same way. The values aren't the same eithe=
r.
In the regular classroom most of the teaching is verbal. Almost all th=
e teachers have learned this way and think it is the ONLY way. You give t=
he kid instructions, turn them loose and the 'creative' part of their bra=
in kicks in and .........
In a culture where tradition is paramount they teach by example. And yo=
u are expected to copy exactly and not add your own ideas because they ar=
en't important. The symbols of what we call Native Art actually belong to=
the clans and mean something. There is a huge debate up here about young=
people taking the clan symbols, making art objects, changing them for 'd=
esign' and selling the finished product for people to hang on their walls=
. All part of assimilation.
When I teach by example I also teach verbally, my kids aren't conditio=
ned to do what I expect to please me, most could care less. they are ,how=
ever, conditioned to follow my example and reproduce what I have done. Be=
cause we live in the changing world they first learn by following, then t=
hey use this knowledge to make what they want to.
Not all cultures value innovation. I am always struck by the differenc=
es when the middle class kids and the homeschoolers show up for my sum=
mer programs. It becomes interesting when you get the full range in the s=
ame situation. I could tell you who I think does the best work, but I won=
't! Same as I don't tell them.
Claudia MacPhee Tagish, Yukon
www.paintedbyfire,blogspot.com Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer =
download : http://explorer.msn.com
Jeannean Hibbitts on tue 15 jul 08
I heard this somewhere along the line... (maybe even on Clayart?)
Imitate
Assimilate
Innovate
Cheers,
Jeannean
Spider Hole Pottery
Astoria, Oregon
... where I've had nearly enough of this sunshine, and I'm ready for some
nice grey rainy days. At least a few.
Lee Love on tue 15 jul 08
On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 10:58 AM, Claudia MacPhee
wrote:
> In a culture where tradition is paramount they teach by example. And you are expected
> to copy exactly and not add your own ideas because they aren't important.
Claudia, originally (for most of our existence as human beings),
this is the way we all learned. It is only recently that the lecture
style of teaching evolved. Books and lectures are good for learning
cognitive skills, but is less adequate for learning motor and eye/hand
skills.
It is pretty obvious, if you THINK about it. ;^) But "educated"
folks are prejudiced by their education. Our society is blind to
the inadequacies of reduction and analytical approaches. Yes, they
are good tools. But that is all they are, is a tool. One tool in
our toolbox of tools
> Not all cultures value innovation.
The other aspect, is that you have to learn the basic skills
first. Repetition is good for this. Copying is good for this. You
learn to make your hands do what you have in your mind. Just
teaching expression might be good therapy, but only the gifted learn
skills that way. Us normal people have to repeat the same task
several times to learn it.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi
Vince Pitelka on fri 18 jul 08
"Imitate
Assimilate
Innovate"
It is always good to keep the provenance with the quote. I have mentioned
this quote many times on Clayart. It is from Jazz trumpeter Clark Terry.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Ivor and Olive Lewis on sat 19 jul 08
" "Imitate
Assimilate
Innovate"
Jazz trumpeter Clark Terry"
And when all else fails.......
......Improvise......
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
South Australia.
| |
|
