"The Virtues of Not Knowing"

I thought this article was so thought provoking. I can also see why Brian chose this article for us to read. Even though we have only had one class of lecture (the flashlight experiment) I can tell this is something he truly stands by.

In the article, "The Virtues of Not Knowing" the author writes about the difference in knowing the correct answer and being able to explain why this is the correct answer because you have logically worked through the problem in your head. Memorizing the right answer takes no effort and yet this is what is being praised in the classroom. The student that comes up with the answer the fastest gets the most recognition. The child who didn't know the answer but sat and used their brain to come up with a logical answer should be getting the praise. After all isn't this how we come up with right answers for people to memorize?

Take for instance Christopher Columbus' time period. People believed that the world was flat and if you came too close to the edge you would fall off. This is what was being taught!! If everyone simply memorized that and gave no intellectual thought this might still be the belief today. Questions and experiments should be encouraged! Being able to explain why something is true is more important than knowing the answer and as future teachers we should adapt this philosophy. There are endless possibilities if you teach a child to use their brain to work THROUGH problems. This requires much patience and also silence. When the teacher is quiet this allows children to use their own brains to articulate a answer. Even if they are not right, having an answer that they can back up should be praised and never belittled. This will allow children to grow and flourish in a classroom that challenges how they think.