Claim: When planning courses, educators should take into account the interests and suggestions of their students.
Reason: Students are more motivated to learn when they are interested in what they are studying.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.
Despite the strong intuitive appeal to the contrary of the claim, the classroom is not the place for students to exercise autonomy with respect to the content of their learning. This is because classrooms are strictly speaking places in which students are educated. In order to argue this point, it will be important to consider three different issues. Those issues concern the psychological construct of motivation, the futility of "mind reading", and the way in which successful educators operate and the true purpose of education. The shape of the argument will be that if motivation is divided into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and if it is not practically possible to know for certain the real motivations of tyros, then for practical purposes, educators must determine the content of a course based on the overall purpose of education.
First, psychologists make a fine distinction between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Imagine that Jack absolutely detests working out at the gym. It is not only that he comes home sore from his work-outs, but he simply dislikes everything about the gym including the culture of health that pervades those spaces. Now, a psychologist would wonder what it is that motivates Jack to go to the gym. Furthermore, imagine that Jack is questioned and his response is as follows: "I go to the gym because I am getting married and my wife wants me to look good in the wedding photographs". In this case, Jack is extrinsically motivated to work out. His motivation for the gym is based on his treatment of working-out as a means to an end; the end goal is for Jack is that he pleases his future wife. But, we would be wrong to stop here. Jack may be extrinsically motivated to go to the gym, but he stills does display some intrinsic motivation. Jack's intrinsic motivation is to please his future wife. In other words, Jack is willing to do things he would otherwise not do to satisfy a desire that he has for himself. Granted we could question the extent to which Jack does treat his future bride as simply a means to an end, but we will generously grant him the claim that he is intrinsically motivated to please his wife because he, for instance, wishes for her happiness. Now, the real distinction to be made between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is that we are sometimes motivated by our desire for a goal outside of ourself, and other times, we take great delight in doing something simply for the sake of doing something, because, for instance, it brings us pleasure to do the thing. Prior to utilizing this distinction in our argument, we will need to consider our second point.
So, secondly, tyros are by definition beginners in a field of study. Apart from the occasional genius, tyros will display a variety of similar behaviors with respect to the learning process. At any one point in time, we can not be certain that these early learners are truly comprehending the material they are training their young minds on, or whether they are merely imitating what they have learned from their surroundings.
Third, the real task for educators is to prepare students to engage intelligently in their communities.
To engage intelligently in communities requires that former learners practice their acquired skill sets coupled with the virtue of discipline taught in classrooms to achieve their desires.
Students often times do not know what interest them about a subject.
Teachers should be experts on the topic. We have a saying for this in English: "the blind can not lead the blind". Therefore, building a course around student desire is futile.
HOLY SHIT! THAT WAS A DISASTER. When it comes to the subject of education, and learning, my thought becomes incredibly muddled and complicated. I am much better taking about "knowledge" and "belief" and "art"...I will begin to work on only the education questions.
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