warm up for 9-17

1. I noticed from chapter six that Rose used many different writing activities that combined several types of media. For example, he would bring paintings of the human figure to class and have students categorize them based on similarities, in order to get them thinking about classification. This assignment was given so that the veterans in the Extension building would learn to describe how classifying ether takes away or adds to the overall theme of a piece of art. This was one example of engaging his learners beyond just the literal text.
3. I noticed that ‘remedial’ was used very often to describe the veterans, a word that implies a lack of cognitive skills and learning abilities. This word creates a kind of ‘outsider’ label, because it forces the student to look at what kind of people are not remedial, and then they assume since they don’t belong in this ‘normal’ category, they are less important. Rose was able to turn this around by giving his students complex topics, such as the comparison between the big bang theory and the aboriginal mythology; normally, this would be a very difficult task. However, Rose shows his students that he has confidence in them, and his confidence in turn boosts their own courage in regards to writing about complicated issues. He first empowered his students, simply by giving them the assignment he showed them that he believed they could do it. At first, it was difficult, but with patience and group work, the class was able to bring together individual knowledge about the subject and these so-called ‘remedial’ learners were engaging in a fascinating task.