Sunday, July 04, 2004
Finker and the F word ::
Finker has an amusing, but all too real take on "the F word". I have a love/hate relationship with this word "formation". With its overtones of shaping it can all too easily - at least in us skeptics - conjure up images of sausage machines and uniform "products".
Yet what are we doing? "Education" is good, with its overtones of leading horses to water... But do we really want to claim teachers are leaders and students followers. Engari mo tēnā!
"Teach" is fine, till it produces images of cramming "facts" into skulls...
Overall, I'll accept the F word, I think, sharing in a process that shapes people. The job is God's, formation is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we get to share in it... People like me get to teach, or educate, because ideas and skills are important (see AKMA's great welcome letter to get a feel for this), others get to share in and encourage the student's praxis, the whole is used by the Spirit to shape/form....
PS, Andrew et al. I will return to the face-to-face thing... ¶ 9:08 AM
[to Del.icio.us]
Finker has an amusing, but all too real take on "the F word". I have a love/hate relationship with this word "formation". With its overtones of shaping it can all too easily - at least in us skeptics - conjure up images of sausage machines and uniform "products".
Yet what are we doing? "Education" is good, with its overtones of leading horses to water... But do we really want to claim teachers are leaders and students followers. Engari mo tēnā!
"Teach" is fine, till it produces images of cramming "facts" into skulls...
Overall, I'll accept the F word, I think, sharing in a process that shapes people. The job is God's, formation is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we get to share in it... People like me get to teach, or educate, because ideas and skills are important (see AKMA's great welcome letter to get a feel for this), others get to share in and encourage the student's praxis, the whole is used by the Spirit to shape/form....
PS, Andrew et al. I will return to the face-to-face thing... ¶ 9:08 AM
[to Del.icio.us]
