There's a character in one of my novels, a grandfather, who gets very worked up (as I do!) about precisely this , when his granddaughter tells him they're 'doing' folk stories in their English class:
‘Schools do these topics but forget their purpose. It’s become enough to “do” fractions, to “do” poetry, to “do” energy, as if there was some list somewhere of all the topics that needed to be ticked off. The completion of the topic becomes the reason for doing it. So students end up saying ridiculous things, like “Why are we doing poetry this term. We did poetry last year?” It’s actually a reasonable complaint if you haven’t thought, in some deep way, about the purpose of studying poetry, or the purpose of studying fractions, or the purpose of studying energy. And anyway, the justifications for these topics, if ever they’re given, are often trite and unconvincing. “We do poetry because it’s instructive to see how skilfully a poet constructs meaning through the expert use of language, rhyme and rhythm.” What bunkum! We listen to poems because poetry, like music, has the capacity to move us, to express something we feel or alert us to something we haven’t noticed. We’ve forgotten why we do things, or we have these inane justifications that make no sense at all and convince no-one. So when you say to me “We’re doing myths, we’re doing folktales”, it gets me going, it presses my buttons. School should be about asking questions, not doing topics. Why are we spending time on folktales? What is a folktale? How did they come to exist? Are they just for little children? How come versions of the same basic plot crop up in completely unconnected cultures? What happens when we hear a folktale, how are we affected? What is a folktale doing? Is this the same as what a piece of music does? Or a poem? Or a painting? Or some graffiti on a wall in Moreland? And lots of other questions. These are what you should be doing in your English class? Doing questions. Not doing folktales.’
Great post! I especially liked the following: "The heart of education is not about answering questions, it's about cultivating the ability to ask good ones." As a middle school teacher, I love forcing my students to write questions about a text rather than simply answer my questions. It throws them for a loop and inevitably ignites great discussions!
Also I chuckled at your John Warner recommendation. His "Why They Can't Write" adorns my bookshelf, along with other works. I didn't realize he had a Substack!
These people who think people should be more like machines have completely lost sight of what it means to be human, what makes humans special, and what it means to live a good life -- "to foster virtue" as you so elegantly describe it. Life is a journey, not a destination, and there's no prize for getting to the end sooner.
Great to read your article @Josh Brake finally and a very convincing case, you’ve shifted my position!
I had accepted Hararis position by default but I agree with you on considering your arguments, we are not helpless with regard to knowing what to teach in the age of AI disruption - its actually more important than ever to prepare kids and not just give up.
And the case for teaching kids virtue and critical thinking skills for example seems extremely sound both morally and practically for me.
“It's about learning to think, to ask questions, and to foster virtue.”
Beautifully put.
Exactly so.
There's a character in one of my novels, a grandfather, who gets very worked up (as I do!) about precisely this , when his granddaughter tells him they're 'doing' folk stories in their English class:
‘Schools do these topics but forget their purpose. It’s become enough to “do” fractions, to “do” poetry, to “do” energy, as if there was some list somewhere of all the topics that needed to be ticked off. The completion of the topic becomes the reason for doing it. So students end up saying ridiculous things, like “Why are we doing poetry this term. We did poetry last year?” It’s actually a reasonable complaint if you haven’t thought, in some deep way, about the purpose of studying poetry, or the purpose of studying fractions, or the purpose of studying energy. And anyway, the justifications for these topics, if ever they’re given, are often trite and unconvincing. “We do poetry because it’s instructive to see how skilfully a poet constructs meaning through the expert use of language, rhyme and rhythm.” What bunkum! We listen to poems because poetry, like music, has the capacity to move us, to express something we feel or alert us to something we haven’t noticed. We’ve forgotten why we do things, or we have these inane justifications that make no sense at all and convince no-one. So when you say to me “We’re doing myths, we’re doing folktales”, it gets me going, it presses my buttons. School should be about asking questions, not doing topics. Why are we spending time on folktales? What is a folktale? How did they come to exist? Are they just for little children? How come versions of the same basic plot crop up in completely unconnected cultures? What happens when we hear a folktale, how are we affected? What is a folktale doing? Is this the same as what a piece of music does? Or a poem? Or a painting? Or some graffiti on a wall in Moreland? And lots of other questions. These are what you should be doing in your English class? Doing questions. Not doing folktales.’
Thanks Steve, love this!
Great post! I especially liked the following: "The heart of education is not about answering questions, it's about cultivating the ability to ask good ones." As a middle school teacher, I love forcing my students to write questions about a text rather than simply answer my questions. It throws them for a loop and inevitably ignites great discussions!
Also I chuckled at your John Warner recommendation. His "Why They Can't Write" adorns my bookshelf, along with other works. I didn't realize he had a Substack!
Thanks Adam, glad it resonated! Love that you embrace questions with your middle schoolers.
John is great, both his books and his Substack.
These people who think people should be more like machines have completely lost sight of what it means to be human, what makes humans special, and what it means to live a good life -- "to foster virtue" as you so elegantly describe it. Life is a journey, not a destination, and there's no prize for getting to the end sooner.
Thanks Ruth, a journey indeed!
Great to read your article @Josh Brake finally and a very convincing case, you’ve shifted my position!
I had accepted Hararis position by default but I agree with you on considering your arguments, we are not helpless with regard to knowing what to teach in the age of AI disruption - its actually more important than ever to prepare kids and not just give up.
And the case for teaching kids virtue and critical thinking skills for example seems extremely sound both morally and practically for me.
Great article - outstanding!