The Brain in Spain

When I was in Spanish class in high school, we would often study the cultural differences between America and Spanish-speaking countries on top of learning the language. I remember one year we were learning about schools in Spain, and one thing that surprised me was the fact that students in Spain stayed in the same classroom all day, and the teachers switched rooms every period instead. It seemed totally bizarre to me that a student would just stay seated at the same desk all day long with the same group of people and wait for their teachers to come to them. I feel like I would get restless, and I know I would get tired of being in class with all the same people for seven hours a day.

I know some might argue that it is that way in American elementary schools, but I feel like that is completely different because classes tend to be more interactive and hands-on.

Question: Do you think you would prefer to stay in the same classroom all day instead of switching rooms for each class period?

Response to Brittany Botto's Response to Mike

Referring to an incident in which a vegan teacher showed her class a PEDA video, Brittany wrote, “The sharing of such controversial opinions may lead to mistaken perceptions and accusatory beliefs.” She then posed the question: Can you think of a time when your teachers may have shared an opinion to this degree with your class and what effects did it have, if any?

I honestly don’t think I can recall a time when I personally faced this situation with a teacher. I will say that if a teacher is speaking about such opinions as anything but just that—opinions—that is highly inappropriate. If a teacher is speaking about his personal opinions as if it is the right way to think and other opinions are wrong, that is unacceptable. That being said, I also feel like learning about other people’s opinions can help us to better form our own, or better understand the ones we have already formed. I think if a teacher has an opinion that is different from the norm, they should be free to share it as long as they are willing to accept that it is not everyone’s opinion. If a teacher is vegan and wants to share why that is with his students, I find that acceptable as long as he is also willing to listen to the opposing opinions of his students and not try to force his beliefs on them as absolute truth. After all, there have been plenty of teachers who were ostracized and worse for believing in, for instance, evolution. Where would the world be if those teachers had just kept silent and pretended to believe in Creationism because evolution was a controversial topic?

Question in response: Do you think students are more likely to assume their teachers are always correct, or to question them?

Response to Courtney Martin: Independent Learning

Courtney asked, Would independent learning be beneficial for a majority or would this lead to academic catastrophe or complication? What could happen to a person’s motivation when it is completely up to them to learn and absorb the material without the presence of a professor or fellow classmates?

I definitely think that independent learning is NOT meant for the masses. For one thing, many students in the public school system are only there because they are being forced to be there, and have no interest in attending classes or learning. If such students were in charge of furthering their own education, it simply would not happen. Those kids aside, though, even students who enjoy learning might struggle with independent learning. For instance, I decided to take an online psychology course this past semester. Psychology is my major and I thoroughly enjoy studying it. Even so, I ended up falling behind and doing badly in the course because of it. Some people just don’t do well with time management and keeping themselves on track. I’m one of them. Furthermore, I think a system based solely on independent learning would not be as beneficial because human interaction in an important part of school. I think discussing ideas about the material being learned and being social with fellow students is healthy.

Question in Response: How important has social interaction been for you throughout your scholastic career?