Empowering Education

One of the main topics of this reading that I instantly saw was based on the title, how to empower education through classrooms and certain values that must be upheld. These values included things such as participation, problem-posing, and dialogue and are all important aspects that should be included in an empowered classroom. Another large topic covered, mostly in the beginning of the reading was based on whether we hold classrooms where students can ask questions and, most of all, feel comfortable enough to ask questions about the curriculum and other issues. They use the example of questioning why we must go to school, which would allow for a classroom filled with discussion and research for the answer. It would allow for a dialogue between peers, where the teacher would act as a facilitator rather than an overpowering presence in the classroom. I focused on this idea and thought about past classrooms I have been in and whether or not they were like the one mentioned above. When I was in elementary and middle school, I do not believe I was in classrooms where I could ask questions and debate the topic we were discussing. However, once I got into my senior year of high school I saw that these classrooms were more and more evident. In my current year of school, I am more willing to ask questions in the classroom and ask why these things are correct instead of just accepting it and move on. True, I do know that the teacher knows what they are talking about and I trust their word, but it is always important to know why you may come to a certain conclusion on a topic. It's great to know the answer to some questions, but it is even better to know why that is the answer. I believe that it is important to have classrooms where the students are not just copying down notes and listening to lecture, but can talk to their peers about problems and solutions being done in class so that they can fully understand why they come to that answer and how to figure it out next time. Students should feel comfortable enough to ask their teachers questions about topics inside and outside the classroom. It is during the years of middle school to high school where a student may question the norms of society and wonder why things are. It is important to facilitate a classroom that allows for these questions so that a student can question society and why they go to school and other things applicable to their daily lives. It is then that changes can occur and new opportunities can arise.

When looking around for a video to post, I looked up "empowering education" on youtube just to see what would come up in the results. Funny enough, a Ted Talk from Chris Emdin (the keynote speaker  of Promising Practices) was the first result, where he discusses that it is important to empower children to ask questions to make a reform in eduction. I thought that this was applicable to the reading, or at least the part I focused on, because he discusses that some education makes students numb to what they are experiencing everyday and how important it is for them to seek out the answers to their questions and make a change when possible. He says that it is important to empower children through education so that they do not blindly accept what they are learning and question the society they live in because if they do not, change will not occur. I love listening to Emdin talk and hear how passionate he is about this topic, and I feel that he always has something empowering to say. Here is the link to the video: Empowering Education