Vivian Paley meets David Hawkins (due by Sunday, February 3rd)
David Hawkins is making an elegant philosophical proposition about the nature of teaching and specifically the uniqueness inherent in a proper teaching relationship. Because it is philosophy, it can be a challenging read (if it were easy, then we would not be reading it in a grad class). But he is making a simple point, that it is the subject matter that is brings teachers and students together and, therefore, defines the teacher's work, "a community of subject matter" (p. 52).
Consider the following questions in your posting:
1. What is Hawkins saying? What is his thesis? What points does he state so elegantly or emphatically that I should quote them or closely paraphrase them? What terms (vocabulary) or concepts seem particularly important here?
2. How do I feel about what Hawkins is saying? What does this remind me of? Do I agree? Have I read or experienced anything that reiterates or challenges what is being argued here? How does this help me? What words do I need to look up and/or what concepts do I need to revisit to feel confident that I understand what Hawkins is saying?
3. How do I place this article in the context of the time and venue it was published? What do I know about this publisher/journal? The audience Hawkins would have expected? What happens when I Wikipedia or Google David Hawkins? Are there citations I have seen before? If so, which ones?
4. What is the "It" in Paley's teaching?
5. How does Paley "respect" her students?
6. How does Paley diagnose her students' mathematical understandings? How is this different than "assessment"? (Hawkins, p. 57).
As will always be the case in our class, it is helpful and important to refer to and cite the texts we use. Please make an effort to go to the texts for evidence to support your own claims.