Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance

On my classroom door, I have a poster that contains a quote from Socrates that reads“Wisdom Begins in Wonder.” 

Yet, are students asking “good” questions and really thinking?  Are students being involved, inquistive, and engaged in learning?  Unfortunately, the harsh reality is no!  According to stastics gathered and presented by Wesch, “On average, our survey sample of 131 students reported reading less than half of the assigned readings, and further perceived only 26 percent of the readings to be relevant to their lives” (5).  Why, you may ask?   Well, Wesch asserts that the lack of student engagement is “the problem of significance itself” (5).  If students do not see the relevance of the material presented in the class, they are not inclined to join in the didactic process.  The lack of involvement leads to disillusionment in school, and the denial of learning or “the hallmark of humanity” (5).  Wesch solidifies his allegation in the following video clip entitled, “A Vision of Students Today,

     Furthermore, as teachers, we pride ourselves in being lifelong learners—curious and hungry for knowledge.  Why do we not expect the same of our students?  After all, “we are all cut out for learning.  It is what makes us human” (5).  Hitherto, driven by “adminstrative questions” (5) rather than inquiry-based investigation “education has become a relatively meaningless game of grades rather than an important and meaningful exploration of the world in which we live and co-create” (5).  As an educator, I scoff at the idea that the profession that I have dedicated myself to is looked at as “a relatively meaningless game” by students.  I do not place blame on the students, but echo Wesch, “[a]s teachers we have created and continue to maintain an education system” (5).  So, how do we rectify the situation? 

            Wesch returns to “the problem of signficiance itself.”  Education must MEAN something to the students!  Thus, despite the brevity of the article, Wesch elucidates the concept of “anti-teaching” (5) – a learning environment in which “the students…[are] fully engaged, talking to one another, grappling with interesting questions, and exploring any and all resources to find answers, and more importantly, more questions” (6).  Thus, the proliferation of asking “good” questions never ceases!  The following video explains Project-Based Learning, another example that ties into Wesch’s goal to highlight the significance of a lesson to students. 

 

   As a novice teacher, I am tentative!  I am having difficulty forseeing the implementation.  Has anyone tried something similar in their classroom?  Any advice on how to instruct such a subversive lesson that reaches the success level of Wesch?  Please send along resources!  Any feedback is welcome!