edu500-assignment 1

7/29/2019 edu500-assignment 1

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Alan NorrisAssignment 1

Assignment 1

In this paper I will present to you my opinions about some basic questions that have

confused and dazzled the minds of every language teacher since the beginning of time.

The summary of ideas will be in the following order:

My core belief about the nature of language

My core belief about the nature of learning

My core belief about the nature of teaching

I propose to answer these beliefs with a series of logical arguments that will make use

of ones reasoning and historical knowledge. I will draw upon the evidence of history to

backup my opinions, as I am a strong believer that we should learn from our mistakes. I

believe that the my views are best summarized within this quote from a historical reading

which says, "History is for human self-knowledge...the only clue to what man can do is

what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done

and thus what man is. (R.G. Collingwood, 2006). I use this quote because it best

describes why I believe history is the best reference tool for describing the mysteries of

mankind. Now let us proceed into the abyss of the mind and shed light upon the

mysteries of exactly what language is.

Firstly we will discuss the nature of language, and to do so I believe it is best to

define what exactly language is. According to Oliver Wendell Holmes Language is the

blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. (T. Gustafson,

1993). However in my opinion I believe that language is a necessary utility for survival

and adaptability. It can be used for positive, negative, or neutral means and can

implement all forms of communication. Language has been defined an uncountable

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number of times by a large number men who are much wiser than me. So I believe it just

goes to show that the very definition of language is complex in and of itself.

My personal definition of language of is based on the historical tale of the tower of

babel, which is originally documented in the historical literature of the bible. This

particular story comes from genesis and attempts to explain why there are so many

different languages in the world today.

To paraphrase the text from genesis 11:1-10 all of the people at the time spoke one

language and traveled east to the land of Shinar. The people created a great city there and

decided to build a tower from brick and mortar so they could reach the heavens. When

god came down and saw the city and the tower he said behold, the people is one, and

they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained

from them, which they have imagined to do. (Genesis 11:6) so in order to prevent them

from building the tower god confounded their language so they couldnt understand each

other and then scattered all of the people around the world.

Given the historical context of language and its beginnings we can assume that

mankind had to find a way to adapt to their environment(s). In doing so they have

initially addressed the subject of learning. In my opinion learning is the practice of

obtaining new information and processes. These likewise can be used to raise ones self-

awareness and extend ones consciousness, which may bring about latent abilities or

create anew set of skills for an individual. Learning can be done be done through several

obvious ways

Osmosis, observation, and inference

Consciousness-raising and becoming aware of ones situations and needs

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The art of adaptation, which commonly is the last step and most often, is used

to interact with physical stimuli around the individual.

I base several of my beliefs of learning from the scientific work developed by the

biologist, Charles Darwin. One of his theories which states the young with a

certain favorable adaptation will pass it on to the next generation and

survive or adapt even more using the first adaptation (Encarta, 1998).

That being said I believe my studies in science have heavily shaped my

opinions about learning.

As society has developed a more complex infrastructure, the

need for teachers has likewise increased. The reasons behind this will

become clear once we understand where we originated. Every

generation since the beginning of human existence has passed on its

language, social values, unique traditions, survival methods, and

necessary job skills. This type of enculturation eventually developed

into a type of socialization. Before writing existed the enculturation of

the next generation was done via person to person or else visually. It

wasnt until around 3500 B.C. that the first examples of organized

writing were seen (Fischer, 2004), and it wasnt until 2000 B.C. that the

first alphabet was developed in Egypt. (Fischer, 2004)

After studying the history of education and some of the cultures

behind it I would have to say that I believe teaching is the ability to

pass down learned information to a target subject or group. I believe

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that once can teach through multiple pedagogies and methods, and

that the art of teaching has been developing ever since humans

existed. The primary differences of the civilizations back then and now

is that we, in the computer age, seek to organize, collect, study, and

maintain the skills that have proven effective for academia.

As a living organism, we as humans have found it necessary to develop a

language that would ensure clean and concise communication among our own species

and social groups. This development has lead to the necessity to find ways to describe

and say things, which eventually evolved into language. Likewise the evolution of

language continued and birthed the ideas of not just learning, but teaching it as well. This

development has lead to the necessity to find ways to teach and learn daily tasks that have

since become more and more common. That's where our role as teachers come in, and

where often time it gets complicated or confusing. Teaching another student our ways of

understanding the world often goes against their own, but at the same time can hopefully

provide our students with just a little bit of enlightenment to the world around them.

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Reference List

Collingwood, R. (2006). The Idea of History. Hesperides Press.

Fischer, S. R. A History of Writing, 2004, Reaktion Books

Gustafson, T. (1993). Representative Words: Politics, Literature, and the American

Holy Bible: King James Version. Genesis 11:1-10.

Language, 1776-1865 (ed., Vol., pp. 197). Cambridge University Press.

"Theory of Natural Selection." Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. 1998.

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