Chapter 12: The Alternatives

from the book "RootEd: How Trauma Impacts Learning and Society" by S.R. Zelenz

Creative Collaborative Environments

In this chapter I will criticize the competitive emphasis that exists in current schools such as letter grading, standardized tests, etc., in contrast with more natural approaches such as experiential learning, student leadership, and intrinsic motivation. First and foremost, "the teacher cannot be the only expert in the classroom. To deny students their own expert knowledge is to disempower them" (Delpit, 2006, pp. 32-33). Jacobs reinforces and adds that "ultimately, most studies conclude that transformative learning is most apt to occur when courage is associated with any and all aspects of being, thinking, doing, and believing" (Jacobs, 1998, p. 169). In order to obtain such transformative learning within the classroom, the teacher must allow the students to participate in the teaching and exploring of material or ideas, even if it means that the students may find their original thoughts incorrect upon completion of the discovery period. The oppor…