Dehins Kwentong Kutchero

The TOK class is a classic example of how teachers can effectively employ the use of pairwork and small group discussions to elicit prior knowledge,  encourage thinking together and listening to each other,  while placing them in a learning situation where they can agree to disagree and even arrive at common understandings. I know that this may be commonplace in all types of schools but what keeps me interested are the types of questions students sort out and the meanings they arrive at after all the exchanges—to what extent the discussions turn out to be typical ‘umpukan sa kanto’, ‘kwentong kutchero', 'kwentong barbero', FacLounge exchange, I dunno whatelse or a genuine intellectual exercise.

The teacher started the class by simply jotting down a list of assumptions, top of his head kinda thing. He starts the class by laying down the goals and linking these with the essential agreements, the purposes of the day’s work as it relates to their future lives in the university, not to mention spending a few minutes to put in context today’s topic which was about dealing with ‘assumptions’. This initial teacher talk ran for about 8 minutes or so that I was about to say my "Oh no... teacher-preacher!!!". Of course, it hardly turned out to be that way.  I can see the students taking this as part of the routine, and comfortably understanding where the teacher was coming from.

For the small group activity to work, a set of questions were provided:

What are assumptions? Why do we have these? How do we get rid of them?

(And should I even say, that the key to the success of this kind of activity is the set of questions given.  Surely, this activity is not bound to fail.)

The teacher comes across as a person very relaxed with his students because he seems to have established a steady work relationship with them. Also, having been with the Grade 12’s myself as a sub teacher,  I can say that being with this class was like simply dealing with a bunch of adults who equally know when to relax, when to get on with business and when things have to go faster than usual because an output has to be turned in.  They are the type to naturally transition from one activity to the next without much cheering on in the way preschoolers and grade schoolers would be cued by their teachers.

I can say that perhaps the  Grade 12’s are pretty much prepared to be booted out of HS, into a university and finally get on with their lives having real jobs.  Perhaps the next few months are about bidding time and while at that, may as well give them a hard time through IB Diploma prescriptions, lol. The only reason you would want to delay this eventuality is the feeling that you know at one point in their lives as adults, when they feel utterly tired and exhausted, they would wish to be back in HS, away from the cares of the world!!!

Moving on….

I easily got to move around and engage. The students went on with their business of  thinking and responding to the questions but at the same time, they comfortably let me into their small group exchange. One pair started with their ideas of religion and how it influenced one’s ways of looking at things. The other  discussed about  the individual in relation to their spheres, that they even had a diagram in their notes while their peer discussion went on.  I finally came around to reaching the third pair who were almost done, arriving at this: assumptions are stuff they cannot do without, hence there is value in acknowledging these assumptions and being careful about how it may or may not influence the way you see things in life…(and perhaps arrive at certain choices they need to make).

At one point, the teacher briefly called the attention of the students to clarify the meaning of the word assumption…and it came just in time when I found myself asking how assumptions differ from premises, arguments, theories, beliefs, opinions and biases, prejudices…..and all the other stuff TOK students are learning which I wished I have learned during my time and perhaps teaching Philosophy now would be a breeze!!!

It was a wholesome exchange of ideas that I witnessed among the Gr 12’s.

I wished I stayed a bit longer to see how the teacher shall take off from the students’ ideas.

My thoughts bring me back to how our Gr 10’s and 9’s are: the 9’s who are still much into their cliques, and the 10’s who are a class of their own, half serious, half getting there and funny mostly, and fully absorbed once the right buttons are pushed.

Will I be able to stay long enough to be like Joseph with them once they reach Gr 12?