Angles on a Pin

Alexander Calandra

Angels on a Pin

Warming Up Questions

Background Information

Word Formation

Text Analysis

Assignment And Q&A

Angels on a Pin

Warming Up Questions (4 minutes)

– When was it written? – Do you believe in the so-called “standard answers”? – Was creative thinking encouraged in your high school? – What may affect or destroy one’s creativity? How can it be

cultivated? – Based on what you know from TV or newspaper, in what ways are

American teaching different from Chinese one? Give examples. – What do you think of the educational system in general and the

examination system in particular? Is there something wrong with it? In what way do you think we should improve our own educational system?

Angels on a Pin

Background Information (5 minutes)

I. Why is the parable entitled “Angels on a Pin”? – Medieval scholastics were fond of debating such meaningless questi

ons as "How many angels can dance on the point of a pin," "Did Adam have a navel," and "Do angels defecate." The emerging sciences replaced such `scholarly' debates with experimentation and appeals to observable fact.

– Callandra seems to be suggesting that “exploring the deep inner logic of a subject in a pedantic （学究的；迂腐的） way is similar to the empty arguments of scholasticism. He compares this to th ‘new math’, so much in the news in the 60s, which attempted to replace rote memorization( 死记硬背） of math with a deeper understanding of the logic and principles of mathematics, and he seems to be deriding （嘲笑） that effort, too.

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Background Information

II. What Is Meant By Academic Creativity? --Academic creativity is a way of thinking about, learning, and

producing information in school subjects such as science, mathematics, and history. Few experts agree on a precise definition, but when we say the word, everyone senses a similar feeling. When we are creative, we are aware of its special excitement.

--Creative thinking and learning involve such abilities as evaluation (especially the ability to sense problems, inconsistencies, and missing elements); divergent production (e.g., fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration); and redefinition. Creative learning is a natural, healthy human process that occurs when people become curious and excited. In contrast, learning by authority requires students to use thinking skills such as recognition, memory, and logical reasoning--the abilities most frequently assessed by traditional tests of intelligence and scholastic aptitude. Children prefer to learn in creative ways rather than just memorizing information provided by a teacher or parents. They also learn better and sometimes faster.

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Background Information

III. Three questions illustrate the difference between learning information provided by an adult or textbook and creative learning:

1. In what year did Columbus discover America? (The answer, 1492, requires recognizing and memorizing information.)

2. How are Columbus and an astronaut similar and different? (The answer requires more than memorization and understanding; it requires students to think about what they know.)

3. Suppose Columbus had landed in California. How would our lives and history have been different? (The answer requires many creative thinking skills including imagining, experimenting, discovering, elaborating, testing solutions, and communicating discoveries.)

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Background Information

IV. How Adults "Kill" Creativity:

Insisting that children do things the "right way." Teaching a child to think that there is just one right way to do things kills

the urge to try new ways. Pressuring children to be realistic, to stop imagining. When we label a child's flights of fantasy as "silly," we bring the child

down to earth with a blow, causing the inventive urge to die. Making comparisons with other children. This is a subtle pressure on a child to conform; yet the essence of

creativity is freedom to conform or not to conform. Discouraging children's curiosity. One of the indicators of creativity is curiosity; yet we often brush

questions aside because we are too busy for "silly" questions. Children's questions deserve respect.

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Background Information

V. A Reflection of a teacher: Creativity Killer

I Kill Creativity when I encourage Renting (borrowing) instead of Owning ideas. Real artwork is based on the child's own experience, memory, observation, and/or imagination. Real artwork is not borrowed from other children or other artists. The definition of borrowing is "use it and give it back". In a sense it would be better to steal it. Thieves take ownership. They do not intend to return what they take. I stole this idea from Nick Lindsay, a good friend and poet. He is the son of poet Vachel Lind

say.

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Background Information A Reflection of a teacher: Creativity Killer

I Kill Creativity when I Assign Grades without providing Informative Feedback. Grades without rationale give no useful information that helps a person be creative. Sometimes they punish instead of rewarding. If grading is used as punishment, it can motivate rebellion or passive resistance unless the student is unusually mature. When grading is needed in art, we can use an accumulation of positive points including credit for growth and improvement (longitudinal grading instead of normative grading). Normative grading assumes that there is a certain equal norm that everybody most achieve. It would be like forcing all children to be a certain height by a certain age.

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Background Information A Reflection of a teacher: Creativity Killer

I Kill Creativity when I allow Cliché Symbols to substitute for Original or Observed Representation of Experience. Snoopy dogs, hearts, smiley faces, stick figures, formulas for drawing trees or animals, ovals for people, and so on, are all counterproductive activities. Would it not be more productive to spend the time generating some original symbols that go beyond the "no brainers"? Can we encourage the use of imagination, observation, and memory? Can we prohibit Cliché production?

I Kill Creativity when I Demonstrate instead of having students Practice. I can sleep through a demonstration. I can not sleep through a hands-on practice lesson. Tell me and I might remember a little while - if I listen. Show me and I will remember a bit longer - if I pay attention. Have me do it - I learn it. When I demonstrate, I still get quite a few questions about what I "taught". When I direct a practice session nearly everybody feels confident to do it again using their own ideas. If a demo is the only way, I find that it needs to immediately followed by practice, not by the final product assignment.

Angels on a Pin

Background Information A Reflection of a teacher: Creativity Killer

I Kill Creativity when I Show an Example instead of Defining a Problem. I like to show the Art History, the Fine Art Exemplar, the multicultural examples at the end of the lesson. This allows us to use what we learn during the media work experience as frame of reference for the example.

However, when not showing examples, I must provide a better problem definition, more chances to practice the technique, and be particularly alert to students who may be floundering at the beginning of a problem because they are not accustomed to doing their own thinking. Often, if students are not accustomed to listening carefully, they feel lost if I do not show them what it is supposed to look like. In these cases, I repeat the problem definition using different words, or I have them make a some sketches of what they think might work. I also have them make written lists of ideas to pick from. Some are not accustomed to thumbnailing. They not used to the idea that they are to originate ideas from their own lives, experiences, and concerns. Few other teachers ask this of them.

While "image flooding" may be inspirational, it can also be intimidating and very suggestive. It can be argued that image flooding creates slicker work, but less creative thinking skills. It may win the scholastic awards, but it teaches us to go through life in other people's skins. We never learn the ecstasy of having original ideas.

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Background Information A Reflection of a teacher: Creativity Killer

I Kill Creativity when I Praise Neatness and Conformity more than Expressive Original work Neatness is over rated. Conformity (and even following the assignment too slavishly) may be a negative indicator when assessing art. Product centered work may be thought of as very good slave training. What I want is student ownership. I often imagine what it might be like to be one of those artists cranking out "Starving Artist" oil paintings. They are done in painting factories.

I Kill Creativity when I give Freedom without Focus Good lessons provide some specific learning goals, practice objectives, and so on. If I ask students to do whatever they want to do, they do whatever they already have learned in the past. The amount of creative thinking may be zero. When there are limits, there is a better chance of having a challenging task. The teacher's challenge is to make the limits seem compelling and interesting to the student. My job is to make the hard stuff easy and to make the easy stuff hard

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Background Information A Reflection of a teacher: Creativity Killer

I Kill Creativity by Making Suggestions instead of asking Open Questions. Too often I am so glad I have what seems like an intelligent answer that I blurt it out without thinking. When I do this I am taking away several important things. I make my students more dependent on me and less self-reliant. I teach them not to think for themselves. Would it not be better to bite my tongue - to pause long enough to phrase a question or two that helps students realize that what they think is important. At other times I may need to help them set up the needed experiment to find and answer. I can often simplify the problem by asking them to solve a sma

ller problem that helps with the larger question.

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Background Information A Reflection of a teacher: Creativity Killer

I Kill Creativity if I Give an Answer instead of teaching Problem Solving methods. Artists use a variety of problem solving strategies. Some move things around until they look "right". Some know that they need to cause an accident (often a series of accidents) and look for ideas in the accidents. Some know that they need to simplify. Some need to work at creating new kinds of order from chaos. Some want to point out the problems of the world. Some want to search for more perfect beauty. There are many methods of working aesthetically, and I need to expose students to as many ways as feasible. It is not my responsibility to answer the students questions. It is my job to help the students learn how to formulate questions that the students find compelling. Hmm. How could I have stated this as a question?

Angels on a PinBackground Information

VI. What Can Parents Do?

It is natural for young children to learn creatively by dancing, singing, storytelling, playing make-believe, and so forth. One of the first challenges to creativity may be formal schooling. By this time parents, as well as teachers, appreciate conforming behaviors such as being courteous and obedient, following rules, and being like others. While these are desirable traits to some extent, they may also destroy a child's creative potential.

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Background Information What Can Parents Do? The following are some positive ways parents can foste

r and nurture the growth of creativity: Encourage curiosity, exploration, experimentation, fantasy, questioning,

testing, and the development of creative talents. Provide opportunities for creative expression, creative problem-solving

and constructive response to change and stress. Prepare children for new experiences, and help develop creative ways

of coping with them. Find ways of changing destructive behavior into constructive, productiv

e behavior rather than relying on punitive methods of control. Find creative ways of resolving conflicts between individual family mem

bers' needs and the needs of the other family members. Make sure that every member of the family receives individual attention

and respect and is given opportunities to make significant, creative contributions to the welfare of the family as a whole.

Use what the school provides imaginatively, and supplement the school's efforts. Give the family purpose, commitment, and courage. (Torrance, 1969, p. 59)

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Word Formation (10 minutes) Part One Word Formation

aid n. aid v.

calculate v. calculation n. calculating

competence n. competent adj.

creative adj. creativity n. create v.

impartial adj. impartiality n. partial adj.

launch v. launching n.

panic n. panic adj. panic v.

Angels on a PinWord FormationPart One Word Formation

proportion n. proportionate adj. proportion v.

recall v. recall n. recallable adj.

resist v. resistance n. resistant adj.

select v. selection n. selective adj.

solve v. solution n.

sophisticated adj. sophistication n.

swing v. swing n.

warn v. warning adj. warner n.

instructor n. Instruction n.

instruct v. instructive adj.

credit n. credit v. creditable, credible, incredible, incredulous adj.

temptation n. tempt v. tempting adj.

Angels on a PinWord Formation

Part Two Word Study

A. aid, calculate, deserve 1. If you do wrong, you ___ punishment.2. He has done such a good deed that he ___ to be rewarded.3. I ___ him in his enterprise. They ___ in solving the problem.4. With the ___ of his wife, he finished his thesis before the deadline.5. His brother is really a ___ businessman; he never passes up any

opportunity to earn money.6. The scientists are able to ___ accurately when the spaceship will

reach the moon.

7. I ___ that she will arrive at 8 a.m.

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Word Study B. affixes: -meter, & im-, super- -meter a. 表示“计量器 , 计 , 表” , 如 : thermometer （温度计） , barometer （气

压记） , gasometer b. 表示“米 , 公尺” , 如 : kilometer, centimeter, milimeter im- a. 表示“向 ... 内” ; “ 在 ... 上” ; “ 向 ...”, 如 : immigrate, imprison, import b. 表示“否定” , 如 : immoral, impatient, immaterial, immobile, immortal(fa

me), immovable, imperfect, impolite, impersonal, improper super- above; over; upon: 上；上方；在…之上： a.superstructure, superior in size, quality, number, or degree: 超尺寸、质

量、数量或程度上超极的： superfine. 极好的 , superpower, superman, supermarket, superintendent

b.exceeding a norm: 超出标准 ： supersaturate. 使过饱和 , supersonic, supernatural,

c.excessive in degree or intensity: 超过程度或强度上过分的 supersubtle. 过分精细的

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Word Study

C. competence, competent; 有资格的，主管的，权限内的 足够的，充足的；耐久的 应该的，被许可的 a competent cook 能干的厨

子 competent knowledge 足够的知识 He is competent for the task. 他胜任这项任务。

If you want to learn English, you must first find a competent teacher. 你如要学习英文，你须先找一位称职的教师。 It was competent to him to refuse. 他拒绝是对的。

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Word Study

D. credit （信誉；信用） ; creditable （可称赞的） ; credible （可信的） ; incredible （另人难以置信的） ; credulous （轻信的） , incredulous （不相信的；怀疑的 )

The student made a ___ effort on the essay. He was too ___ of what other people say, and that was why he was ta

ken in. As a communist, he is ____ of stories about ghosts. -What? You said the man had jumped down from the skyscraper simpl

y to test his courage? That is ____! The mother is a ___ witness to the crime.

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Word Study

credit n.& v. You’re credit to your team/family.( 光荣，荣誉） They bought the furniture on credit. （赊帐）You should have no trouble getting the loan if your credit is good. （信誉，

信用）Do you expect me to credit that absurd tale? （相信）We should credit the invention of light bulb to Thomas Edison. （把…归

于）Please credit $5,000 to my account. ( 把…记入贷方

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Word Study

instructor, panic, recall, swing

The crowd ___ at the sound of the guns.

Everyone was in a ___ when the war broke out.

I have been ___ to wait here until the lecturer arrives.

I find these lectures on science ___.

The boy ___ on the rope tied to a tree.

The pendulum’s ___ is 12 inches.

The makers have ___ a lot of unsafe cars.

___ the misery of the past and contrast it with the happiness of today.

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Word Study

give way, give away; give out, give off, give in, give up

The bridge gave ___ under the heavy weight.

He pretended to be calm, but his eyes gave him ___.

The food went bad and gave ___ a bad smell.

The candle in the dark room gave ___ a weak light.

When would you give __ smoking?

My mother is strong willed; she never gives __ in face of difficulties.

Angels on a PinWord Formation

Part Three Idiomatic Expressions do somebody a favor at this point be about to do

set up a system walk up stairs mark off

with the aid of in units bring something up the beauty of sth. point out to sb. the trouble with sth. have a strong case for/against

at a certain level in principle be supposed to do.

to work out sth. give sb. a try at . as follows

put down a word be fed up with .. excuse oneself for doing rather than dash off the answer throw sb. Into a panic lean over th

e edge blame sb. For sth.

Angels on a PinText Analysis1. We must admit the student really had a pretty strong case for full credit. admit sth. admit (to) doing sth. admit that … admit sb. into some place case: reason or argument Undoubtedly,/It is undeniable that he had good reason to get a high mark.

2. A high grade is supposed to prove competence in the course A high grade should reflect how well one has done in his course. be supposed to do: be intended to do, although in this case it is not so. This medicine is supposed to be good for your heart, but to my surprise it has

no effects on your heart. Course: compulsory/optional course

Angels on a PinText Analysis

3. He appeared to be thinking hard. He seemed to be thing hard. It looked as if he were thinking hard.4. He dashed off his answer He wrote his answer very quickly.5. The beauty of this method is that. The advantage/the good thing about this method is that … The beauty of this project is that it doesn’t cause any pollution.6. If you prefer a more sophisticated method prefer: prefer A to B I prefer fish to meat. He preferred history to literature. prefer to do sth. I preferred to wear sports shoes. prefer doing sth I prefer going to the Summer Palace to sleeping in the dorm.

Angels on a PinText Analysis

sophisticated: complicated, more advanced, complex; having acquired worldly knowledge and refinement, lacking natural simplicity or naivety

sophisticated weapons/equipment, a sophisticated girl7. The height of the building can in principle be worked out. in principle: generally In principle, every child has the right to go to school. work out: calculate (but it has not yet been carried out) She could work out the answer quickly on a sheet of paper.8. Which had been thrown into such a panic by the successful launching

of the Russian Sputnik. During the cold war, the successful launching of the Russian Sputnik cause

d great fear it the US, because it felt that it could no longer depend on the two oceans for its safety. The American general public put the blame on their government, especially their educational system, which they believed had lagged far behind the Russians.

Angels on a PinText Analysis

9. Perhaps we should ask ourselves whether we are always asking the right questions.

This is a common problem. Many questions are complicated and require careful analysis. We cannot easily give true-or-false or yes-or-no answers. In fact, often the questions are wrong in the first place. Please discuss whether these questions are right:

10. When can we give every Chinese a car? How can we make machines work for us so that we do not have to wo

rk at all?

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Assignment And Q&A （ 5 minutes） Imagine yourself to be the student and descr

ibe your experience of the exam in about 100 words.