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Poem: “Work without Hope” by Samuel T. Coleridge
Statement of the Whole: Moving from the image of a car engine spread out on the back lawn to the inner workings of the inquisitive mind, Jason and Steve discuss how analysis and synthesis are both necessary to every lesson. Pulling an idea apart and putting it back together keep learning from its dangerous extremes. Listen as the Backporch breaks it down and puts it all back together again.
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Allowing space for profundity, welcoming revelation.
Poem: “Adam’s Curse” by William Butler Yeats
Statement of the Whole: Many times, it is the unexpected appearance of a moment of truth that makes everything change in the classroom. We had it planned to go this way, and then up pops the head of truth and now we are going in another direction. The boys of Backporch Ed discuss ways to deal with this mystery, and basically bask in the glory of the unknown. Will you join them?
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Poem: none
Statement of the Whole: Fun is a fun word to define. It is even funner to try and inculcate into today’s educational world. Jason and Steve play around with the word for a while in this episode on how enjoyable learning can be and what the expectations for today’s classroom imply about good learning and teaching. Come join in the fun; you may be surprised by the experience.
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The Thermostat Episode
Poem: Section 106 from Tennyson’s In Memoriam
Statement of the Whole:
Every classroom has its own unique temperature or climate. What determines how that classroom feels? Given that each student is unique, is it even possible to form a specific climate in the room, or will everyone perceive it differently? What kinds of things go into classroom climate formation? Jason and Steve discuss their own classrooms and their assessment of these and many other questions. This discussion should apply to any classroom (home or school) at any age level.
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