tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1 2008-10-12T17:07:56Z Inspiration for teachers of classics and lovers of language Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.76 2008-10-11T14:40:34Z 2008-10-12T17:07:56Z

I was going to continue responding to that New York Times article on the resurgence of Latin from last week. Then an old student of mine read the blog post right before this one. His/her assessment (all tongue in cheek/sarcastic)...

Dr. Richard Gilder III resurgence of Latin from last week. Then an old student of mine read the blog post right before this one. His/her assessment (all tongue in cheek/sarcastic) was so right on, so funny, so much better than anything I could say - this is a student, you see, someone in the system, as opposed to yours truly, who writes, shall we say, against the system - that I reproduce it here verbatim. And no, none of this is mine. Except the quotation marks, the bold, and one bracketed pointer. The rest is hers/his. And here it is: "Ha. In a Latin LANGUAGE class, culture and history are the only things that matter, not to mention the spells in Harry Potter. Who are these people actually teaching Latin grammar and vocabulary? Someone should give them a good talking to.... I thought school was about having fun! I only go to school to see my friends and gab about American Idol. Everyone who is under the impression that school isn't for that, well, their students should show them a thing or two about the true meaning of school. Kids know everything. And while I'm on that topic, who really needs teachers? The only reason that schools waste money on teachers is so we, the students, can get the answers for the standardized tests. After the last bubble is filled, we can go on our merry way, push all of that superfluous knowledge out of our heads, and fill them with useful things, like the lyrics to the latest Jonas Brothers song. Now that I think of it, learning itself is superfluous! Give us the standardized tests already and we can guess our way though them! After about the twenty-fifth retake, most of us should pass, right? Process of elimination works sixty one percent of the time.... Knowledge? Does it come in a file that I can download onto my iPod? And writing! That's sooooooooo much work! Multiple choice is so easy; I don't have to use the precious few brain cells I have! For example: C,A,B,C,C,D,E,D,A,A,A,C,B,D,D,B,C,B,C,B,A,E,D,E,A,C,E,D. I answered a lot of the world's problems right there! Adults really should pay attention to these valuable suggestions. Life experience can now be Googled, so wisdom is obsolete too! And to use that lovely metaphor of yours [see the post just before this one], window dressing is okay, but without the window of language to put it on, it is oh so much more enticing." ]]> tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.75 2008-10-09T14:09:16Z 2008-10-09T15:03:26Z

My email was bombarded recently. Friends, students, colleagues sent me a link to a New York Times article on the resurgence of Latin in schools. Fabulous. Wonderful. So glad other people decided to join the party. I'm thrilled that the...

Dr. Richard Gilder III resurgence of Latin in schools. Fabulous. Wonderful. So glad other people decided to join the party. I'm thrilled that the Times would deign to take an interest. Twice within a year, too. But some of this has to be addressed. Actually, a lot. And we'll start with this quote from the article. "Ms. Abbott, a former Latin teacher, said that today’s Latin classes appeal to more students because they have evolved from 'dry grammar and tortuous translations' to livelier lessons that focus on culture, history and the daily life of the Romans. In addition, she said, Latin teachers and students have promoted the language outside the classroom through clubs, poetry competitions and mock chariot races." "'dry grammar'" Yes, grammar is dry. BUT ONLY if you teach it that way. If you expect a thing to be boring, guess what. It Will Be. Very simple. Kids aren't stupid. And when they know that a teacher feels a particular way about something, and it happens to fit their desired outcome (i.e., to junk it because they find it 'boring', - read, Challenging), they will be all over it. Grammar is doomed to fail. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is why my favorite oxymoron is An English Grammarian. English teachers don't generally teach grammar anymore. Oh, and look at that. One of the things that employers have the biggest problem with is that their folks don't know how to write. The same is true, of course, at the university level, where many tests have become multiple choice. Oh, but, I know, let's just make sure our kids are having FUN in school. That's really all that matters. Having Fun. I mean, who cares whether or not they actually LEARN anything? Good Idea. As teachers, why don't we go down to our students' level instead of bringing them up to ours? Why Didn't I Think Of That? Enough of the ranting. Here's the deal. The linguistic study of Latin helps people identify and establish the underpinnings of language. It is a scientific approach to the acquisition of language. All the other stuff is fun. No question. I myself like a chariot race first thing in the morning to really get me going . Though I'd rather skip the dormice for breakfast. Or dinner. What is particularly critical about the study of Latin is that it helps young people harness their minds. (Take a look at my previous blog post Altius Citius Fortius.) All this other stuff is window dressing It's okay. For window dressing. Language is part and parcel of "culture" and "history". Anybody who doesn't get that is going to be in trouble, as many of the major wars that have been fought in Europe are matters of Language. Just look at Adolf Hitler and his reclamation of Austria, the Sudetenland, Poland, etc., all because of his "concern" about the persecution of the ethnic Germans in those lands. Oh, and does the word "holocaust" mean anything? Language, let's get real here, is pivotal. As George Santayana said in A Life of Reason, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." You cannot splice culture and history away from language. Language is the nervous system of a people. It is what communication is based on. People don't say "You're the same culture as me" or "You've got the same history as me" No, they say, "We speak the same language." Language. It is the key. And Latin, when it's taught effectively, can turn that key into a Master. drg]]> tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.74 2008-09-26T01:05:02Z 2008-09-27T00:29:10Z

Altius Fortius Citius The motto for the modern Olympic Games. Translation: Higher Stronger Faster Implication: Anybody who thinks that Latin has nothing to do with the Olympics, please, think again. Obviously, the founder of the modern games seems to believe...

Dr. Richard Gilder III Altius Fortius Citius The motto for the modern Olympic Games. Translation: Higher Stronger Faster Implication: Anybody who thinks that Latin has nothing to do with the Olympics, please, think again. Obviously, the founder of the modern games seems to believe that Latin plays a critical role. And yet, it is an understandable misconception. I mean, really, what does athletic competition have to do with the mind? Isn't it just a body thing? Well, actually, no. As any athlete will tell you, athletic competition is a total mind game. To compete at the highest level, you have to train your body and mind like nobody's business. You have to force yourself to do gruelling work-outs, to keep going when you'd rather not, to never, ever give up. And even that doesn't guarantee a victory. You may have the body, the athletic prowess, to excel. But if you don't have the mind-set, cannot harness your powers when you need them most, you are in trouble. If you are a stride behind in the ten thousand meter hurdles with fifty meters to go, and you cannot call on your kick when you need it, you won't win. The same is true if you are a stride ahead. This is the essence of Mind Over Matter. Or, if you prefer the Latin, Mens omnia vincit. The Mind conquers all. Imagine what would happen if you could give your mind commensurate training. If you could harness your mind, and have its powers accessible when you need them. At your beck and call. This is what we do at CAGSE. This is our Latin program. Yes, it's about Latin. Yes, it's about helping schools meet the challenges of the UK National Curriculum. But more than anything, it's about getting young people to harness their brains, their minds, their potential, to tap into it, and to live life to the fullest. We do that by training students in language. The brilliance of English. The brilliance of Latin. The discipline to harness language, to mine it, so that in any situation, it is there for you. Imagine if young people had such linguistic skill. They could do anything they wanted. Be anything they wanted. Their prospects would be... Unlimited. There is as much joy in executing a complex linguistic maneuver as there is in performing a complex floor exercise in gymnastics. Imagine students being able to parry with a mental deftness that an Olympic class fencer would admire. CAGSE's approach to Latin is linguistic. It involves discipline. There is no short-cut to comprehension, any more than there is a short cut to winning a place on your country's team in the Olympic Games. We won't even talk about winning a medal. We are the linguistic regimen that complements the athletic regimen of the Games. We do not pull punches. We do not give false confidence. Students who go through our Latin program excel. It is that simple. tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.72 2008-07-02T18:27:53Z 2008-07-02T18:49:54Z

I had a correspondence a while ago from a representative of childs services in one of our schools. He wanted this one school to meet its budget without using discretionary funds. That's fine and good. But it fails to help...

Dr. Richard Gilder III I had a correspondence a while ago from a representative of childs services in one of our schools. He wanted this one school to meet its budget without using discretionary funds. That's fine and good. But it fails to help this school much. The kids at this school suffer because of this. Did he out and out reject our program? No. Did he say the cost of our program was extravagant? Actually, he said it was reasonable. He did say that he had to cut funding for other teachers. To identify and eliminate redundancies. But we are talking about kids here. And what they need. And he is acting as if the education system is some sort of company. Which it is isn't. He also said he was somewhat hesitant about the fact that our people do not have "the proper credentials." I'm not sure what those credentials are. A teaching degree? Many people have such degrees, and have no idea how to teach. We expect more from our teachers, not less. We are not satisfied with what they might be able to do or what the state expects them to do. The head teacher of this one school did not have a problem with our teacher. She raved about how good he was. OFSTED visited and was similarly impressed. I don't like it when people, despite their apparatus approving of what we do, reject us out of hand. They're thrilled we are doing we are doing, but are even more thrilled to not pay for it. Well, fortunately, not everyone is so myopic. Literacy is not a matter of redundancies. It is a matter of excellent education, and tapping into the students and, more critically, getting them to tap into themselves. We will be turning to companies in the business community to do the right thing. To take the long view, not the short. Because they are longsighted, not short sighted. They have to be. Ultimately, the problem highlighted by the assistant head of child services' refusal to give this one particular school money for a superior program is one of Efficiency triumphing over Effectiveness. He failed to see that efficiency is good only insofar as it is creates the environment wherein Effectiveness can flourish. This is not what is happening in this particular borough. There, it is Penny Wise and Pound Foolish. drg tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.71 2008-06-24T07:27:50Z 2008-06-24T07:51:06Z

I'll be having dinner with my father tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it. He'll say something like "Why aren't you teaching? You should be teaching." I'll say, "Well, I am teaching. Teaching other teachers how to teach." He'll go...

Dr. Richard Gilder III I'll be having dinner with my father tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it. He'll say something like "Why aren't you teaching? You should be teaching." I'll say, "Well, I am teaching. Teaching other teachers how to teach." He'll go on as if I hadn't spoken. That's alright. I'm used to it. For years, it made me angrier than a category five hurricane. Now, it just makes me sad. Truth to tell, I would love to be teaching. There is nothing like being in a classroom, challenging your students to go beyond themselves. To reevaluate their understanding. To reestablish their limitations in ever expanding depth and breadth. To take the plunge into the unknown. Even without a safety net. Right now, I simply don't have that luxury. Not when I know what I know. About administrators. How they feel compelled to curb strong teachers. Teachers who will speak their minds. Who will challenge the administrators on crucial issues. They don't like a challenge. They like to have people reaffirm their pronouncements. They even fancy that they understand kids. They miss the reality of that fancy. Which is that they don't. Administrators are all over schools. They make the decisions that affect the kids, and those who teach them. Yet they are bereft of true understanding of what kids really think, and how they learn. There's an old saying: "Those who can't do, teach." I believe that's wrong. Well, misstated. It should be, "Those who can't do, administrate." Those who teach well have the ability to create the environment wherein kids learn how and what they can do. Their individual power. The power of self. It is not testing. It is not continually evaluating and reevaluating teachers, or coming up with questionnaires which are slanted in such a way that there is only one answer you can truly give, and that answer does not truly fit the question. It is not a check list, a set of "rubrics". It is not SATs. It is not ERBs, either. Or any other sort of three letter words. Give me someone who can challenge the young mind. That is the person I want teaching for me. I don't care if they have an MA in education. I'd prefer it if they didn't. I'm not looking for them to tell me the answer they think I want. I'm looking for them to harness their minds. I do that on my terms. CAGSE is the expression of those terms. drg tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.70 2008-06-09T17:44:05Z 2008-06-13T20:03:13Z

Who is Dr. Richard Gilder III? Why did he found CAGSE? If you want to know, read on. If you don't, plug in a new destination and keep on surfin'. I am on what is currently a twenty-four year journey...

Dr. Richard Gilder III Who is Dr. Richard Gilder III? Why did he found CAGSE? If you want to know, read on. If you don't, plug in a new destination and keep on surfin'. I am on what is currently a twenty-four year journey to deepen my understanding, knowledge, and flexibility of thinking in several meaningful areas. These areas include, but are not limited to, an on-going investigation into the power and eloquence, the brashness and boldness, the mechanics and intricacies, the beauty and the absurdity, the good sense and the nonsense, of the essence of Latin, Greek, English, language in general, lacrosse, learning, teaching, coaching, advising, and guiding students and teachers on the beginning, middle, or end of the road upon which they find themselves at a particular moment in time. CAGSE is the expression, the physical manifestation, of that quest. I have taught and coached students of every age level from 4th grade through graduate school. I know where they began, where they are, where they're going. I understand their motivations, their hopes, their fears, their disappointments (sometimes borne of bitter unexpected failure, sometimes accepted with lukewarm acknowledgement), their successes (garnered with anything from a modest shrug to a wild whoop of exultation). When it comes to students, I have seen the means, the extremes, and everything in between. I am a student of the mind inchoate belonging to that age group undergoing the angst and grind of growing up. Students sense this intuitively. They know when they come to me that I will tell them what they need to hear. Each student is different. One needs compassion, another compulsion, a third someone who will simply lend an ear. One student would do well to stop kidding himself, another to give herself a break. And there's always the student who is desperately seeking the answer to the lonliest of all questions, "Is there anybody out there?" I encourage students, and teachers, to undertake more and greater challenges, to opt for the more difficult path, or the one less obvious. Yet whether in the classroom, in my office, or on the athletic field, I'm ultimately in the business of putting myself out of business. There will come a time when students walk out of my classroom, out of school, and on to the next phase of their lives. I prepare students not against that day, but for it. As a colleague, I'm open and frank; I speak my mind; I don't break if you speak yours. I work extremely hard, am self-motivated, but not self-absorbed. If you want to work for me, I expect nothing less from you. I have a clear vision about the whos, whats, whens, whys, wheres of Latin and language, of lacrosse, of teaching, of coaching, of mentoring. I am direct. I've written two Latin text books, used in the UK in CAGSE's state schools in the London area. And I attend conferences such as that held by the Classical Association of Atlantic States, by the American Classical League, and by JACT. drg tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.66 2008-05-08T19:14:08Z 2008-05-08T19:56:00Z

“'By making the passive learning of language into an exercise of active awareness where every linguistic component is accounted for; by providing students with a scientific lexicon, a vocabulary, which enables them to become active understanders and practioners of language,...

Dr. Richard Gilder III cagse's." "Okay. How does cagse's Latin do this?" "Well, you agree aboutt he power of word order in English?" "You mean, that it establishes meaning, and that without it, there isn't any?" "Yes." "In that case, yes." "But what does that imply?" "What does what imply?" "The power of word order in English?" "Oh, that. I guess that each word plays a function in the sentence?" "And so?" "And so particularly functioning words have a particular place in that word order?" "Yes." "Okay, but let's get concrete here." "Fine. Back to our friend, 'Cows eat grass.'" "I've missed it so." "The waiting is over. What is the function of 'cows'?" "It's a noun acting as the subject." "And 'grass'?" "A noun, the direct object of 'eats'." "And nouns and verbs are what in terms of grammar?" "Hmm. A hint, please." "Parts of Screech." "Surely you mean 'Speech'?" "Right you are. Parts of Speech." "So are you saying that parts of speech have their own specific places in word order?" "Yes. And so are you." "Just to be clear, what are those parts of speech, anyway? Their official titles?" "Good question. They are: nouns pronouns verbs adjectives adverbs conjunctions prepositions interjections "Thanks. And each of these has its place in a sentence?" "Yes. Back to 'Cows eat grass.' What can we say about it?" "That we're bored of it already?" "That, too, but don't hurt its feelings." "Apologies." "No worries. Sentences don't actually feel anything. If we talk about 'Cows eat grass' in terms of parts of speech, what is the word order?" "Noun-verb-noun." "The first noun acts as...?" "Subject." "And the last?" "As object." "Be more specific?" "Oh. As direct object." "So, 'noun-verb-noun' in terms of word function would then be..." "Subject-verb-direct object." "You've got it." "But again, why cagse's Latin?" "Because everything we do in Latin we do in English first; because we believe kids can and will approach and master grammar with excitement and interest if it is compellingly introduced." "Why don't you just do English then?" "Because we're not interested in English alone. We're interested in language and how language establishes meaning. English and Latin, when studied in relation to one another, afford students a close encounter with the inner workings of the mechanics of meaning." "But why cagse?" "Because cagse's Latin goes one step further." "I'm waiting." "Right. We require our students to engage in a careful, painstaking, in-depth accounting of those linguistic mechanics." "In English?" "Yes." "And in Latin?" "Yes." "Both English and Latin?" "Yes." "That is different." "Yes."]]> tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.65 2008-04-23T10:12:46Z 2008-05-08T19:41:13Z

"This is all very enlightening about English word order, but so what?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, what's the point?" "Point?" "Weren't you going to tie this in to Latin?" "Yes." "Well, we’re waiting." "Based on our conversation, can...

Dr. Richard Gilder III literacy skills? The answer is, unequivocally, a linguistic approach to Latin.” “How so?” “Because we focus on the structure of words and their relationship to, and with, one another. With our program, students learn to take account of every component of every word. Each component of a word plays a role in establishing the word’s meaning. In turn, every word plays a role in a sentence. We show how elements fit together to form words, how those words fit together – how they relate to one another - to make sentences." "Okay, but still, what’s the point?" "The point is that it is CAGSE’s approach to Latin which particularly helps students develop an exacting awareness of, and facility for, English and how it establishes meaning." "How?” “By making the passive learning of language into an exercise of active awareness where every linguistic component is accounted for; by providing students with a scientific lexicon, a vocabulary, which enables them to become active understanders and practioners of language, not mere consumers.” ]]> tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.63 2008-04-21T14:34:29Z 2008-04-21T14:57:33Z

Let's revisit that post of April 7. 'Cows grass eat.' The meaning of this sentence couldn't be less clear. The import of that meaninglessness couldn't be more obvious. In English, very simply, Word Order Rules. Let's take a look at...

Dr. Richard Gilder III A New Word Order? "'Done what you've looked,' angrily shouted one of the salesman. He meant to say 'Look what you've done,' but the words had gotten so hopelessly mixed up that no one could make any sense at all. 'Do going to what we are!'" - The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster So begins a chapter from Norton Juster's fabulous book about a boy with nothing to do and his travels in the Lands Beyond. The greatest difficulty that confronts the English speaker in the learning of Latin is the manner in which the two languages establish meaning. In the English sentence (as Juster's words demonstrate so poignantly), word order plays the crucial role, with endings of words filling in any informational gaps. In the drama of the Latin sentence, meanwhile, word ending is the protagonist, with word order playing a secondary, nuanced role. Yes, the verb in Latin prose tends to come at the end of a sentence. But very frequently you will find the verb in first position (we're talking sentence structure here, not ballet). Ask your typical speaker of English the question: "How does the English sentence convey meaning?" A shoulder shrug and "I don't know" will be the response. Direct said speaker to a book store with words of the following sort: "And up hurry Phantom the Tollbooth Juster buy Norton by." They point the get might.'"]]> tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.61 2008-04-09T17:02:44Z 2008-04-14T22:48:34Z

Dear All: CAGSE Challenges You. To invest in public education in the UK at the level where the impact will be greatest. Specifically, state schools. More specifically, primary schools, years 5 and 6. Even more specifically, in state schools that...

Dr. Richard Gilder III Dear All: CAGSE Challenges You. To invest in public education in the UK at the level where the impact will be greatest. Specifically, state schools. More specifically, primary schools, years 5 and 6. Even more specifically, in state schools that employ the cutting edge teaching of Latin. CAGSE's Latin program. What if you could have a profound impact upon education from grassroots to leaftip? If you could not simply remodel education, but revolutionize it whereby kids would be in a position to define their own social status, not have it foisted upon them by economic constraints? CAGSE is that opportunity. We have programs in eleven schools. Soon to be a thousand. With your help. Your schools need you. They have been asked by their government to meet requirements - the 12 strands of UK Literacy - in a vaguely spelled out, sprawling, thirty page document available on the internet. CAGSE has crystallized that thirty page document into one page. Our program is the key to helping schools fulfill their dream. To give students the fighting chance to forge their own destiny. This is your cue. Your participation is invaluable. Your effect on education: incalculable. Your company's name will forever be linked to not just the rejuvination or the renaissance of learning, but the Reformation of UK Education. Your money will go to underserved state schools. At the primary level. The Ground Floor. Your Mission: Accept the Challenge. drg tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.60 2008-04-08T03:36:29Z 2008-04-08T04:32:50Z

"Good evening." "To you, as well. Did we shave?" "What? Oh, you mean the gauze. Or lack of it. Well, no, but my nose has healed considerably. Nice to breathe again through that left nostril. Haven't used it for forty-two...

Dr. Richard Gilder III "Good evening." "To you, as well. Did we shave?" "What? Oh, you mean the gauze. Or lack of it. Well, no, but my nose has healed considerably. Nice to breathe again through that left nostril. Haven't used it for forty-two years." "That must be a strange sensation." "It's quite liberating, actually." "I'll bet." "You'd win, so I'm not laying odds. Anyway, when we last were having our discussion, you asked a critical question." "I did?" "That wasn't it." "Oh, right. I remember now." "Will you reask it?" "Surely. I asked, 'How do we know when a noun is acting as a subject or a direct object?' " "Have you thought about it since then?" "No, that wasn't the question I asked. I remember clearly." "No, I mean, have you thought about an answer to your question which you just right now brought our attention back to." "Oh. Well, yes." "And you have an answer?" "I said I thought about an answer. I didn't say I had one." "Shall we conjure up that sentence which gave rise to your question?" "Good idea." "Our sentence was, 'Cows eat...'" "'grass'!" "Right. Did we decide anything about the function of 'Cows' in the sentence?" "Yes, that it was a noun acting as the subject, i.e., the doer of the action." "Right. Did we decide anything else?" "We determined that 'eat' was the verb, i.e., the action that the subject, 'Cows', was performing." "Okay. And?" "And that 'grass' was the direct object of the verb 'eat' because it was what the 'cow', the subject, was eating." "Let me ask you if you would agree to the following as a summing up of what we discussed last time: 1. Nouns are things (or persons or places) 2. Nouns can act as subjects, i.e., doers of the action of the verb 3. Nouns can act as Direct Objects (i.e., direct receivers of the action of the verb) 4. Verbs are action words, i.e., words that denote action performed by Nouns acting as subjects on nouns acting as direct objects. Anything else?" "No, that's about it." "Okay. So your question then was, in a nutshell: How To Decide?" "How to decide what?" "Well, if a noun can act either as a subject of a verb, or a direct object of a verb, how do you know when you see a noun how it's acting?" "I need some help here." "Okay, let's bring back our sentence." "Let's." " 'Cows eat grass.' " "So much is clear." "How many nouns?" "Two." "Subject?" " 'Cows'." "Direct Object?" " 'grass'." "Verb?" " 'eat' ." "Where is the subject placed?" "At the beginning of the sentence?" "Yes, but let's be even more specific." "Okay. Directly in front of the verb." "Correct. How about the direct object?" "That's directly after the verb." "Correct. Do you know the answer to your question yet?" "Sort of...." "Take our sentence again." " 'Cows eat grass.' " "Switch 'Cows' and 'grass'." " 'Grass eats Cows.' " "Do those two sentences mean the same thing?" "Don't they?" "Look at them closely: 'Cows eat grass' 'Grass eats Cows' Are they the same?" "Well, no." "What did I change?" "The placement of 'grass' and 'cows'." "What happened?" " 'grass' became the subject; 'cows' became the direct object." "What happened to the placement of the verb?" "Nothing. It stayed the same." "So what are we saying about where words appear in a sentence?" "That it means a lot." "It actually means everything. Where a word falls in a sentence determines its function in the sentence, and therefore, the force of that sentence." "Could you summarize?" "Absolutely. Word order tells you word function. An English sentence is completely dependent upon its word order to establish meaning." "Are you sure?" "Let me rephrase. 'Cows grass eat.' " "What does that mean?" "Exactly." tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.56 2008-03-26T12:40:34Z 2008-04-07T22:41:34Z

"So where've you been? And what's wrong with your face?" "Sporting, isn't it? Only the best education consultants are wearing it." "No, but seriously. Where have you been? "In hospital. Getting my left nostril's septum undeviated." "That would explain the...

Dr. Richard Gilder III Subject." "Right. The Subject is the noun that does the action of the verb." "And the verb is the action word that the Subject is doing." "Also right. So in the sentence 'Cows eat grass'..." " 'Cows' is the Subject." "And 'eat'..." "is what the 'Cows', the Subject, are doing, and is, therefore, the verb!" "Excellent. Only one word left to account for. How is 'grass' acting in our favorite sentence, 'Cows eat grass'?" "It's what the Cows eat." "It's receiving the action of the verb?" "Yes, I suppose it is." "What term do we give nouns when, like 'grass', they receive the action of the verb?" "It's on the tip of my tongue...." "Okay. Hint: 'Not the Subject of my attention but the...." "Object!" "Yes. But because it is directly receiving the action of the verb, we can go one step further and call it the ___________ object." "Direct! The direct object!" "Precisely. So, to review: 1. Nouns are things (or persons or places) 2. Nouns can act as subjects, i.e., doers of the action of the verb 3. Nouns can act as Direct Objects (i.e., direct receivers of the action of the verb) 4. Verbs are action words, i.e., words that denote action performed by Nouns acting as subjects on nouns acting as direct objects. Make sense?" "Yes. But how do we know when a noun is acting as a subject or a direct object?" "Excellent question. And psychic, too. You have anticipated our next lesson: The Primacy of Word Order. So see you tomorrow." "Brilliant." ]]> tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.53 2008-03-24T17:36:44Z 2008-03-24T18:20:15Z

"So let's see if I have this straight. There are twelve strands in the UK's National Literacy Curriculum: 1. Speaking 2. Listening and Understanding 3. Discussion and Interaction 4. Drama 5. Word Recognition 6. Word Structure and Spelling 7. Understanding...

Dr. Richard Gilder III the sine qua non, of these strands are #s 5 and 6?" "Yes. Word Recognition and Word Structure and Spelling are the nexus. Every one of the twelve strands draws power from these two." "How do you mean?" "Alright, take strands #1 and 2, Speaking and Listening and Understanding." "Okay." "Without word recognition, can these strands hold?" "No." "Why not?" "Because Speaking, Listening, Understanding all have to do with the spoken word. And if you don't recognize that what is said is a word, it doesn't matter if you hear it or not, because you won't understand it." "Then what about Word Structure and Spelling? How does that fit in?" "Well, there are many words that sound the same but mean different things." "Such as?" "How about 'there', 'they're', 'their'? If you don't know that those are three different words, there's going to be a problem. Spelling really helps you nail down those differences." "So would you call Word Structure and Spelling a refinement of Word Recognition?" "I would do." "As would I. Let's talk more about this tomorrow." "But...." "Don't worry. I won't leave you stranded." ]]> tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.52 2008-03-21T19:54:18Z 2008-03-21T20:53:55Z

"You don't think that hearing and listening are the same?" "Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not." "When aren't they?" "You can hear someone speak, yes? Does that mean you have to be listening to him precisely?" "No, sometimes it's just...

Dr. Richard Gilder III "You don't think that hearing and listening are the same?" "Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not." "When aren't they?" "You can hear someone speak, yes? Does that mean you have to be listening to him precisely?" "No, sometimes it's just sound." "Right. If you hear a word spoken, but are not listening, that's all it is. A sound. But if you are listening, you hear words as words, as segments of thought." "I see. Alright, you have a point. But which strand should be central, then, if not listening?" "A good question. Any thoughts?" "Here we go again, Socrates. Alright, how about Creating and Shaping Texts?" "What does that require kids to know before they get to that level?" "Hmmm. They need to know how to write." "And what does that mean?" "What do you mean what does that mean?" "What do you think of as writing?" "Oh, well, let's see. They have to know the alphabet." "And?" "And how to form the letters of the alphabet." "And?" "And how those letters fit together." "And?" "And how those letters sound separately and together. But..." "But what?" "But which comes first?" "Which what?" "Learning how to read and say the letters, and then the words, or how to write the letters?" "All three." "All three what?" "Reading is a type of understanding. Writing is a type of understanding. Listening is a type of understanding." "But can't you read without understanding what you're reading? Or write letters even if you don't know what they are? Or listen without... no, we already discussed that last one." "True. You can read, write, even speak letters without immediately, or ever, understanding them." "Isn't that four then?" "How so?" "Well, Understanding seems to be the common thread there." "Good point. It is indeed. It's probably the key." "Is that the center strand then?" "Well, if you look at the strands, there is no Understanding by itself." "What's the closest thing then?" "How about Engaging with and Responding to Texts?" "That's higher level based on listening, reading, writing." "I agree." "That goes for all the others, too: Drama, Understanding and Interpreting Texts, Engaging with and Responding to Texts, Text Structure and Organization, and Presentation." "You've left out three." "Right. There's Sentence Structure and Punctuation, but that's still higher level, if not on the same plain." "Two to go." "Word Recognition and Word Structure and Spelling, Strands 5 and 6. Those can't be the centerpiece strands, can they?" "Why not?" "Well, because they're so basic." "Exactly." "Ahhhh." tag:www.viafacilis.com,2008://1.51 2008-03-20T23:06:39Z 2008-03-20T23:47:27Z

The UK's National Curriculum has twelve strands, as you know. "I didn't know, actually." "Well, now you do ." "Thanks. But what are they specifically?" "In order, they are: 1. Speaking 2. Listening and Understanding 3. Group Discussion and Interaction...

Dr. Richard Gilder III Is that it?'" "Fair enough. Is that it?" "No. You'd then take a look at the twelve, and pinpoint the two or three strands upon which all the rest are dependent." "That's a good idea. Any suggestions?" "Well, they have Speaking as number 1." "Sure. But what good is speaking if you don't understand what someone is saying?" "Ok, they should probably learn how to listen, too." "But if they don't understand words, why would they bother to listen?" "They have ears, don't they?" "Ears, eyes, mouths, lips, tongues, vocal chords, fingers, hands, brains, etc. Yes. But that's not the question." "What is?" "What is what?" "The question, you crazy American!" "The question is how to use them in the learning process." "So, what do you suggest?" "I suggest that higher and deeper level learning doesn't really start until after kids learn how to speak and hear words as words." "Isn't hearing the same as listening?" "Is it?" ]]>