Reflections on Palmer Ch. 5

I found this chapter much stronger than ch. 1-4. Palmer covers 2 key points which I think are essential to really teaching well: The classroom must be centered on the subject, and the teacher must treat the subject in a way that coveys a deep understanding of principles, rather than a superficial understanding of facts.

If both teacher and students are focused on the subject for it's own sake, this creates intrinsic motivation on both sides, a genuine passion for learning, and a collaborative relationship between teacher and student that allows class to flow smoothly. When our attention is focused on what we are learning, there is no room for ego. The real challenge to this teaching approach is, I think, getting students to the point where they desire to engage the material for it's own sake. This requires creative teaching that presents the material as vital and interesting, and unfortunately, for some students in some subjects, it may never happen - we are not all naturally suited to everything we must study in school.

Even more important is deep teaching and deep understanding of a subject. Every area of inquiry has a set of underlying principles that shape and guide its practice, and that serve as the foundation for the structure of facts which grow up out of that practice. Unfortunately, many teachers remain in the outer layers of factual information, never penetrating to the internal workings that make up the essence of their subject, when instead they should be using both the facts and practice of their discipline to build understanding. This requires creative selection of information, as well as giving students the space and guidance to work with that information in whatever way is typical of the discipline.

Unfortunately, Palmer continues his misguided crusade against Objectivism in this chapter as well. Objectivism is a necessary prerequisite for real progress in the sciences. It is a fundamental part of the practice of science -- one of science's deep underlying principles -- and it should be taught as such. What Palmer rallies against and describes in his examples is not Objectivism, but the overgrown ego of professors who have invested all their self-worth in their subjects. Rather, there is too little actual Objectivism in the classroom, not too much.