[Week 13] Essay - Philosophy of Learning and Teaching

(image from Paul Joseph on flickr)

While I don't know much about teaching and learning in general, there is one area in which I've done extensive research: the mandatory learning of the Irish language in Irish schools. Having been taken over by English, the Irish language has been in decline for many years now. In attempt to revitalize the language, a law was put into place requiring students to take Irish classes in school and to have a certain amount of proficiency in the language by the time they get out. According to research I've done and articles I've read, few students actually benefit from mandatory classes.

In general, I believe it's unnecessary and harmful to force students to "learn" something. I say "learn" with quotation marks because in many cases they don't even learn anything, they just cram in order to pass tests and get a decent grade. Requiring students to learn a language adds extra stress to their already stressful school lives which zaps them of interest they would have had for it. And when it comes to learning a language, motivation is key. 

For my senior essay, I surveyed 40 Irish people who are or had been students in Irish schools. Some of them went to all-Irish language schools, so the language wasn't really a subject to them, it was just a fact of life. Those people tended to have a much more positive outlook on the language and were far more fluent. Students who went to public schools where English was the language of instruction were more mixed. Many of them were very passionately against Irish purely because of the way the revitalization efforts have caused more stress in their lives.

Overall, everyone seems to agree that the best way to get students to learn is to make it something they actively want to learn. As more popular television shows and books become translated into Irish, young people's interest in learning the language is increasing. But if government officials and teachers continue to force it on them, I'm afraid the youth's contempt for the language will grow stronger. 

[Week 13] Reading Diary - Andersen Fairy Tales

The Princess and the Pea

-In order to find out if a girl is really a princess, a queen puts a pea under her bed. When the girl wakes up in the morning aching and complaining about how badly she slept, they know that she is a real princess.

The Emperor’s New Suit

-A superficial emperor who is obsessed with clothing is swindled by people who tell him that they will make him clothing that is only visible to people who are smart enough. Although he can't see the cloth himself, he pretends he can so that people don't think he's stupid. He ends up "wearing" the clothes in public but just walks around naked.When a child speaks up and points out his nudity, the whole crowd realizes he really didn't have anything on.

The Brave Tin Soldier

-A tin solider spends his days vying after a paper doll lady. One day he falls out of a window and ends up being put on a boat by two boys. He ends up going on an adventure (that includes getting swallowed by a fish) before finding his way back home where he is thrown into a stove. The paper doll ends up flying into the stove also and burns.

The Wicked Prince

-A greedy and cruel prince lives comfortably and prosperously. God tries to stop him but the prince declares that he will beat him. He builds huge airships to attack Heaven but is attacked by a gnat and defeated.

The Little Match-Seller

-A poor little girl desperately tries to sell matches. She gets cold and uses a match. Each time she uses one, she sees different comfortable things that go away when the match goes out. She sees her grandmother and goes up to heaven with her. The next day, the girl is found dead. 

[Week 12] Reading Diary - Celtic Fairy Tales

Celtic Fairy Tales

Connla and the Fairy Maiden

-A fairy comes to Connla and is chased off by his father's druid, but she managed to leave him with an apple. As he ate the apple, he fell more in love with her. Upon the fairy's return, Connla readily left with her against his father's wishes.

The Field of Boliauns

-A man meets a leprechaun and tries to force it into giving him a bit of his beer. When the leprechaun refuses, the man snatches him up and knocks over the pitcher on accident. He demands money instead and the leprechaun gives him instructions but ends up playing a trick on him.

The Horned Women
-A woman is terrorized by witches in the night. She does their bidding for a while but eventually a voice tells her how to get rid of them and then how to ward the house so that they can't get in again. She and her family are safe.

The Shepherd of Myddvai

-A man manages to persuade a beautiful water-dwelling woman into marrying him. The only stipulation is that if he hits her three times for no reason, she'll leave. He taps her a couple of times which she says counts toward the strikes. Then, he shakes her when she laughs at a funeral. She leaves and only comes back once to see her sons.

The Sprightly Tailor

-A tailor is asked to sew trews at night in a haunted church. He is visited by a monster that slowly rises out of the floor while he sews. The tailor refuses to stop sewing and when he finishes he runs away to deliver the trews. The castle door closed just in time for the monster to be kept out.

Munachar and Manachar
-This is one of those cumulative stories that are oh so common. Munachar is collecting things in order to get a gad to hang Manachar since he eats all of his raspberries. Honestly, I find these stories irritating.

Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree

-A queen is jealous that her daughter is more beautiful than she is. She tries to kill her several times but each attempt is thwarted. In the end, the queen's plan backfires and she is killed instead.