students' mental blocks

But what happens or any ideas to help a student who is experiencing a mental block akin to writers block snap out of it and begin to think more critically and begin uncovering the realities?

Mark, you wrote this in response to some of Brookfield's thoughts, but I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. In the situation you are thinking about, when does this mental block appear? Or how does it manifest? Could you clarify a bit more?

aruba_marriott.JPG

aruba_marriott.JPG
Originally uploaded by lainey.

if you have to be working, this is not a bad place to be doing it.

aruba_bry_swing.JPG

aruba_bry_swing.JPG
Originally uploaded by lainey.

This was Bryna testing the rope swing on the Jolly Pirate before she got a gash on her leg while snorkeling around a partially sunken WWII vessel which required 4 hours at the local hospital, fours stiches, and teh dictum to stay out of the water for 7-10 days.

We'll see how long that lasts;-)

Pedagogical Assumptions

Sherley asked what kind of assumptions can get uncovered with reflection. Some examples of assumption that Brookfield gives are:

1. Assumption: it's common sense to reduce lecturing because lecturing stymies critical thinking and student engagement.
BUT: students may need time to get familiar with a topic or subject area before feeling ready to engage critically. The teacher could lecture in a way that stimulated critical thinking as the first step.

2. Assumption: its common sense to use learning contracts because they give students a sense of control.
BUT: Students could view learning contracts as a device that the teacher is using because s/he is lazy and doesn't want to take the time to figure out what the students should be raged on.

It is through thinking about one's course from a variety of perspectives that one can uncover other realities that we may not be aware of.