Self-control and idealism in student-centered classroom environments

Restrictive Course, Self-Control & Idealism

Describe the Most Restrictive Course/Classroom

The most restrictive course I have taken would have to be Critical Thinking. As noted, in the text, as a pupil, my responsibility is to learn. Not only am I to discover knowledge that I think I should know, but also what it is important for me to know. For this reason, the position of the teacher is critical.

In this course, the teacher had a very hands-off approach to teaching. Students were left to control much of the classroom, directing interactions and discussions. It was not a teacher-centered course, but a student centered one. For this reason, it is probable that we did not learn the most important information on the subject matter. Although pupil experience and interest was utilized in the classroom, it was hard to determine if the teacher truly knew the subject fully, as he simply acted as a moderator for much of the time.

With this lack of guidance, what some would see as unrestrictive, was more restrictive than if the teacher had been an active part of the education process. However, I was able to garner valuable knowledge because of this classroom setup. Not only did I learn material from the course content, but I also was able to learn how important it is for an instructor to be an active and objective part of the process.

Idealism

The quote from Schopenhauer, "The world is my idea" is thought provoking. In its simplest form, it means that life is what we make of it. The environment that surrounds us is highly dependent upon our thoughts.

As noted in the text, man is determined, in that he is subject to the natural laws that govern all living things. However, much of man's destiny, and thus world around them, is completely within their control. Free will is a critical part of man's world.

As the text notes, things do not exist independent of the mind. One's ultimate reality is not only what they experience physically, but also what they experience mentally. And this mental experience is comprised partially from our knowledge and the truths we hold.

It is these facets that comprise our world. It is our thoughts and ideas that form our reality. Our world is both literally and figuratively made of our ideas.