Realism
The universe has a physical reality and I do believe that we must teach the nature of that reality to students. Through experimental science or through hands-on learning, realism should be emphasized in every classroom. Students will have plenty of time on their own to engage their creative and artistic faculties. On the other hand, I do not necessarily agree with the stance that students are merely "minds to be trained." Such a position assumes that all students are the same and that all students learn the same way. Quite the contrary, students have different learning styles. Although the realistic classroom can impart valuable foundations in academic knowledge, the teacher must take care not to label students who don't take well to such an approach.
Ideally,...
All classes should include science experiments and instruction in problem-solving. Memorization through rote cannot be overlooked, because there is no other way to make the multiplication tables or vocabulary words completely ingrained in the brain. At the same time, the classes should also stimulate creativity and intellectual freedom. Therefore, the realist classroom has much to offer for the professional educator but the educator should not be only focused on realism when teaching.
Usually, the teacher in a realist classroom is authoritative. The authoritative teacher can help students learn in some situations. Especially for certain cultural groups, authoritative teaching is expected. Authoritative teaching…
