Herbert Kohl

4 thoughts on “Herbert Kohl”

1. Sean M Lawler

   December 18, 2017 at 6:44 pm

   Nor is time wasted when children are laughing, even if totally unrelated to the subject or content matter. Great post, Ben.

   Speaking of getting students to laugh… on my way to and from school (45 min average commute each way) I’m usually listening to Univision’s radio station, ¡La que buena!. In the mornings, it’s El Bueno, La Mala, y El Feo, and in the afternoon’s it’s El Free Guey Show. The hosts are very funny. Especially on The Free Guey Show. I’m trying to pick up on their techniques and their style. Perhaps more than anything, they are all self-effacing, listen to each other carefully, and roll with whatever direction the conversation goes. I can’t say we have an radio shows in English that are anything near to the quality of comedy from these guys on Univision’s La que buena. Perhaps it’s the nature of the hispanic community and their consumption of radio. I don’t know. But it’s good comedy and very inclusive comedy. As Herbert Kohl describes The Open Classroom, these guys are The Open Radio.

   Log in to Reply
   1. Sean M Lawler

      December 18, 2017 at 6:47 pm

      I’m trying to pick up on their style mostly for my Spanish heritage classes. You know, in the heritage classes we are ultimately trying to consume lots of Spanish literature, with dashes and splashes of discussion. I’m always thinking of ways in making the discussions meaningful but fun. Different than an intense literature analysis class.

      Log in to Reply
   2. Ben Slavic

      December 18, 2017 at 10:48 pm

      …they are all self-effacing, listen to each other carefully, and roll with whatever direction the conversation goes…..

      And yet this isn’t the history of CI. Rather, is has been, in the form of TPRS, just the opposite, where the teacher is the dynamic in charge lion tamer w star quality. I’m going to add this as #21 on the hit list, Sean, of course w credit. I was always hoping that list would get to 21. It has come of age.

      Log in to Reply
2. Ben Slavic

   December 18, 2017 at 10:59 pm

   Here is what I added to the list of things I’ve dropped from TPRS, Sean, if you or anyone wants to add or subtract anything*:

   21. The teacher trying to be the dynamic, in-charge lion tamer with star quality instead of being self-effacing, listening to her students carefully, and rolling with whatever direction the conversation goes. This model of a teacher who uses comprehensible input is not in line with Krashen, Vygotsky, etc. The very image of a lion-tamer super star ball of energy entertainer making kids laugh is just not what teachers can do all day. That image, packaged and sold at conferences by dynamic TPRS presenters, has had a strong deleterious effect on people new to CI for a long time now and the image must change. I won’t expound on that here but anyone is invited to that discussion any time. [Credit: Sean Lawler.]

   *Anyone in the group who has any subtractions or additions or edits of the “Hit List of 21” is invited to please say so in a comment field or send me an email. I see the list as important, to, if no one else, the legion of teachers who came, saw and ran away from all the squirrely and unreasonable requirements of TPRS that were placed so heavily – mostly in the summer conferences – on the unsuspecting shoulders of teachers who just weren’t up to the experts’ admonitions.

   Log in to Reply