“The Student and Society: An Annotated Manifesto” (sections 4-8)

1.) What is an environment? An environment is defined as the surroundings or conditions in which a person, plant or animals operates or lives. In this case we are referring to the environment in which students learn. Goldfarb raises the question is the classroom environment just as, if not more important than the method of teaching being used. (page 6)

2.) I do agree with Goldfarb that environment must be taken into consideration while teaching, and is the instructors job to facilitate the classroom to ensure it is a positive learning environment. Goldfarb describes how monotonous the classroom experience has become, suggesting we should give students the freedom to learn within their comfort zone. As a college student I can safely say my fellow students and I have all experienced having an instructor who was more like a robot than a teacher; constantly drilling us with pointless facts while speaking into the blackboard while we only have view of their backs. My experience in the classroom has been that every student has their own personal learning method that works for them. I agree that teachers should pinpoint that and try to work around it. I myself have to write everything down because i am a photographic learner. I need to see it spelled out in front of me. Not all students learn this way. Goldfarb describes how he has seen students so used to having to please their teachers, that their true identity becomes a mask. The student simply becomes whatever is expected from them by their instructors.I also agree with this position. When I am given a writing assignment I do not write my true feelings or thoughts on the subject, I follow the rubric provided for me. I only include what I am being asked to include. This helps support the idea that students can often times be disconnected from what is happening in the classroom. The best learning experiences I've had in all my years of being a student came from the classes that taught me how to apply my education to my everyday life, and gave us the freedom to explore how to do that. My freshman creative writing course is the best example of that. We choose what we wanted to write about by making suggestions, and everyone had a chance to explore every suggested subject. Our instructor always found a way to tie in a lesson with our personal experiences. This all comes back to the instructor being a facilitator by positively influencing the learning experience. I do not think its the actual decor of the room that is important (although it plays a roll). It is more so teachers supporting the students in finding what works best for them during their educational journey.

3.) In the reading, Goldfarb states "The scariest thing about a classroom is that it acts as a sort of psychological switch. You walk into a classroom; some things switch on in you and others switch off" (page 6). Is this a good thing or a bad thing, and who or what determines what those factors that get switched on and off are? I believe Goldfarb is referring to the notion of students wanting to please teachers so much, they go into "student" mode as soon as they enter the classroom, and that mode can be different for everybody. The best learning experience comes when students walk in and switch "on" because they feel that the environment is conducive to their advancement and achievement.