BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin Part Two ENTER

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin I.AuthorAuthor II. Cultural BackgroundCultural Background 1. Angles on a pin Angles on a pin Angles on a pin 2. Why is the article entitled “Angels Why is the article entitled “Angels Why is the article entitled “Angels on a Pin”? on a Pin”?on a Pin”?on a Pin”? 3. What is meant by academic What is meant by academic What is meant by academic creativity? creativity?creativity? Background Information To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin Background Information Three questions 4. Three questionsThree questionsThree questions How adults “kill” creativity How adults “kill” creativity 5. How adults “kill” creativityHow adults “kill” creativity

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin Alexander Calandra is now Professor of Emeritus of Physical Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The present text is adapted from “Angels on the Head of a Pin: A Modern Parable” which first appeared in Saturday Review. Dec. 21, 1968 and has, since then, become a classic (or an often quoted) case on the problems of American education. I.Author The end of Author.

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin 1.Angles on a pin The title of the text “Angles on a Pin” comes from the much-talked about question: “How many angles can dance on the head of a pin?” which is used to ridicule those people who asked meaningless questions about the Bible in the Middle Ages. It is also used ironically to describe the kind of questions that philosophers ponder. II.Cultural Background The end of Angles on a pin.

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin 2. Why is the article entitled “Angels on a Pin”? a Pin”? I.Medieval scholastics were fond of debating such meaningless questions as “How many angels can dance on the point of a pin?” “Did Adam have a navel?” and “Do angels defecate?” The emerging sciences replaced such “scholarly” debates with experimentation and appeals to observable fact. To be continued on the next page. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin II. Callandra seems to be suggesting that “exploring the deep inner logic of a subject in a pedantic ( 学究的；迂腐的 ) way is similar to the empty arguments of scholasticism.” He compares this to the “new math”, so much in the news in the 60s, which attempted to replace rote memorization ( 死记硬背 ) of math with a deeper understanding of the logic and principles of mathematics, and he seems to be deriding ( 嘲笑 ) that effort, too. The end of this part. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin 3. What is meant by academic creativity?  Academic creativity is a way of thinking about, learning, and producing information in school subjects such as science, mathematics, and history. Few experts agree on a precise definition, but when we say the word, everyone senses a similar feeling. When we are creative, we are aware of its special excitement. To be continued on the next page. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin  Creative thinking and learning involve such abilities as evaluation (especially the ability to sense problems, inconsistencies, and missing elements); divergent production (e.g., fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration); and redefinition. Creative learning is a natural, healthy human process that occurs when people become curious and excited. To be continued on the next page. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin  In contrast, learning by authority requires students to use thinking skills such as recognition, memory, and logical reasoning—the abilities most frequently assessed by traditional tests of intelligence and scholastic aptitude. Children prefer to learn in creative ways rather than just memorizing information provided by a teacher or parents. They also learn better and sometimes faster. The end of this part. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin 1)In what year did Columbus discover America? (The answer, 1492, requires recognizing and memorizing information.) 2) How are Columbus and an astronaut similar and different? (The answer requires more than memorization and understanding; it requires students to think about what they know.) To be continued on the next page. 4. Three questions illustrate the difference between learning information provided by an adult or textbook and creative learning: II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin 3)Suppose Columbus had landed in California. How would our lives and history have been different? (The answer requires many creative thinking skills including imagining, experimenting, discovering, elaborating, testing solutions, and communicating discoveries.) The end of this part. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin 5. How adults “kill” creativity: Insisting that children do things in the “right way” Teaching a child to think that there is just one right way to do things kills the urge to try new ways. Pressuring children to be realistic, to stop imagining. When we label a child’s flights of fantasy as “silly”, we bring the child down to earth with a blow, causing the inventive urge to die. To be continued on the next page. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin Making comparisons with other children. This is a subtle pressure on a child to conform; yet the essence of creativity is freedom to conform or not to conform. Discouraging children's curiosity. One of the indicators of creativity is curiosity; yet we often brush questions aside because we are too busy for "silly" questions. Children's questions deserve respect. The end of this part. II.Cultural Background

BTLEW Lesson 5—Angels on a Pin Part Two This is the end of Part Two. Please click HOME to visit other parts. HOME