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Unit 15 Teaching asMountaineering

Nancy K. Hill

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Pre-reading Questions

What do you think should be a teacher’s role?

What kind of relationship it should be between teachers and students?

What metaphors do we use for teachers?Do you think the author is offering us a

new perspective on the issue of teaching?

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Dictionary work

Rappel: （ in mountaineering ） the method of moving down a steep incline or past an overhang( 屋檐，突出端 ) by means of a double rope secured above and placed around the body ， usually under the left thigh and right shoulder, and pulled out to a greater length gradually in the descent. 绕绳下降，套绳下降法

Demoralization: confusion and disorder; loss of confidence and morale ( 道德败坏，士气受挫 )

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Insidiously ： deceitfully, without being noticed 欺骗性地，不知不觉地

Cajole: persuade by praise of false promises; coax 诱骗，哄骗

Benighted: completely without knowledge or understanding, especially of moral principles; in the dark about something

Somnolence: drowsiness; slumber; lethargy 恍惚，嗜睡

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Hauteur: haughtiness 傲慢Compunction: pang of conscience; distres

s of mind; an awkward feeling of guilt that stops one doing something; uneasiness about the rightness of an action 懊悔，良心不安 , 内疚

Esoteric: incomprehensible; understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge of interest

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Arcane: obscure; mysterious and secret Paucity: smallness of number Winnow: blow the husks from grain; here,

separate the select from the commonality Purveyor: one who provides or supplies (food or

other goods) as a trade Deleterious: injurious; harmful Regurgitate: cast or pour out again from a

receptacle, especially from the stomach; bring back ( food already swallowed) into the mouth

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Engender: produce; be the causeOminous: threatening; inauspiciousPrecariousness: uncertainty; insecurity; lia

bility to failRapt: deeply absorbed; intent 全神贯注的，

入迷的，欣喜若狂的Plausible: credible; acceptable; logical, so

und

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Library work: What imagery does each of the following terms evoke?

The preacher: one who advocates or teaches earnestly (religious or moral truth, right conduct, etc.)

The shepherd: a man who herds, tends, and guards sheep. The Bible has always compared God to a Shepherd(capitalized) and people to a flock of sheep (Jesus and lamb) . Figuratively, a shepherd is one who protects, guides, or watches over a group of people as a shepherd does his sheep. A shepherd is, therefore, apparently superior to the people he guides in position.

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The curator: the person in charge of a museum, a library, art collection, or the like. A curator is generally a connoisseur, a person who has a good knowledge and understanding of subjects such as art or music, and whose judgments are respected.

The actor: a person who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, televisions, broadcasts, etc.,especially professionally. A good actor performs well and attracts the attention of the audience.

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The researcher:a person who makes diligent and systematic inquiry into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc. A researcher is often very meticulous in noting the specific details of a subject.

The salesman: a person who goes from place to place selling and taking orders for his firm’s goods, or a shop assistant. A salesman often speaks glibly( 口齿伶俐地，流畅地 ) of his goods to persuade people to buy them.

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Questions on the text

How do you divide the text? What’s the main idea or purpose of each part?

What paragraphs are devoted to the discussion of the common and previous analogies? What are the analogies? What’s the author’s attitude towards those analogies?

What’s the author’s purpose of discussing the commonly accepted analogies one by one?

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Which para. summarizes the discussion of the common analogies?

What’s your opinion about those analogies?Do you think the analogy of mountaineer

valid enough in catching the essence of the teaching process?

How should we evaluate a teacher? And a student?

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Structure of the Text

Para. 1, 2, 3

Para. 4 - 11

Para. 12 - 15

Part 1 Intro.: Mountaineering

Teaching: Mountaineering

Traditional AnalogiesPart 2

Part 3

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Part 1: Introduction

Para. 1

Para. 2

Para. 3

The incident of a student scaling the library

The scaling incident reinforced the author’s sense that mountaineering as an

analogy for teaching.

The author’s mountaineering with Fritz

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Part 2: Traditional Analogies to Teaching

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Para. 4 – 5

Para. 6 - 10

Para. 11

The Preacher

The Shepherd

The Curator

The Actor

The researcher

The Salesman

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Traditional Analogies’ Similarities to Teaching

Traditional

Analogies

The Preacher

The Shepherd

The Curator

The Actor

The researcher

The Salesman

exhorts, pleads, pleads with a sleepy audience

has much more knowledge than the student/sheep

expounds to the ignorant in esoteric languages

plays magic tricks before a passive audience

is taciturn, solitary, and full of facts

presents and alters information to draw and keep a crowd

Success: the number of souls so stirred

Success: the gulf separating his wisdom from that of his flock

Success: paucity of devotees allowed in to the society through this winnowing

processSuccess: large numbers of a

passive audience

Success: students’ capacity to regurgitate factual data

Success: the largest number of contented consumers

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Gerard Manley Hopkins(1844–89)

A British Victorian poet, whose verse has been widely admired for the vividness of its expression.

During his lifetime, he published none of his poems. It was only through the efforts of his friend, Bridges, that his collected verse was published in 1918.

Today he is one of Britain's most admired poets.

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Part 3: Teaching as Mountaineering

Para. 12

Para. 13

Para. 14

Conclusion

Teacher/guide: authority and skills

Teacher/guide-connect- students/mountaineers

Students/mountaineers: close participation

An appeal to the society

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After-class discussion

Do you agree that different metaphor or analogy for teachers may alter people’s attitude toward the profession?

Supply an analogy you think appropriate for teaching, and justify your choice.