3 April,2011
Question one
Gerald Graff believes that apart from the intellect gained in classroom, there are other kinds of intellect that is not academic in nature. Graff argues that a person doesn’t need to sit in a formal class environment to be regarded as an intellectual. He says that debating on such issue that are not academic such as fashion, sports or pop star requires almost the same level of intellectual ability as discourses in academic fields.
Graff’s argument looks convincing indeed. He narrates his own success story. How he rose to an intellectual from a street smart. He believes that arguing about difficult concepts helped him develop debating skills, a requisite in academics that latter catapulted him to the apex of academia. In academics, what one needs is interest and positive attitude that Graff had in abundance.
Question two
According to Gaffes, scholars usually have varied opinions on different issues with each proponent insisting that his/ her idea is the truth akin to conflicting theories or texts. He therefore likens the world of intellectualism to the world of sports. A perfect example is the conflicting views by scientist and theologians. For example, while theologians believe that God created the world, scientist believe that the world was formed through a process. The difference however, that might exist between intellectual world and world of sport is that while the latter is mostly physical, the former is very psychological and does not require direct physical engagement like sports.
Question three
Graff’s use of language is similar to that used by the ‘modern’ youth. He seems to be in support of pop culture by employing a similar language use. He says that if the integration of such a language into the curriculum would make concepts easier to grasp, then teachers should not hesitate to employ the trick.
Question four
Graff concept is not only important to educationist who need proper skills on how to impart knowledge, but also to parents and their children. To begin with, learners must begin to appreciate that intellectualism is not only obtained from books but that every single positive thing we do really counts similarly, his concepts is important to parents to facilitate a favorable learning environment for their children.
Question five
The significance of critical thinking and the freedom to choose areas of interest in academics cannot be emphasized. Many professionals are today a frustrated lot courtesy of imposed careers. These are people who were forced to pursue certain careers that they were never passionate about either the parents or teachers declined to give them ample time to choose what they deem appropriate, because of the perception that some careers are generally lucrative than others, parents often force their children to follow such path.
As a result many find it difficult to ascend the academic ladder and often drop out. Many others may toil and finish but are a disgrace to their profession especially in medicine where patients have died due to negligent doctors.
