Teacher Warren Smith’s deconstruction of accusations towards J K Rowling

[Dervel]

In case anyone has not seen this I thought you guys might find this worth a watch.

Well done!

Yeah he did good but not any more than hunners of women ( including JK herself) and the odd fella has said before. Maybe cos he's cool, young and a bit trendy. Still, doing the good work.

Sorry but that's very tedious.

It's one student who doesn't appear able to construct any kind of argument being talked at by a teacher.

(Not disagreeing of course but not convinced it's a great example of tackling how JK Rowling has been attacked.)

I think it is a useful, simple conversation to memorise. I have met a great many people who are just like that student. Some of them have degrees, which I find worrying.

From my understanding this video was never meant to tackler her being attacked, but was more meant to tackle the mindset of "Well people say she has transphobic views" and taking that as given and as fact without looking into it themselves, so sheep thinking essentially - He's trying to encourage critical thinking rather than following the mainstream narrative more than anything

Love this!

He's trying to encourage critical thinking rather than following the mainstream narrative more than anything

Oh I get that. It's just so laboured. I don't know if there are more students or just the one but any teens I know would be bored senseless my the drawn-out approach.

I mean, I don't disagree with what he's aiming to do!

My youngest DC is 26. I have become aware of a noticeable lack of ability to think critically in that age group. DC is considered to be bright, all A stars etc, but there is a blind spot with many in this age group when it comes to the trans culture/inclusivity/be kind. It is perplexing and it is a subject that I have to be very careful about mentioning.

Posted too soon. I think the language has to be very, very simple with even people who might be considered to be reasonably intelligent in other circumstances. I think the teacher in this video leads the student through a thought process that is not challenging, so that the student reaches the conclusion without becoming defensive.

I think I love him.

How is he being talked at by a teacher? The teacher is encouraging a not very bright pupil towards critical independent thinking. He's guiding, not talking at.

I totally agree. I have a DS who excels at critical thinking but not where certain trans issues are concerned. I have asked him to show me a single first-hand instance of JKR being transphobic. He can't/doesn't want to. He just wants to hate her for what he's heard she thinks.

I have asked him to show me a single first-hand instance of JKR being transphobic. He can't/doesn't want to.

You could.remind him that there's a £1 million prize on offer for anyone who can do this.

Is there really a reward offered?

There is indeed a reward of £1 million for anyone who can prove JKR has said anything transphobic. Initially I had thought it could be won due to the extremely stretchy and ever-expanding definitions given to that word.

But - still not claimed.

I don't understand how you can say it's tedious, @EarringsandLipstick, in a short space of time the teacher talks through the student's perceptions and gets him to see he's wrong. How many other kids were in that class and listening? How many of them then reassessed their thoughts processes?

It seems to me a potentially huge benefit was gained from minimal input. And if students can't sit through that and have it hold their attention, then I fear everything I have heard about young people having the attention span of a goldfish must be true.

I see what you mean. However the process of critical thinking and deconstructing /constructing ideas is rarely all that scintillating. That usually comes later once you have the thought fully fleshed out and understood by which time you can apply rhetoric to make it snappy and presentable.

I mainly presented this as it’s gone viral, and the guy has already been hauled in front of his institutions leadership, but luckily they are standing by him with some caveats.

It’s a sad state of affairs where simply teaching critical thought and how to do it has become objectionable. These are scary times indeed.

Sorry but that's very tedious.

It's one student who doesn't appear able to construct any kind of argument being talked at by a teacher.

The point of it is not to be entertaining. Yes of course it's tedious to have to painstakingly take someone through a process of recognising that they have no critical thinking skills so that they realise their assumptions are bullshit. Unfortunately, a lot of people could do with that approach.

https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/we-will-award-steve-wardlaw-1-million?

He challenged the student's thinking in a way that completely changed his mind and even got him to admit he felt an idiot.

It's a great pity that it needed a male teacher to do that, rather than all the work those hundreds of women have put in. I'm not belittling it.
It was their work that enabled the teacher to form his own opinion, after all.

I think we all lack the ability to apply critical thinking skills from time to time. Myself included, but nevertheless it’s vital that we at least know how to do it.

the guy has already been hauled in front of his institutions leadership, but luckily they are standing by him with some caveats.

I didn't know that, what happened?

I think broadly speaking he has been supported, but with the following restrictions:

1. He’s not allowed to disclose the institution that he works at.
2. Students cannot participate in his YouTube content.
3. He can’t film at the institution.

its not only young people who are not thinking critically about this though. I know people in their 40s 50s and 60s who are so desperate to be seen not to be ‘right wing’ that they will absolutely refuse to think about it. Or refute any counter argument with emotional arguments - ‘vulnerable ‘ ‘be kind’ etc and when you really push it with them, get tetchy and start with the ‘ aligned with the far right’ bullshit.
If they are in the liberal// left wing tribe they have to believe everything that the tribe believes in. I don’t know what they are so scared of. Why is it not ok to ask questions? I think because the whole premise is so preposterous they can’t even begin to look behind the curtain and admit they have fallen for it. Or in some cases th damage they have caused.
Its astonishing to watch from the sidelines. Very disappointing when these are so called educated people.
ps I am centre left myself although politically pretty homeless at the moment

"It's a great pity that it needed a male teacher to do that, rather than all the work those hundreds of women have put in. I'm not belittling it.
It was their work that enabled the teacher to form his own opinion, after all."

I'm curious about that last sentence, @Joleyne; what makes you think that this teacher's opinion was enabled by women's work rather than his own critical thinking skills?

Interview with Piers Morgan: