Good response; it underscores a number of problems with the system
as it is now.
 
> >> At this point, the most critical juncture
> >> occurs:  under NO circumstances should a teacher state that the
> >> hypothesis brought forth by a student is "wrong".
> 
> Wrong! Students waste everyone's time when they challenge the teacher.
> Teachers don't have the luxury of that much time.

A flaw in the system.  Teacher salary should be such that those who want
to teach (like me) would consider doing it, and the class size to teacher
ratio should be such that a teacher has the time to help a student see the
flaws in his/her own hypotheses.

> Also, one of the things students need to do is learn to respect authority,
> and how to get along with others.

And one of the things students need to learn is that just because a person
has authority over you doesn't convey correctness upon every decision or
"fact" that person brings forth.  This is important to learn because
someday, those students may BE the authority and they need to respect
that their subordinates may be right once in a while.  When "because I'm
the boss and I said so" becomes a substitute for reasoned consideration
of the options, disaster results.

> Remember, students are in school to learn, and they are doing it under the
> guidance of their teacher. If the teacher wants the students opinion,
> he/she will ask for it.

Which is reasonable, in some subjects (language, mathematics, phys ed).
However, when teaching science, critical thinking and the ability to form,
test, and discard hypotheses is of the utmost importance.  These are
skills which the current system of presentation and rote memorization
subverts.

> I am constantly reminding young people that the best way to get good
> grades and also to get the most out of their education is to figure out
> what the teacher wants and to give it to them. Resisting education is not
> the way to get an education.

This isn't about resisting education.  It's about learning how to learn.  I
truly believe that learning how to learn is no longer anywhere in schools.
Learning to memorize and regurgitate is, of course.

> If a student wants to have a debate, he/she should get on the debate
> team(or join the OTlist).

It's not about debate, it's about encouraging the student to figure out
for him/herself why he or she is wrong, rather than telling him/her.

I read a story by Isaac Asimov which pretty remarkably captures this
situation:
http://www.abelard.org/asimov.htm

We need to decide, and soon, whether we want students to learn,
or if it is adequate for them to be "taped" (see the above story for
explanation).

Mike H.

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