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November 21, 2005
flame wars! (collaboarive writing 19.2/50)
Johnson, Thomas S. "A comment on 'Collaborative learning and the 'Conversation of mankind'" College English 48.1 (1986) 76.
1 sentence summary: bruffee's a pinko commie bastard & he's out to enslave us all.
accusations
"there seems to be little substantive difference between his presentation of 'collaborative learning' and Orwellean 'groupthink'"
"one characteristic of every major authoriatarian system of this century has been the imposition of a common (or 'normal') language, representing a common way of thinking, for, of course, the common good. when mr. bruffee advocates 'collaborative' learning through peer pressure, the teacher being one 'peer' (more shades from Orwell's nightmare), and advocates the inculcation of 'normal' modes of communication and thinking, he seems to be falling...into the same camp of reformist social engineers as the somewhat more agressive ideologs of Naziism, Fascism, and Communism"
despite his "liberal bows to creative thinking," brufee professes a clear "committment to teaching 'groupthink'"--it's really just "establishmentarian liberalism paving the wide road for authoriatarianism"--for an "authoriatarian leveling toward the norm through peer pressure" that leaves no room for the "inegrity of the individual creative thinker, when he is outvoted"
& there will be no one left to "undermine the political conformity of the collaborative ideology" if everyone learns via "mr bruffee's peer indoctrination classes"
or: POW, right in the KISSER.
Posted by ttobryan at November 21, 2005 06:50 PM