The Good Example summary and four level by Vicente Riva Palacio
(Translation from
Spanish: Moti Nissani)
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About Vicente Riva Palacio
Vicente Riva Palacio (1832-1896) was born in Mexico. His
father was a liberal lawyer and his mother, a daughter of the Independence War
Hero and later second President of Mexico. Palacio was a Mexican freedom
fighter, political prisoner, general, congressman, state governor, historian,
and novelist. "The Good Example" is taken from his book of short
stories, Tales of General. Unfortunately, none of his books has been translated
into English.
The Good Example summary [Vicente Riva Palacio]
"The Good
Example" is a
story about the educational system of Mexico in the 19th century. The Mexican
education system was based on traditional methodologies like memorization i.e.
parrot learning. In the story "The
Good Example" Vicente Riva Palacio truly makes a bitter comment about
such an educational system where even a parrot can open a school.
In the story, there was a village in the Southern part of the
Mexican Republic. In the village, there was a school run by Don Lucas Forcida.
He was a hardworking teacher, and thus, villagers and pupils liked and
respected him very much. He had adopted the traditional methodology of teaching
and learning in his school. Students chanted the alphabets, syllables,
religious questions and answers, poems, and historical dates in a monotonous
traditional way. Their learning involved repeating the teacher's words and
sentences dully.
Don Lucas had a best friend named 'Perico’. Perico was a
parrot. The parrot used to sit above the school door. It used to copy whatever
the teacher and students chanted. The interesting thing is that after school,
Perico and the head teacher used to enjoy having cake and chocolate on the
school ground. Don Lucas and the parrot understood each other perfectly. That's
why both of them were quite happy in their companionship. Every afternoon, both
of them used to be together.
Several years passed. Don Lucas had much confidence in his
parrot, therefore, he did not bother to trim the parrot's wings and he did not
tie his legs.
Once a strange incident took place. One of his schoolchildren
informed Don Lucas about the parrot's escape. Don Lucas and the children saw
the bird flying away into the deep forest with the forest-dwelling parrots. Don
Lucas, teachers, and all students got shocked by this incident. Don Lucas
thought that the parrot was ungrateful to abandon his best friend like him. After
some time, they forgot the incident i.e. the parrot's escape.
After several months, Don Lucas had to make a trip to a
neighboring village. The village was twenty or thirty miles away from his
house. When he was in the middle forest, it was two o'clock in the afternoon.
Don Lucas's heard a familiar sound like children chanting syllables, alphabets,
and words. Suddenly, he thought it was fancy but later he asked himself if
there was a school in the forest. Don Lucas was surprised. There he saw a group
of parrots chanting alphabets, syllables, and words flying over his head. There
was a Perico as well.
In the end, Perico turned his head towards his master, Don
Lucas, and told him cheerfully that he had opened a school in the forest.
Application of Four Levels of the story The Good Example
Literal Comprehension of The Good Example
There was a school in a village situated in the Southern part
of Mexico Republica. The headmaster of that school was Don Lucas Florida who
was a very hardworking teacher. In his school, memorization and parrot learning
as traditional methods had been adopted. Students used to chant letters,
alphabets, words, and so on in a monotonous way.
Don Lucas had a best friend named Perico, a parrot that used
to sit just above the main door of the school. The interesting matter is what
the teacher and students chanted in the classroom, the parrot could imitate all
those things. Besides it, there was a close companion between Don Lucas and
Perico.
After school, they used to be together having Cake and
Chocolate. Both of them understood perfectly so that Don Lucas never decided to
cut the feathers and legs of the parrot. But one day, Perico flew away with
other parrots towards the forest. Don Lucas and his students saw his departure
and they got shocked. After several times, they forgot the terrible incident.
One day, Don Lucas was going to a neighboring village on the
horseback through the forest. When he arrived in the mid of the forest, he
listened to the voice that his students used to chant alphabets, syllables, and
words in the classroom. Having been surprised he noticed the group of parrots
including Perico right above his head were chanting the words, alphabets, and
syllables. Finally, Perico told Don Lucas that he had already opened the school
in the forest.
Interpretation of The Good Example
The Good Example is a bitter satire on the traditional system
of learning that emphasizes memory-based education ignoring learners'
creativity, learning by doing, and innovativeness. In such a traditional
system, the teachers and learners do nothing more than chanting the letters,
syllables, and words without understanding the essence. The writer claims that
with this kind of memory-based education, even a parrot can open a school. So,
there is no difference between human beings and wild birds in such a
traditional method.
Therefore, this story states that education must be based on
learning by doing, understanding, experiments, creativity, and scientific
methods.
Critical Thinking of The Good Example
The Good Example is a satire and comments on the traditional
way of teaching and learning in schools and colleges. Memory-based education as
the very traditional method does not develop the human personality but it
diminishes human beings into a mere wild bird. It means in such an educational
system, a parrot can open a school. However, some of the ideas in the story are
less convincing. Can a parrot open a school in the forest? How can human beings
and parrot understand each other perfectly? Was the parrot really there just to
learn to be a teacher in the forest?
Assimilation of The Good Example
This story has really touched me. This is very relevant in
the context of Nepal. I passed my school education by the traditional method
where teachers were not qualified and trained as well as teaching and learning
were based on memorization methods ignoring creativity, interest, ability, and
innovativeness. The meaning of the words was translated from Nepali to English
in teaching and learning English.
Therefore, I felt and still feel English as the difficult one
due to the tradition I have come up with. After reading this story, I realize
the importance of learning through experiments, doing, experience and
creativity.
The Good Example [Question answer]
Defend the statement:
"The Good Example" can be viewed as a satire on education hint: The
writer of this story may be trying to tell us something like this: "With
this kind of memory-based education, even a parrot can open a school!"
Compare the instruction of children in this brief satire to Richard Wright's
program of self-education.
Of course, the story "The Good Example" can be
viewed as a satire on education. The writer talks about the traditional
educational system based on memorization or parrot learning. The teachers and
students are engaged in chanting alphabets, syllables, and words in a
monotonous way without considering the understanding level, interest, level,
ability, relevance, and creativity of the learners. Education-based on parrot
memorization is always negatively criticized though this trend is still being
applied in most parts of Nepal.
Concepts are not made clear in memory-based education.
Learners might forget the learned matters in a short time. They often waste all
their time memorizing all the names of the parts. The writer makes a bitter
comment on such kind of education that even a parrot can open the school. It means
there is no difference between a wild bird (parrot) and a human being (learner)
in traditional educational methodologies. Furthermore, punishment, force, and
passivity to the learners in such kind of system hinder their innovative and
creative learning. They no longer learn effectively but rather always feel
monotonous and boring.
Therefore, this story makes a comment on the educational
system based on memorization, and at the same time, it advocates that education
must be based on creativity, interest, level, ability, activeness, creativity,
research, scientific methods, and experiments to make both teachings and
learning more effective.
Compare Nepali
education today with Mexican education in the 19th century. Does Nepali
education promote memorization or understanding?
The Mexican Republic adopted memory-based education in the
19th century. In such a traditional, educational system, teachers and learners
were engaged in chanting alphabets, syllables, and words in a very monotonous
way. Students used to repeat the words delivered by the teachers. In fact,
their interest, level, ability, understanding, creativity, and activeness in
learning used to be ignored. The writer in the story "The Good
Example" claims that even a parrot can open a school inch type of
educational system. He makes a satire that there is no difference between a
parrot (bird) and a human being (learner) in the process of learning.
Therefore, memory-based education is greatly criticized for making learners
like parrots.
In the context of Nepal, we can see many methods and
strategies applied in the context of teaching and learning. Though memory-based
education like the 19th-century Mexican educational system is not awarded in
our country, we can still find its application in most remote and village
areas. It is because of the lack of qualified and trained teachers to teach the
learners effectively.
In the age of science and technology, still in some remote
parts of Nepal, such parrot learning and memorization-based education is no
exception to be used. However, time is being changed to bring change in the
educational system in such places. But we can find modern and scientific
methods applied in advanced places in Nepal where creativity, interest,
learning by doing, understanding and experimenting, and experience of learners
are praised. Similarly, we can find a vast difference between private and
government schools in applying the educational method.
Anyway, in the 21st
century, the traditional parrot learning kind of educational system has
become outdated in the urban region and is in the process even in the village
and remote areas. So, the Nepalese educational system is gradually shifting
from traditional outdated memory-based education to modern, scientific,
creativity-based education with access to technological advancements like the
computer, internet, and other reliable instruments.
What kind of education
is better, the one that asks people to memorize the multiplication table and
historical dates, or the one that explains what multiplication is and explores
the causes of particular historical events?
The writer in the story makes a bitter comment on the
memory-based education adopted by the Mexican Republic during the 19th century.
He claims that in such a traditional method, even a parrot can open a school.
It means there is no difference between parrot and learner in education based
on memorization. In fact, this kind of learning is harmful and such a system
misguides the learners as well as misleads the society, nation, and human civilization.
Learning in a meaningful context is more effective. In
addition, it has a long-lasting effect. Parrot learning is meaningless. In the
21st century, such parrot learning is hated and mocked in most societies
because it does not long - last and one learns in a monotonous way.
Memorization does not have a long-time effect because what is learned is
quickly lost from the mind and the learner becomes ignorant time and again. He
learns without any clear concept. It is also said that learning through memorization
is like parrot learning or dogs barking at night which is not fruitful but
rather just the matter of wasting valuable time ignoring scientific method,
comprehensive level, interest, and ability as well as creativity and
innovativeness.
Thus, concerning the writer, we can say that the one that explains what multiplication is and explores the causes of particular historical events is far better than the one that asks people to memorize the multiplication table and historical dates.