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Notes on My Dunce Cap
A text for those curious about education as a context for creativity and collaboration, and for teachers who want to reconsider hierarchy in their classrooms, Jesse Ball’s Notes on My Dunce Cap includes advisory material regarding the creation of syllabi and the manner in which groups may evaluate the work of an individual without harm. Ball is renowned for the unique courses he teaches at the Art Institute of Chicago, which are compiled in this volume along with extended notes on pedagogy. His meditations consider pedagogy in terms that are at once usefully broad and insightfully "When it is possible for any of us to simply go and sit somewhere in the grass, and when it is such a delightful thing to do, to go and sit in the grass, whether by oneself or with others, then it is important to remember that anytime we think about teaching, or indeed, about any other activity―that we do it instead of sitting somewhere in the grass. We are passing up on the joy of solitude, and all its virtues and pleasures. Therefore, it is crucial that what happens when we teach be of the same value as time spent alone. And that is true both for ourselves and for those we teach."
Jesse Ball (born 1978) is the author of five novels, including The Curfew , Silence Once Begun and A Cure for Suicide , which was longlisted for the 2015 National Book Award, as well as several collections of poetry, including March Book . His work has appeared in numerous publications including The New Republic , The Paris Review , Oberon , Circumference and Guernica Magazine .
Jesse Ball (born 1978) is the author of five novels, including The Curfew , Silence Once Begun and A Cure for Suicide , which was longlisted for the 2015 National Book Award, as well as several collections of poetry, including March Book . His work has appeared in numerous publications including The New Republic , The Paris Review , Oberon , Circumference and Guernica Magazine .
150 pages, Paperback
Published February 23, 2016
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About the author
Jesse Ball
32 books914 followersJesse Ball (1978-) Born in New York. The author of fourteen books, most recently, the novel How To Set a Fire and Why. His prizewinning works of absurdity have been published to acclaim in many parts of the world and translated into more than a dozen languages. The recipient of the Paris Review's Plimpton Prize, as well as fellowships from the NEA, the Heinz foundation, and others, he is on the faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 12, 2016
I said this somewhere else: like taking a walk in an ancient park with a wise and treasured friend. Wonderful.
March 3, 2018
Fascinating stuff. Super dense, not organized, but worth your time to work through.
My favorites:
It is important for the students to know that our love of contradiction extends even to this: that they are note the work they make. Some who make beautiful things would like to be equated with what they have made, and yet beyond their work they treat people badly, scornfully, and run down everything they see. Others who make flawed and misguided work are pained in their hearts because they think this is a judgment of who they are and who they can be...The moment of making should be our most vulnerable moment. Once we have made a thing we have no real authority over it...Many student have come to me feeling that everything they have made stands as a body of evidence that the jury will pick through, led by brutal lawyers, at the trial of their mind and heart. I this not just a more complex variety of the child's belief that she will be held to account for everything she thinks?
Imagine a school in which every kind of class is taught—literally every possible class, on every subject, taught in every way. If you were to teach at this school would you teach as you do? Would you teach the same materials and in the same way? Or would you teach something else? Thinking of the classes taught at this imaginary school, would you become jealous of some of the classes taught? Would you be aghast that someone is permitted to teach in such a way—a way that you would love to have taught, if only you had thought of it? It this last is true, then please, by all means, begin tomorrow. Steal the class from its imaginary teacher. Become that person.
My favorites:
It is important for the students to know that our love of contradiction extends even to this: that they are note the work they make. Some who make beautiful things would like to be equated with what they have made, and yet beyond their work they treat people badly, scornfully, and run down everything they see. Others who make flawed and misguided work are pained in their hearts because they think this is a judgment of who they are and who they can be...The moment of making should be our most vulnerable moment. Once we have made a thing we have no real authority over it...Many student have come to me feeling that everything they have made stands as a body of evidence that the jury will pick through, led by brutal lawyers, at the trial of their mind and heart. I this not just a more complex variety of the child's belief that she will be held to account for everything she thinks?
Imagine a school in which every kind of class is taught—literally every possible class, on every subject, taught in every way. If you were to teach at this school would you teach as you do? Would you teach the same materials and in the same way? Or would you teach something else? Thinking of the classes taught at this imaginary school, would you become jealous of some of the classes taught? Would you be aghast that someone is permitted to teach in such a way—a way that you would love to have taught, if only you had thought of it? It this last is true, then please, by all means, begin tomorrow. Steal the class from its imaginary teacher. Become that person.
March 28, 2016
Not what I expected but a nice piece if you're someone interested in creative writing programs without being able to actually enroll. I took the syllabi and booklists and plugged them into some future reading lists, very worthwhile! Introduced me to the dérive.
April 30, 2018
Lots of good stuff in this very slender volume. Quick read. Pedagogy is difficult.
“I like to give exercises in my classes. The classes are often about basic things–things the students have done and will always do. lying, for instance. Everyone lies. But when we examine the subject we realize how deeply intermingled it is with a general societal morality. Working through what we know about lying and what can be guessed about–it gives us circumspect vision and a skepticism that lingers long after the class is done. In the same way a class on walking may permit students to have the actual freedom of the city and of the day in a way that they previously were not given. You may not know who you are until you have wandered for five hours with no money or identification, with no phone, perhaps without even keys. With no pomp–and none of the machinery of your culture, it is possible to see what you would be if you were set on a hillside in the Pleisteocene. Knowing then what you are, and how it feels, you can move more freely in your life. The students learn to recognize what is actually a part of them, and what is not, what is merely accessory to the self.
The students meet in the class. Each one has struggled with the exercises, some of which are difficult, and when they come together we speak about what happened. Each person volunteers the particular experience that was given to them.
One of the core hopes of my pedagogy is that through gentle classroom practices the empathy of the students will be encouraged. It is my hope that it will become possible for people to speak and to say things that they would never ordinarily say, because all hindrances have fallen away. We are destitute if we cannot feel the life that pulses around us–and by that I mean, if we cannot guess at the life in each thing, and if we do not guess at it. We must first learn to be able to empathize, to guess at what is felt, and to feel it, but then the matter is not decided, because we wake each day in deep confusion. Our good choices must be remade a thousand times over. And so it is crucial not only to be able to empathize, but to learn a practice of empathy, of traveling about feeling what is felt in your vicinity. Will you fly a single flag? How sad–you may fly them all”
“I like to give exercises in my classes. The classes are often about basic things–things the students have done and will always do. lying, for instance. Everyone lies. But when we examine the subject we realize how deeply intermingled it is with a general societal morality. Working through what we know about lying and what can be guessed about–it gives us circumspect vision and a skepticism that lingers long after the class is done. In the same way a class on walking may permit students to have the actual freedom of the city and of the day in a way that they previously were not given. You may not know who you are until you have wandered for five hours with no money or identification, with no phone, perhaps without even keys. With no pomp–and none of the machinery of your culture, it is possible to see what you would be if you were set on a hillside in the Pleisteocene. Knowing then what you are, and how it feels, you can move more freely in your life. The students learn to recognize what is actually a part of them, and what is not, what is merely accessory to the self.
The students meet in the class. Each one has struggled with the exercises, some of which are difficult, and when they come together we speak about what happened. Each person volunteers the particular experience that was given to them.
One of the core hopes of my pedagogy is that through gentle classroom practices the empathy of the students will be encouraged. It is my hope that it will become possible for people to speak and to say things that they would never ordinarily say, because all hindrances have fallen away. We are destitute if we cannot feel the life that pulses around us–and by that I mean, if we cannot guess at the life in each thing, and if we do not guess at it. We must first learn to be able to empathize, to guess at what is felt, and to feel it, but then the matter is not decided, because we wake each day in deep confusion. Our good choices must be remade a thousand times over. And so it is crucial not only to be able to empathize, but to learn a practice of empathy, of traveling about feeling what is felt in your vicinity. Will you fly a single flag? How sad–you may fly them all”
September 20, 2020
Really enjoy Jesse Ball and reading this had me feeling like I was in conversation with him. So many memorable lines (all at the start). Once the book diverged into syllabi, I did not find as much practicality for my life as an educator. A book I definitely will return to and a very quick read.
Favorite quotes include:
~"I must make the class as strange, as fascinating, and as suited to each particular student as I can. If I have ten students in a class, and they all learn the same thing from a lesson, I am dismayed..." (page 8-9)
~"Many of them may not even know how it is they can be alone with their thoughts. This is the peculiar poverty of our age, and the class space can help to undo it." (page 14)
~"Depending on the students, it my be possible to create a small and separate cosmos--a joyful laboratory. Then you need to do very little as a teacher, because everyone is busy learning from each other." (page 15)
~"...a good teacher says as little as possible." (page 16)
~"Please do not under any circumstances attack the silly or ridiculous. The silly and ridiculous are often the advance guard of the remarkable. There may be an army faintly coalescing beyond the hill, and your scornful laugh can render it to dust." (page 19)
~"The student is likely to revile the classroom, to hate being there, and to be naturally unresponsive under its spell. This is because of years of training. The students have learned how to pass through classrooms with the least possible change. To undo this you should attempt whenever possible to teach in a room that does not appear to be a room." (page 20)
~"Although in general I discourage spreading yourself thin. I do think it is a good sign if you are hounded by students eager to learn. What sort of syllabus can cause this effect, and how?" (page 29)
~"At gatherings, members of the Society try to keep in good spirits. They demonstrate their understanding of the world's horrors with a gentle cheerfulness." (page 89)
~"It is a great comfort to learn to use silence in pedagogy. Figuring out the difference between when a quiet class is thinking and when they have given up and are just waiting for the next thing, it is a difficult skill." (page 123)
Favorite quotes include:
~"I must make the class as strange, as fascinating, and as suited to each particular student as I can. If I have ten students in a class, and they all learn the same thing from a lesson, I am dismayed..." (page 8-9)
~"Many of them may not even know how it is they can be alone with their thoughts. This is the peculiar poverty of our age, and the class space can help to undo it." (page 14)
~"Depending on the students, it my be possible to create a small and separate cosmos--a joyful laboratory. Then you need to do very little as a teacher, because everyone is busy learning from each other." (page 15)
~"...a good teacher says as little as possible." (page 16)
~"Please do not under any circumstances attack the silly or ridiculous. The silly and ridiculous are often the advance guard of the remarkable. There may be an army faintly coalescing beyond the hill, and your scornful laugh can render it to dust." (page 19)
~"The student is likely to revile the classroom, to hate being there, and to be naturally unresponsive under its spell. This is because of years of training. The students have learned how to pass through classrooms with the least possible change. To undo this you should attempt whenever possible to teach in a room that does not appear to be a room." (page 20)
~"Although in general I discourage spreading yourself thin. I do think it is a good sign if you are hounded by students eager to learn. What sort of syllabus can cause this effect, and how?" (page 29)
~"At gatherings, members of the Society try to keep in good spirits. They demonstrate their understanding of the world's horrors with a gentle cheerfulness." (page 89)
~"It is a great comfort to learn to use silence in pedagogy. Figuring out the difference between when a quiet class is thinking and when they have given up and are just waiting for the next thing, it is a difficult skill." (page 123)
January 21, 2019
Some good thoughts on writing and teaching from Jesse Bell:
"Although of course it is a joy to make work, still making work is not important as much because work is made, and exists, but because it is a thing we can do in order to interact with the world (within a moment that passes)."
"Once we have made a thing, we have no real authority over it. It has gone beyond us. Likewise, we go beyond it. The lion's share of its importance has passed once it exists in the world."
And this is a wonderful goal for teaching:
"The class is there only to serve in kindness as amplifiers of possibility."
The tone is a little authoritative for a teacher who wants to eliminate hierarchy in the classroom--particularly at the beginning of the essay.
Loved the dream assignment and the generosity of sharing syllabi.
However, Bell could offer more diversity in terms of authors students are reading which is another way of creating a supportive environment for students.
"Although of course it is a joy to make work, still making work is not important as much because work is made, and exists, but because it is a thing we can do in order to interact with the world (within a moment that passes)."
"Once we have made a thing, we have no real authority over it. It has gone beyond us. Likewise, we go beyond it. The lion's share of its importance has passed once it exists in the world."
And this is a wonderful goal for teaching:
"The class is there only to serve in kindness as amplifiers of possibility."
The tone is a little authoritative for a teacher who wants to eliminate hierarchy in the classroom--particularly at the beginning of the essay.
Loved the dream assignment and the generosity of sharing syllabi.
However, Bell could offer more diversity in terms of authors students are reading which is another way of creating a supportive environment for students.
November 5, 2017
I found the notes on teaching to be a bit self-important -- they sound like Buddhist meditations or something -- but I really want to take the classes he shows through the sample syllabi. And the idea of the Asking is awesome and I wish my creative writing teaches employed it.
August 24, 2018
Refreshing, uplifting, and inspiring. Just what I needed to read before to beginning of another semester--I'm especially intrigued by the concept of "The Asking" as a way to engage with creative work.
April 8, 2020
Dazzled to be reading syllabi on fairy tales (where students need permission to write about candles and wolves), lucid dreaming, respectful discussion, embraced silence, and wandering for long stretches of time through the world. This text is a fresh of air.
June 28, 2020
There were a few moments that felt like a less articulate version of that Parker Palmer book. But what I loved about this book (and will be discussing with friends and students) is the section of syllabi. Really interesting possibilities in guiding a class here.
October 25, 2017
I would love to be a writer taking one of his classes. My only complaint is that some sentences got lost in the cracks of the book.
March 10, 2019
I adored this book & absolutely plan to return to it.
July 19, 2020
Left me absolutely buzzing! Ready to rework my syllabus immediately.
November 6, 2023
Delightful and envigorating. Syllabi to die for.
May 5, 2024
Imagine if Gilles from the Commedia dell'arte wrote a book on pedagogy. This would be that book, and I mean that as high praise.
November 18, 2024
Put me in Jesse Ball’s lucid dreaming class ASAP
December 10, 2024
My new obsession.
November 17, 2024
occult and oblique thoughts about running a classroom. some of which are gloriously absurd (imagine in the year 2024 trying to instill actual intellectual discipline on yourself let alone on a college student) others of which are just the regular kind of absurd or the regular kind of glorious. worth the $20 just to get a handful of ball's reading lists/syllabis/the protocol for the "asking" alternative workshop mode. also a good and welcome reminder that nobody knows anything and you shouldn't pay too much attention to people who think they do (except for like, engineers, who do know things). RIYL walt whitman and lo-fi motivational speech
February 11, 2017
A book for teachers - not instructors. Each page is worth its weight in gold.
September 1, 2016
This book is probably best for educators of adults, educators who may need lessons in fostering kindness and bravery in the face of whatever pursuit. Probably best for teachers who are facilitating their students' making stuff, but there are thoughts on creating classroom experiences that would be applicable anywhere a teacher has freedom to deviate from institution norms. If purple prose bugs you, then you may want to avoid this one.
January 29, 2017
If I ever get F you money I'm definitely going to try and buy my way into one of Jesse Ball's writing classes. The syllabi he lists in this book for his classes are just so weird and I just know it would be a wonderful experience. I think anyone who teaches could take away a few great innovative and unconventional ideas from this book. I'd also love to try adapting the method Ball describes as "The Asking" to cognitive task analysis.
May 4, 2016
MFA workshop would be better off if this method was incorporated. Workshop style of silencing the writer of the work while others spew off opinions that are often unreflected is one of the worst methods I've ever experienced. I will not take another workshop of this manner. If I ever teach creative writing in the future, I will use this as guidance. A must read for all creative writing teachers.
June 21, 2016
lovely and worthwhile
September 22, 2016
Full of innovative ideas and crafty suggestions. Ball is the opposite of dunce: provocateur and shift-shaper.
April 17, 2017
This isn't a book which "teaches" pedagogy so much as it encourages you to experiment with it. Ball is also writing from a Fine Arts perspective, and so some of his approaches have limited use for broader humanities classrooms. However, his insights into how to use the space of the classroom are tremendous. Ball is at his best when he makes the instructor feel like the student again; several times I was asked to think in a different way, or was presented with a possible task or assignment that I myself was eager to go out and experience and complete. It's not often that I present my students with tasks based on what I myself have done or experienced, but after reading "Notes on My Dunce Cap," I'm thinking I may sit down and draft up a new Basic Writing syllabus themed entirely around "Rejection."
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews