I was in a group with two other students for our final project, and it was a great learning experience! I am not used to working collaboratively with others, and it was challenging to use everyone's ideas and produce a project and lesson that we were all happy and excited about. Learning to work together is very important, and we enjoyed teaching our lesson! I loved participating in all of the other lessons that were taught today and enjoyed the variety of teaching styles that were presented!
This class was an eye-opener in many ways, and I am excited to use some new strategies! Real world applications are super important, and students can tell the difference between real and "fake real." Blended learning is a great tool and it is great to know how to leverage technology for more effective learning. I feel like the many discussions we had in class will help me encourage students to think creatively, collaborate with others, use critical thinking, and communicate effectively! I especially enjoyed discussing how we don't have to run our classrooms and schools the way they have been run for the last 100 years or so!
0 Comments
I love Khan Academy! I often watch math videos while I am doing the dishes for ideas about how to teach and visualize different concepts. Some teachers will actually "flip the classroom," and assign students to watch Khan Academy videos for homework. The next day they assign what would normally be the homework to the students to work on in class. The teacher can then focus on helping students with their questions. I thought this was really interesting. I wonder if students would actually watch the videos, or just plan on winging it in class the next day?
The thing I like the most about Khan Academy math videos is that he clearly explains one little concept at a time, and you can replay or pause it as needed while you process the information. There are also a few problems to check your understanding after most of the videos. It is an awesome resource for students, or even parents who want a refresher! My 12th-grade son goes to a charter school that revolves around video game design. It is physically set on the campus of one of our district high schools, but it is still basically its own school. They have their own set of rules and procedures, but it is convenient to be located on the high school campus because if a student wants to take a class that the charter school does not offer, then that is possible. It is an amazing program! There are computer labs with super fast "water-cooled" computers, and large workshops where they create busts of video game characters from their own imaginations and all kinds of projects of their own designs. The teachers who dreamed up the school are very kind, love what they do, and are always thinking about how to help their students succeed. Every aspect of this academy revolves around video games and being ready for the future, but that does not mean they are not learning "academic" skills. One of the books they studied for English last year was Ready Player One! They also have one class that focuses on useful skills such as cooking, sewing, post-high school education, and a myriad of other subjects that will carry over into adulthood. The night after my son and I toured the campus for the first time, I lay awake into the next morning from excitement and envisioning what an awesome opportunity it would be for him! He is now living the dream! We need to broaden our horizons about what skills are needed in the 21st Century. Creativity, critical-thinking, communication, and learning to work with others collaboratively are 21st Century skills that everyone needs to learn. We need to move away from the "factory model" of memorizing facts and learning just what needs to be learned for specific tests. High school education can be designed in such a way that it will be a springboard to propel students into a spectacular future!
I probably have too many mantras to list that I live by and encourage in others, but here are a few..
"Be Confident!" Self-doubt is a major enemy to learning and progress. Even though it hard to do, we have to believe in ourselves and put all our efforts into whatever we are doing. I like to think of it as jumping in with both feet. Sometimes it is comfortable to just sit back and sell ourselves short, but the most rewarding things that we do require confidence and a "can-do" attitude. "Work Hard!" The most rewarding things in life do not come easily. When you get something easily it can be exciting in the moment, but when you have really done your best and put all your efforts into something you will be able to look back on it forever and remember it with joy. If you think something is too hard, remember "Be Confident," then get working and just do it! "Be Creative!" This goes along with the other two mantras already listed, but when you have already jumped in with two feet, are working like crazy, and are still struggling you need to be creative. There is a solution there, but you may have to think outside the box to access it. When I was just starting out my little home chocolate business I saved a lot of money I did not have by finding creative solutions. For example, I did not have enough money to order expensive frames to pour out my caramel so I made a frame out of Lego bricks lined with foil! The most vivid memories I have of testing were those where I felt traumatized. I was a kid with a lot of anxiety who always wanted to do the right thing. I generally did well in school, but was a bit slow doing my work because I was trying so hard to get it just right. In the early grades of elementary school I vividly remember feeling like a failure in one subject...ironically enough it was math!
We had timed math facts tests that I could never manage to pass! The teacher would say, "Clear your desks except for a pencil!" My heart would immediately begin to thump loud and fast and I would start to sweat. The paper was passed out upside down and I would be staring at the back of it trying to see through enough to start figuring out the first problem. Frantically, I would turn the paper over when it was time and all the numbers would swim in front of my eyes. I knew how to add, subtract, and multiply but could not get the answers to come quickly enough. Should I do all the easy ones first? Should I just go in order? Thoughts bounced around in my head in a senseless jumble. In what seemed like an instant, the test was collected and I chalked it up as another failure. Math, who needs it anyway? Teachers typically use grades to evaluate how well a subject has been mastered. This doesn't necessarily show how much a student has grown, but just indicates whether the students has met the goals of the class.
One of my sons has had a very difficult time learning to read. For some reason he has a really hard time connecting letters together and understanding what sounds they make. He would often write letters backwards and completely leave out vowels. He was not understanding what was going on in class and would often shut down and not even try. He lost all confidence in that area. Unfortunately reading is an area that is pretty pervasive in just about every subject at school. Fortunately things started to click during the summer before second grade, and we were overjoyed for the progress he made! He started at a new school that year and we told his teacher to not focus on what he can't read, but just really encourage him with what he can. We were afraid if he saw all his poor spelling grades he would shut down and the progress would not continue! She was on board with this and even though he is still not up to the same level of reading as most of his peers and does not have a good "grade," we know the progress he has made and am extremely proud of his efforts and growth! Most parents know their kids really well. Kids are born with distinct personalities, which evolve over time. However, it is funny how even when kids are older little quirks, fears, and innate personality traits pop up from time to time. What might mean nothing to one kid, might wreak major havoc on the emotions of a different kid. Parents know these things, and teachers are often meeting 150-180 students on the first day of school!
Parents and Teachers are both in the business of helping students succeed! We are on the same side, and only want students to learn the things they need to help them achieve amazing things! It is awesome when parents remain involved in their kids' educations, because they can offer invaluable insight that can help the teachers know how to help their students. If we as teachers are in the business of getting to know our students personally to help them succeed, you might even say that the teachers are the amateurs and the parents are the experts! I have always thought that it is funny that our minds really can't trick our bodies. For instance, if I have a big deadline for a project I generally block out chunks to finish at a certain timetable so that I am not up all night working the night before it is due. There have been times when life gets in the way, things come up, and I fall behind on my timetable. The funny part is that adrenaline does not kick in when I am trying to stay up late and finish an intermediate, self-imposed deadline! The adrenaline pumps through my veins and makes it possible for me to get it done only if I am still working on the project the night before!
This is similar to what happens when "fake real" projects are assigned to students. Many moons ago, when I taught junior high math, I decided to do a hands-on project with my students near the Christmas holiday. I gathered a bunch of catalogs and advertisements, gave them a "budget," and had them "buy" Christmas gifts for family and friends. They needed to calculate the actual total including sales tax, since we were learning about percentages. Since the situation was not "real," there was none of the excitement that normally comes with buying gifts. Emotions are based on what is real! Robert J. Sternberg said that "to be successfully intelligent is to think well in three different ways: analytically, creatively, and practically." In traditional schools most students are tested about thinking analytically. There are a lot of tests where there is one correct answer that must be recalled or figured out. This is an important skill to have but sometimes it is more difficult to know how to teach students to think creatively and practically.
We can encourage students to think creatively by having them find multiple solutions to problems. Students can also be given creative challenges where there is no "right" answer, just a given set parameters and they need to come up with how they would address the situation. I have heard many people say that they are not "creative," but being creative is something that can be learned with practice. You just have to make yourself see new possibilities until it comes naturally. To learn to think practically, students can be asked to bring up situations that they hear about and the class could have discussions about different ways to handle it. The teacher can even have a jar of "situations" that require some practical every-day skills, and one can be drawn out each day and discussed. Students will become used to the idea that they are capable of handling anything that life throws at them! When my husband and I had only been married for a few years, I became interested in making candy. My uncle makes chocolates every year, and I was always amazed at his skill. For Christmas my husband bought me a book about making candy that my uncle recommended, and a few pounds of good couverture chocolate.
My first attempt was to make mint centers. I cooked a sugar syrup solution to a specific temperature, poured it out to cool, then stirred it for over an hour until it reached a creamy solid state that could be shaped like clay. It was fascinating to me that a sticky, gooey mess could transform in this way! I spent all of my extra time trying recipes and learning to temper chocolate so that I could dip the little candy centers in chocolate and have them look professional. It became my favorite thing to do! Because I enjoyed it so much, I learned quickly and as soon as I finished learning one technique I continued to learn more. I still have a never-ending thirst for knowledge about working with chocolate! Eventually this love turned into a small business in which I learned many more concepts, including accounting, customer service, and other business practices! Everyone has different things in their lives that for some inexplicable reason resonate with their souls and make them glow. If students are able to explore the things they love through school, they will grow exponentially! I worked as a substitute teacher for 4 months, and during that time I subbed at nearly every high school in my local school district. It was interesting to see how the school culture was different at each school. What kind of environment makes a school seem human and friendly?
I like schools that are well-maintained and have an open layout. It is nice to be able to see students and teachers as they walk in between classes. A lot of gates and locks makes a school feel more unsafe, even though they are meant to protect students and teachers. Being greeted with a smile as you walk onto the campus can make a huge difference in the atmosphere at the school. It is awesome when students have a hand in beautifying the school. They can design and paint murals, create sculptures, or help with landscaping projects. It is nice to see pops of color, and not just gray concrete everywhere. Creative advertisements for upcoming sporting or cultural events also contribute to an awesome environment. When students and staff work together they can all take pride in their school, and make it a welcoming environment where everyone likes to be. Too often, life in school is its own little unique world. Studious kids are focused on memorizing and cramming for tests, while other kids feel like they are doing time until graduation. The world at school revolves around bell schedules, tests and grades. This is vastly different from the world outside of school.
To prepare for the real world we need to help our students learn to be confident. Students need to believe in their abilities to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others. They can learn to be kind and thoughtful, and to understand that every person on this earth has unique experiences. Students need to learn to work hard and to not give up; often the greatest rewards come only after our greatest efforts. Each student also needs to learn that they are valued, and have people who care about them. Students need to find what kind of work makes them feel alive, and then pursue the required learning. If students learn these skills, there will be no stopping them! There is this intrinsic, hard to explain feeling when I am really learning. I think of it as "magic." One of the most exciting feelings in the world is this moment when random things click together in my mind to meld into a coherent understanding. This type of learning does not happen without effort. There is typically a lot of reading, researching, and talking with others about whatever topic or concept I am learning. It is also important to have an open mind and confidence in myself. Understanding often takes time, and part of the fun is actually never knowing when the magic will happen!
Sometimes the learning process is actually painful as mistakes are made and misunderstandings happen, and it is tempting to throw in the towel. At these times it is more important than ever to persist until the magic happens. I know that with enough persistence and hard work true learning can be achieved in any subject with the right mentors and teachers. Learning new things is what life is all about, and once it is experienced it is addictive! I began teaching math in the fall of 1998, which is now nearly 20 years ago! My teaching style was very traditional. I started each period off with a short quiz, checked the previous night's HW, taught a new concept, and had the students begin an assignment which would be completed at home for HW. I have always loved puzzles, brain teasers, and random engineering-style challenges of all kinds, but mostly incorporated these things into my classroom as decorations on walls and shelves. I only taught for a few years before deciding to have kids and stay home with them while they were little. Returning to education now is so exciting! We are being encouraged to lead our classes in a much more well-rounded way! I can take the brain teasers and engineering challenges off the shelf and use them in my everyday lessons to excite students about learning math! The engineering feat can be the lesson, and the math will be learned right along with the engaging activity. Students can be encouraged to apply what they are learning in very practical and dynamic ways. I am very excited to help my students think creatively, be confident in their abilities, and explore their interests! Embracing and encouraging diverse interests can prevent the "factory model," and help students accomplish amazing things! |
Alice Mary Johnson
|