Monday, July 26, 2010
Final Reflection/ Goodbye.
What I've learned...
about teaching: Dr. Strange and his staff were most helpful in displaying the teaching style that is best for the way students now think, and need to learn. Teachers are not giving information previously unknown to their students. Instead, they are showing students how to develop their own ideas and opinions, and how to research and defend those opinions to make the world a better place. For some time, I'd always thought in an ego driven teacher-centric style: I have information that they don't. The true story could not be farther away from that mindset. I've corrected my beliefs in a way that supports shared learning. It does not just pass from me to the student, in a straight line, but instead is a circle of knowledge and ideas shared both ways.
about collaboration: I've always disliked group work because of my introverted nature, and because I always believed that other students could not help me. In the past, I've had trouble in groups because there was never an open forum in which everyone could discuss and present ideas. This changed somewhere in the class. I had to seek out group members because I didn't know anyone else in the class. I learned that everyone has something to contribute. A distinct example of this was my project about burp-back education. I realized that I am such a creative and idea person, but that execution is not my strong point. Once my group members and I discussed the many things we could do for our project, I presented an idea for our video. It was everyone else that made it happen.
about comments for kids: These assignments helped me the most because I really had to think about how what I said to those kids would engage them and expand their interest in learning.
about technology: This was the biggest lesson. Before this class, I was part of the anti-tech backlash, but this was really because I had no idea how to use the tools available. I was at dinner last night with some very influential people in the educational field, and someone told me about their four-year old grand-daughter, who could read and write poetry. She then said that the reason this little girl could do so much is because her mother did not keep technology from her...she'd learn to read, spell, and write by sending text messages to her grandmother and other family members. How cool is that?!?!?! For centuries, the world as we know it has been growing smaller. Globalization is a key term in today's economy. Shouldn't this world view be spread to education as well? Think about how many intellectual revolutions are/ will be happening because of our ability to communicate around the globe. Our future can only continue to be so exciting and inspiring if we embrace these changes and come together to make our impact global and lasting.
Classmates, Dr. Strange, and others: This is it, for now. But come find me in the future. I will be actively participating.
As a student of quotes, I leave you with this:
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn."
-- John Cotton Dana
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Final Project
Our group thought it would be best to implement the things we've learned by actually teaching someone. We showed Caleb how to set up his own email and blog, and discussed some of the things he could do now that he has a blog.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
My PLN
I chose to use Symbaloo for my PLN. I still have the links on my class blog, though. I really like the program for organization and having all of my resources in one easy-to-find location. It helps me keep up with new posts, too, because you can add an RSS feed to your tiles. It's still pretty basic, but I look forward to developing it more. I also added the EDM310 page and Anthony Capps' blog as resources.
Blog 12: On McLung's Lessons and FabLab 4 Teachers
Adapt: The bit about the difference between middle and Jr. High students expounds on the educational psychology of development. Both are sensitive development periods, but children in Jr. High do exhibit more independence, and a need for such. So, adaptive teaching is needed to balance the cognitive development of students in certain age groups. In middle school, children are still experiencing industry vs. inferiority, needing more encouragement and confidence in their skills. But in Jr. High, they are entering into identity vs. role confusion. They are exploring independence and developing a sense of self.
When Mr. McLung didn’t know how to teach history without becoming the “ghost of history teachers past”, he decided to do the research on classroom management, tactics, lessons, etc. Learning and discovery is a major part of adaptation.
The Path Less Traveled: AWESOME! Here, Mr. McLung explains how many educators present their own biased opinions in class discussions. Instead of fostering an environment in which students are free to discover their own opinions, teachers who stay hooked on their own biases are detrimentally affecting their students. As a teacher, you hold the “right” card. If you’re constantly expounding on your own views, students are likely to soak up the information as a lesson, automatically assuming the teacher is right. This does not give students an opportunity to think for themselves: a harder and harder task in today’s society. We need to realize that no matter how passionately we may believe some things, it is okay for people to hold opposing opinions, as long as those opinions are well-researched and defended. We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject. This plays into the “check your ego at the door” section, which we’ll get to in a moment.
Find Your School Mom: Not all schools provide mentors, and sometimes when they do, the mentors aren’t too good at mentoring. Finding an educator with experience, excellent classroom management, and who will coach, encourage, and “stick up” for you is so important for newer teachers. Not only do you have a friendly fish in the crazy sea of school, you have someone who can tell you about “sharks” they’ve encountered in their career.
Check Your Ego at the Door: salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
Don’t be a Control Freak: Flexibility is key. This is something mentioned in the first “What I’ve Learned This Year” reflection. I responded to that in a previous blog, saying: Perfection doesn't happen in a classroom, but the lessons are absorbed best when mistakes are made (by both the students and the teachers).
Scope and Sequence: The material that is to be presented must be presented in a logical order. While teachers do not need freak about time or script, they need to make sure that the order in which they’re presenting information is methodical and makes sense to the schemas of the students.
Don’t Lose Sight of What’s Important: Yes, evaluations, colleague relationships, administration, rules, laws, etc can all be pretty daunting, and we can lose a lot of our time and energy focusing on and dealing with these things. But at the end of the day, we’re in school for the students. It’s an ideology that dies too young, and we’d do well as educators not to forget it, at whatever level.
It’s the Things You Learn After You “Know it All” That are Important: The phrase “Don’t become a professional stagnant” pretty much sums it all up. We’re in education; therefore, we must continue to seek education, alongside humility.
Mr. McLung:
I've read "What I've Learned This Year" versions 1 & 2 as assignments for Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. Here is a link to my comments on version 1.
Your comment about the differences in independence in middle vs. Jr. High students is extremely perceptive, and is a well-needed point for teachers. In middle school, children are still experiencing industry vs. inferiority, needing more encouragement and confidence in their skills. But in Jr. High, they are entering into identity vs. role confusion. They are exploring independence and developing a sense of self. This is based on Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, and is basically a bunch of "flim-flammery" to say, awesome! I agree whole-heartedly.
We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject.
Salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. =) The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
I appreciate your posts, as they have been a great learning tool, and a reminder that we must all be reflective. I've added At the Teacher's Desk to my PLN, and I hope we can communicate more in the future.
video 1.
This looks like a really cool program to do projects. I like how it engaged the students and motivated their excitement when they were finished.
video 2.
I will certainly use this tool in my history class to help students learn about geography! Not only will it help them place situations in a global context, but it also shows topography, which is very important when considering state-building.
video 3.
This is a very relevant viewpoint when it comes to education nationally. Students need to be engaged in scientific and mathematic learning, and it needs to be through tools that do not frighten them.
video 4.
When Mr. McLung didn’t know how to teach history without becoming the “ghost of history teachers past”, he decided to do the research on classroom management, tactics, lessons, etc. Learning and discovery is a major part of adaptation.
The Path Less Traveled: AWESOME! Here, Mr. McLung explains how many educators present their own biased opinions in class discussions. Instead of fostering an environment in which students are free to discover their own opinions, teachers who stay hooked on their own biases are detrimentally affecting their students. As a teacher, you hold the “right” card. If you’re constantly expounding on your own views, students are likely to soak up the information as a lesson, automatically assuming the teacher is right. This does not give students an opportunity to think for themselves: a harder and harder task in today’s society. We need to realize that no matter how passionately we may believe some things, it is okay for people to hold opposing opinions, as long as those opinions are well-researched and defended. We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject. This plays into the “check your ego at the door” section, which we’ll get to in a moment.
Find Your School Mom: Not all schools provide mentors, and sometimes when they do, the mentors aren’t too good at mentoring. Finding an educator with experience, excellent classroom management, and who will coach, encourage, and “stick up” for you is so important for newer teachers. Not only do you have a friendly fish in the crazy sea of school, you have someone who can tell you about “sharks” they’ve encountered in their career.
Check Your Ego at the Door: salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
Don’t be a Control Freak: Flexibility is key. This is something mentioned in the first “What I’ve Learned This Year” reflection. I responded to that in a previous blog, saying: Perfection doesn't happen in a classroom, but the lessons are absorbed best when mistakes are made (by both the students and the teachers).
Scope and Sequence: The material that is to be presented must be presented in a logical order. While teachers do not need freak about time or script, they need to make sure that the order in which they’re presenting information is methodical and makes sense to the schemas of the students.
Don’t Lose Sight of What’s Important: Yes, evaluations, colleague relationships, administration, rules, laws, etc can all be pretty daunting, and we can lose a lot of our time and energy focusing on and dealing with these things. But at the end of the day, we’re in school for the students. It’s an ideology that dies too young, and we’d do well as educators not to forget it, at whatever level.
It’s the Things You Learn After You “Know it All” That are Important: The phrase “Don’t become a professional stagnant” pretty much sums it all up. We’re in education; therefore, we must continue to seek education, alongside humility.
Mr. McLung:
I've read "What I've Learned This Year" versions 1 & 2 as assignments for Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. Here is a link to my comments on version 1.
Your comment about the differences in independence in middle vs. Jr. High students is extremely perceptive, and is a well-needed point for teachers. In middle school, children are still experiencing industry vs. inferiority, needing more encouragement and confidence in their skills. But in Jr. High, they are entering into identity vs. role confusion. They are exploring independence and developing a sense of self. This is based on Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, and is basically a bunch of "flim-flammery" to say, awesome! I agree whole-heartedly.
We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject.
Salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. =) The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
I appreciate your posts, as they have been a great learning tool, and a reminder that we must all be reflective. I've added At the Teacher's Desk to my PLN, and I hope we can communicate more in the future.
video 1.
This looks like a really cool program to do projects. I like how it engaged the students and motivated their excitement when they were finished.
video 2.
I will certainly use this tool in my history class to help students learn about geography! Not only will it help them place situations in a global context, but it also shows topography, which is very important when considering state-building.
video 3.
This is a very relevant viewpoint when it comes to education nationally. Students need to be engaged in scientific and mathematic learning, and it needs to be through tools that do not frighten them.
video 4.
Monday, July 12, 2010
C4K # 4
2km blog: Clancy and Tom's "smories"
Dear Clancy and Tom:
Both of your stories are wonderfully entertaining! I liked hearing the story instead of reading it for a change. It gave my eyes a break.
Both of you had excellent progression in your stories! I like how both of you described the scene, set up a problem, and then solved it! That’s a great way to tell a story and to set up a plot, or story line.
Clancy: I was sorry to hear that the boy fell off the merry-go-round, but I bet the puppy was a great surprise. If that happened to you, what surprise would you like waiting for you? I would like ice cream!
Tom: I loved the idea of finding James on a merry-go-round! I guess he didn’t have motion sickness. Was Dylan relieved to find his father at the mansion?
![]()
Dear Clancy and Tom:
Both of your stories are wonderfully entertaining! I liked hearing the story instead of reading it for a change. It gave my eyes a break.
Both of you had excellent progression in your stories! I like how both of you described the scene, set up a problem, and then solved it! That’s a great way to tell a story and to set up a plot, or story line.
Clancy: I was sorry to hear that the boy fell off the merry-go-round, but I bet the puppy was a great surprise. If that happened to you, what surprise would you like waiting for you? I would like ice cream!
Tom: I loved the idea of finding James on a merry-go-round! I guess he didn’t have motion sickness. Was Dylan relieved to find his father at the mansion?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Blog 11: Twitter brings us conversation from Canada--
--and no, it's not on bacon, beer, or hockey.
I think that Mrs. Cassidy has a realistic approach when it comes to technology in the classroom. She is progressing, which is a lot more than many teachers. She’s experimented with different technological mediums, and how they can help her in her classroom. I liked when she was explaining how she got started: 10 years ago when 5 computers just showed up in her classroom, she wouldn’t let them go to waste! Then, she figured out how to build a webpage for her classroom, and it went on from there. Now, here first grade students are using blogs, videos, the class webpage, wiki, skype, and other materials in their education. I think this is great for the students because their interest and motivation doesn’t decrease when they arrive at school, it increases! Think about how great it must be for them to watch a video they’ve made or read a comment someone left on their blog. Blogging creates an audience other than the teacher (who gives the grade, but can’t share the ideas of everyone who has access to a blog)!
In the Skype conversation she had with Dr. Strange’s Spring 2010 EDM210 Class, she said that her administration neither encouraged nor discouraged her technological journey. While it is crucial that admin does not discourage anyone who is creating ways to implement technology and motivate students, I wish I’d heard that she got more support from them. She did, however, have a “tech guy” for her district who would help her when she got hung up. Even if there weren’t one, though, she could’ve asked anyone on her network! Oh collaboration, you’re cool!
I plan to implement a class webpage, blog, and videos in my classroom. I can use Skype to hold debates with other classes in different schools (wouldn’t that be fun!!!!?!?!?!) I really don’t know anything at all about wikis, but I’ll definitely find out (they’re all the rage: I think wikis are the new encyclopedia).
Oh the benefits….duh, just pay attention.
Blog 10: On PLEs, PLNs, and Questions That Will Change Your Life
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
A 7th Grader's Personal PLE
The 7th Grader’s PLE is a lot more interactive than my PLN, since I have yet only interacted with the professionals on my PLN through blogs and comments. I have not had the opportunity to Skype with anyone on my professional learning and development path, yet. Her PLE includes things from all of her classes, and mine is only for professional educational development.
I am using links on my EDM310 blog to share my PLN with others, and I am following all of their blogs through blogger. This way, when someone posts on their blog, I can see an RSS feed on my blogger dashboard. I saw on a classmate's blog that she was using a website called netvibes for her PLN. I plan to continue working on my PLN through my college and into my professional life, and I like the way netvibes is set up. It’s so awesome that in classes like these and with networks like this, we can share so much with each other. I have to give credit to my classmates Martha Yim and Alana Carpenter, through whom I learned about netvibes. If you’d like to check it out, click here.
TWO ?S THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE
WOW! As a student of quotes, I love this one by Claire Boothe Luce. Also, as someone interested in the history of women in literature, I love that it’s from the female Congresswomen, who was also a playwright, editor, journalist, and ambassador. I like the video footage of her asking JFK question # 1. I really just love the concept of the question, and its thought-provoking nature. I’m not entirely sure of my answer to the question, but I’m excited about the journey and the reflection.
I think everyone should watch this video. We are contracted to make the world a better place because we’re in it. This is the base of the second question.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Comments 4 Kids (C4K) # 3 on McLung's World
McLung's World, Discussion on Little Rock Central, 50 Years Later
Mr. McLung:
Although some of your students were a bit hard to hear, I enjoyed listening to their responses dealing with racism in the present-day. Many of them seemed to be paying attention to the details of the film, like people's names and the different arguments made by Caucasian and African-American students and faculty. They explained and expounded the black vs. white points-of-view about the school; and they seemed perceptive and responsive to the fact that although the school was technically integrated 50 years ago, segregation is still a big issue.
I believe that it was very beneficial to present the race vs. socioeconomic status. There were also some things I thought about concerning question number 3, about the quote that "MLK's dream is now a nightmare." I think he did achieve his first two goals of integration and voting rights. However, he was killed before he could achieve his third goal of battling poverty along racial lines.
Along with being a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 Class, I also work at the Museum of Mobile. We currently have an exhibit from The Field Museum, Chicago, on George Washington Carver. I found it very interesting that his technique on race relations was not to address the actual problem, but to talk about his scientific discoveries and how nature could unite all people. There are so many contributors like MLK who have accomplished evolution in the integration struggle. I appreciate the interest you and your students have shown in discovering the achievements and failures of that struggle.
If you're interested, here is my class blog. Thanks for sharing your discussion!
Onward,
Leah DiVincenzo
Blog 9: On Evolution of Education, ALEX, ACCESS, and how I like using pictures!
Just to clear up--> Today, we're not discussing this:
![]()
but this!!!
![]()
Morgan Bayda's response to An Open Letter to Educators, Dan Brown
I appreciate Brown’s simple breakdown of the evolution of education from kingdoms, to class societies, to present-day. It is true that institutionalized education was the center of knowledge in the time before “the clouds”, and that the internet provides free information. Schools and educational institutions [should] come in by coaching students to find legitimacy in the information they’re reading/listening/watching. I think that educators can “stoke creativity” by challenging them to find “facts” through their own processes. People absorb information better when they can understand why it’s relevant to them. Simulate a certain situation in any human rights’ struggle and have students create their own memoirs…then you could review a number of historical events: the Trail of Tears, Internment Camps, or the Civil Rights Struggle. By feeling about writing about these emotions themselves, students may be more motivated to promote change for a better world. It’s important to show them the shift between learning and doing. I just have to point out 3 of my favorite quotes from this video: a) “Providing students with facts does not prepare them for the real world” b) “[Education] is about stoking creativity and new ideas, not about teaching [students] to conform to the world as it is” c) “[Education] is about empowering them (students) to change the world for the better.”
Having said that, there are a few appraisals I have concerning Dan Brown’s video. Those who want to learn do well when surrounding themselves by people smarter than them. While this does not have to be in a traditional classroom building (it could be via Skype, or YouTube video), students still need someone to coach and foster different kinds of questions. It doesn’t take away from democratic education for it to be “institutionalized”. The democratic tendency is not in finding information, it’s in making it. Also, there is a huge difference between factual and relevant learning. My goal as an educator is to present facts in ways that are relevant.
![]()
ALEX (or the AL Learning Exchange) is a website designed to give Alabama educators, administrators, students, and parents free educational information and resources. These resources include lesson plans, web links, and activities. ALEX is funded through donations from various groups, and through the FedGov.
These resources foster the collaboration of all employees and recipients of Alabama Department of Education tools. In addition to the above-mentioned resources, there is also a “podcast treasury,” which hosts educational podcasts on topics from art to science! For a link and to join the ALEX group, check out ALEX's facebook page
ACCESS = Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, an initiative launched in 2004 to provide a “distance education initiative”. It is a technological initiative, with existing videoconferencing labs. Students can use Access to take classes not offered in their schools, or as a remediation program. It is part of an education goal to provide equal access (oh, I see) “to high quality instruction through distance learning”. It also probably trains students on how to collaborate via distance learning.
According to the ACCESS 2006-2010 Plan, by this year they were supposed to expand classroom technology. This includes:
• a tablet computer for every student
• wireless access
• videoconferencing equipment with capabilities to send courses to at least three additional sites
• interactive whiteboard
• digital projector
• and document camera to enable communication over distance
After reading this I think the thought on every Alabama educator’s mind is:
![]()
but this!!!
Morgan Bayda's response to An Open Letter to Educators, Dan Brown
I appreciate Brown’s simple breakdown of the evolution of education from kingdoms, to class societies, to present-day. It is true that institutionalized education was the center of knowledge in the time before “the clouds”, and that the internet provides free information. Schools and educational institutions [should] come in by coaching students to find legitimacy in the information they’re reading/listening/watching. I think that educators can “stoke creativity” by challenging them to find “facts” through their own processes. People absorb information better when they can understand why it’s relevant to them. Simulate a certain situation in any human rights’ struggle and have students create their own memoirs…then you could review a number of historical events: the Trail of Tears, Internment Camps, or the Civil Rights Struggle. By feeling about writing about these emotions themselves, students may be more motivated to promote change for a better world. It’s important to show them the shift between learning and doing. I just have to point out 3 of my favorite quotes from this video: a) “Providing students with facts does not prepare them for the real world” b) “[Education] is about stoking creativity and new ideas, not about teaching [students] to conform to the world as it is” c) “[Education] is about empowering them (students) to change the world for the better.”
Having said that, there are a few appraisals I have concerning Dan Brown’s video. Those who want to learn do well when surrounding themselves by people smarter than them. While this does not have to be in a traditional classroom building (it could be via Skype, or YouTube video), students still need someone to coach and foster different kinds of questions. It doesn’t take away from democratic education for it to be “institutionalized”. The democratic tendency is not in finding information, it’s in making it. Also, there is a huge difference between factual and relevant learning. My goal as an educator is to present facts in ways that are relevant.
ALEX (or the AL Learning Exchange) is a website designed to give Alabama educators, administrators, students, and parents free educational information and resources. These resources include lesson plans, web links, and activities. ALEX is funded through donations from various groups, and through the FedGov.
These resources foster the collaboration of all employees and recipients of Alabama Department of Education tools. In addition to the above-mentioned resources, there is also a “podcast treasury,” which hosts educational podcasts on topics from art to science! For a link and to join the ALEX group, check out ALEX's facebook page
ACCESS = Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, an initiative launched in 2004 to provide a “distance education initiative”. It is a technological initiative, with existing videoconferencing labs. Students can use Access to take classes not offered in their schools, or as a remediation program. It is part of an education goal to provide equal access (oh, I see) “to high quality instruction through distance learning”. It also probably trains students on how to collaborate via distance learning.
According to the ACCESS 2006-2010 Plan, by this year they were supposed to expand classroom technology. This includes:
• a tablet computer for every student
• wireless access
• videoconferencing equipment with capabilities to send courses to at least three additional sites
• interactive whiteboard
• digital projector
• and document camera to enable communication over distance
After reading this I think the thought on every Alabama educator’s mind is:
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Blog 8: On Learning Lessons
Mr. McLung's "What I Learned This Year", from At the Teacher's Desk
This is a very informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring post by Mr. McLung. Optimism is certainly the best outlook. Perfection doesn't happen in a classroom, but the lessons are absorbed best when mistakes are made (by both the students and the teachers). Selflessness is also key. McLung mentions this in his "How to Read the Crowd" section. Being a teacher does not mean that school is all about you: how you perform is not the question; it's how your projections inspire students to perform. I concur with McLung's statement about "[letting] the audience drive your instruction". It's okay to succumb to tangents in your lessons if it's something students are interested in. Just make sure the tangents are relevant to them and what they want to learn. Teachers should not be speech-makers, they should simply guide students into an area of study, and then let the students immerse themselves.
Muck-ups happen. You have to learn to work "on the fly", because nothing ever folds out perfectly, especially lesson plans. There are constant interruptions. Students will not be able to absorb anything if educators are constantly frustrated about being interrupted. I really like the section about expectations. While we all want our students to achieve certain things, I think the most dangerous thing would be to set their expectations. If they don't make it, they're down on themselves. If they jump over it, they may become bored. I think the best option is to let the students make their own expectations....a stairway of goals intended to inspire children to believe in themselves. Whether group or individual goals, students should be able to apply their own skills and knowledge to analyze what they want to do better. Educators are there to coach them to the next level...not to tell students what the next level is.
"Never stop learning" and "don't be afraid of technology" go hand in hand. If there is any profession in which students should continue their education after their undergrad, it's education. And this doesn't mean do your few professional development classes, go to school, and go home. It is my opinion that educators should constantly search for resources to engage their students. The more we're excited about learning, the more that excitement will project into our classrooms.
Listening: This was the part that stood out to me the most. Respect is a two-way street. Don't just hear...listen.
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