After two and half months of teaching science to children in a wide variety of settings, this article just spoke to me. While I’m sure there are some places where a traditional classroom setting might be best, it’s just not for everybody.
Me personally, I enjoyed those sites this summer where we were outside in a pavillion, fresh air and sunshine pouring in while the students’ projects lined the open spaces. It felt so freeing, and the children loved it. We could walk out into the grass at any moment to experiment with projects or play a game or something.
Posted by Rebecca as Learning methods at 7:52 AM EDT
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I’ve spent the past twelve years of my life involved in some form of hands-on education. I learned from experience long before encountering in museum education class that a truly interactive learning program is 80% doing something and 20% lecture.
This was all fine by me. I’m not necessarily comfortable talking in front of a group of people. I’m a long time closet sufferer of stage fright. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I could just as easily talk while people were working on the interactive side of any lesson, and that helped alleviate a lot of my nervousness.
Of course, the problem then becomes that people don’t necessarily listen well while they are working. I try to ask review questions as we’re working to help combat that, and it helps quite a bit. During camp, I tried to have a review session every morning to review what the children did.
As non-human-led forms of informal education are explored, one of the big questions has become "What are learners taking away?", especially when the training method is a video or computer game.
I see this in my tutoring work a lot. We have a tool to help children review their math facts while we work with other students. They worry about doing it quickly, often getting all of the problems correct. When we ask them to recall a fact they just studied, they can’t do it.
Teaching through engaging interfaces is fine, but it’s important to make sure the learner is taking away what they are supposed to rather than mindlessly engaging in the entertainment.
Posted by Rebecca as Teaching methods at 8:41 AM EDT
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I admit it: I am completely amazed by the ways teachers are incorporating technologies into their classroom. I think it’s great.
I’m looking at this particular teacher’s method of integrating tools into his class and trying to decide if I could do something similar for my web site when it’s completely up and running. (I want to be able to offer courses in various areas of the site.)
But it looks like I could probably use some training or brushing up on some skills if I want to be able to play on this same field. Luckily for me, someone has compiled this useful PDF to help me focus on what I need.
Found via elearnspace
Posted by Rebecca as e-learning at 7:55 AM EDT
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In May, I decided I really want to go back to graduate school. Maybe actually finish out the degree this time instead of falling one culminating project short. I originally planned to go in June to talk to a couple of departments I’m interested in at UW, but ultimately decided not to because I knew I didn’t know what I wanted out of graduate school outside of the degrees.
Not the best reason for attending graduate school.
I’ve spent the summer trying to nail down what it is I want, why I want to go back. Yes, having the advanced degrees is nice, but they should help me get where I want to be. The problem is, I really don’t know where I want to be. My first career choice is all but shut off to me now. I never really considered a serious back-up plan becasue i never thought I would need one.
Lately, all of my activity has been tied up in weaving together multiple part-time jobs, mostly of a teaching nature; and something occurred to me the other day that I’ve known about myself for quite some time. I like teaching, but I prefer teaching one-shots to teaching serial classes. When it comes to education, I much prefer the research and development of curriculum design. It’s what I’m good at, and what I enjoy.
I wrote myself a sticky note and placed it on one of my bulletin boards to remind me of this. I figure it can’t hurt to have a constant reminder.
I’m debating now between online learning and becoming a children’s librarian, both of which would be terrific uses of my talents and interests. I have some more fleshing out to do in my thinking and planning, but at least I now have some idea where I want to be headed.
Posted by Rebecca as Reflective teaching at 7:48 AM EDT
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Last week, I read some interesting posts on the idea that curriculum should be free-source. The idea that knowledge is open-source makes sense to me. The practice of oral tradition strongly agrees with this. I think that the idea that curriculum should also be open-source also appeals to me. I think that is also in keeping with the practice of oral traditions.
To withhold knowledge is to potentially stop progress and possibly incite a regression in the total sum of what we know. It’s an interesting way to look at things.
Relevant readings:
Manifesto for a free curriculum
Concrete steps for a free curriculum
Posted by Rebecca as Information Architecture at 9:32 AM EDT
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Camp is nearly over, and then it’s on to figure out what the next great adventure will be. I’m kind of looking forward to it. As much as I don’t care for an "unstable" lifestyle, at the same time it’s really kind of freeing. I don’t feel locked down, and I feel like I’m more open to considering other possibilites for professional and personal development. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once!
The link dump this week looks at a number of different topics that can be grouped under very few labels (and hopes to be meatier once camp is over!)
Posted by Rebecca as Link Dump at 9:44 PM EDT
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Here’s a timely and relevant article on teaching preschoolers about responsibility.
I was raised with daily decision-making tasks as a very young age. My mother said it was the easy way to keep me out of trouble and to minimize fights. (I was a very stubborn toddler…not terribly different from the stubborn woman I’ve grown into.) Simple things like choosing between two dresses to wear or books to read. They were simple deicsions, but they taught me to start thinking for myself, to form opinions. When I did something wrong, I was expected to take responsibility for that as well.
I often wish today’s children were expected to take on responsibility for their decisions. It amazes me every time I tell a child their decisions have consequences and that they can control how a day at camp goes by making good decisions. They’re just baffled. They can’t imagine having choices because they really aren’t offered them.
They also have been taught somewhere along the line that anything bad they do will never, ever be their fault. Something will happen, and I’ll sit the child down to ask them what happened and what their thinking was before the problem happened. More often than not, the child responds, “I don’t know,” and a little probing reveals that they honestly weren’t thinking about their actions. What’s even more frightening is when the child in question is a fourth grader instead of a kindergartener.
Teaching a child about decision-making and taking responsibility for their own actions doesn’t rob a child of their childhood. It’s the first step to help them become successful children who will grow into successful adults. The goal of anyone near a child should be to help equip them to become the best adult they can be.
Or maybe I’m just crazy….
Posted by Rebecca as Responsibility at 9:05 PM EDT
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I’m considered to be at the upper limit of the “digital native” population. I don’t know that I agree with that as I typically will tell people I’m a baby geek or a wannabe geek.
My parents would disagree since I’m the one who more often than not solves their tech problems or teaches them how to use certain technological advances. This would make them “digital immigrants”, although I suspect they’re about as close to that term as I am to the digital native one. (Love you, Mom!)
We’ve been at odds for some time over the role technology should play in our lives. I practically live on my computer if I’m near it. I have a laptop so I can just pack it up and take it with me. I want a PDA so I can be mobile without the cumbersome nature of the laptop (and so I can write rather than type all the time. The tablet PC just doesn’t appeal to me…) My parents turn on this computer once or twice a day, use it for a specific task for a short period of time, and then turn it back off.
Now, why have I painted this picture of the generation gap between me and my parents? Because I think this article on digital pioneers is an interesting one.
Part of what it describes is mis-generalization of the terms “digital native” and “digital immigrant”. It also talks about the “digital native’s” reliance on oral listening for their learning needs. I find that generalization really interesting. While we are completely bombarded by sound in our culture, we are also bombarded by images and print. I think the learning modalities are still valid.
So, rip, remix, burn…but do it with all learning modalities in mind.
Posted by Rebecca as Learning methods at 5:50 PM EDT
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