jatscreations. " Teaching approaches to the 21st Century - YouTube ." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . N.p., 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgRZK6mSVW0&playnext=1&list
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Thursday, August 25, 2011
21st Century Approach to Teaching
Related Source to my previous blog post: This is a video made by an aspiring teacher and I think they are right on track. I especially agree with how learning should be student centered and students should be given a choice in how they learn. Great video!
Term Papers: Good Writers Gone Bad
Quote: "Teachers and professors regularly ask students to write papers. Semester after semester, year after year, “papers” are styled as the highest form of writing. And semester after semester, teachers and professors are freshly appalled when they turn up terrible. . .Ms. Davidson questioned the whole form of the research paper. “What if bad writing is a product of the form of writing required in school — the term paper — and not necessarily intrinsic to a student’s natural writing style or thought process? (Heffernan 2011)."
Response: Writing is a very eclectic talent. Authors who may be terrible with science fiction, may be phenomenal at romance. And some who prefer to write academically may be terrible with communicative writing. That is why this quote doesn't really surprise me, however I am very glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks along these lines. Just because a student has poor writing academically, doesn't mean they suffer in other forms of writing. They may surprise you by being the next great song writer or poet! Teachers need to understand that talent and intelligence isn't just about what a student can do in a classical classroom. This is why teachers need to give students the opportunity to explore their creativity and find what they are proficient at. Once a talent is found, it is the teacher's responsibility to foster that creativity and help the student use their talent to explore other avenues of instruction.
Students dread term papers for a reason, they are boring. No kid loves writing them and if you find one I would count yourself lucky. Students typically like to write about what they like or know. When a student is forced to write using a specific style which is not their own, it's no wonder the papers turn out horribly. Instead, I think a much better approach would be to let students express their thoughts, opinions, and what they have learned about a subject through non-traditional outlets. Just because Johnny decides he would rather blog about his subject than write a paper doesn't mean he didn't learn anything from the lesson. A good teacher should be able to asses their students using a variety of means, digital included.
Reference:
Response: Writing is a very eclectic talent. Authors who may be terrible with science fiction, may be phenomenal at romance. And some who prefer to write academically may be terrible with communicative writing. That is why this quote doesn't really surprise me, however I am very glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks along these lines. Just because a student has poor writing academically, doesn't mean they suffer in other forms of writing. They may surprise you by being the next great song writer or poet! Teachers need to understand that talent and intelligence isn't just about what a student can do in a classical classroom. This is why teachers need to give students the opportunity to explore their creativity and find what they are proficient at. Once a talent is found, it is the teacher's responsibility to foster that creativity and help the student use their talent to explore other avenues of instruction.
Students dread term papers for a reason, they are boring. No kid loves writing them and if you find one I would count yourself lucky. Students typically like to write about what they like or know. When a student is forced to write using a specific style which is not their own, it's no wonder the papers turn out horribly. Instead, I think a much better approach would be to let students express their thoughts, opinions, and what they have learned about a subject through non-traditional outlets. Just because Johnny decides he would rather blog about his subject than write a paper doesn't mean he didn't learn anything from the lesson. A good teacher should be able to asses their students using a variety of means, digital included.
Reference:
Heffernan, V. (2011, August 7). Education Needs a Digital-Age Upgrade - NYTimes.com. Opinion - Opinionator - NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011, from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/education-needs-a-digital-age-upgrade/?hp
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Introductions
Hi! My name is Rebecca Nutt. Soon to be Rebecca McDonald. I will be getting married in a few weeks and I have one beautiful 2 year old daughter and another baby on the way! I live in Bridgeport West Virginia, but I am from all over Maryland and West Virginia. I am in the Secondary Education program at Fairmont State and plan to teach middle school Social Studies.
The teachers that I always learn the most from are the ones who allow the students to figure things out for themselves. I believe there is a link between discovery and learning. This is why I am a big advocate of hands on learning. When a child reads something from a text book they are being told the information. They aren't discovering it. When a child is given a hands on project or activity that fosters them to think about the subject they begin to discover and when a child learns something on their own, they tend to be more interested in continuing to learn. For example, a student who is learning anatomy who is asked to participate in virtual surgery rather than read about body parts in a book will be more interested in what they are leaning! They will ask questions because they want to learn more and I believe this is the absolute best way children can learn anything. By doing.
As a teacher I hope to foster that natural curiosity and wonder children have and give them valuable and permanent knowledge. When a child is interested in what they are learning, they will always retain greater knowledge.
The teachers that I always learn the most from are the ones who allow the students to figure things out for themselves. I believe there is a link between discovery and learning. This is why I am a big advocate of hands on learning. When a child reads something from a text book they are being told the information. They aren't discovering it. When a child is given a hands on project or activity that fosters them to think about the subject they begin to discover and when a child learns something on their own, they tend to be more interested in continuing to learn. For example, a student who is learning anatomy who is asked to participate in virtual surgery rather than read about body parts in a book will be more interested in what they are leaning! They will ask questions because they want to learn more and I believe this is the absolute best way children can learn anything. By doing.
As a teacher I hope to foster that natural curiosity and wonder children have and give them valuable and permanent knowledge. When a child is interested in what they are learning, they will always retain greater knowledge.
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