http://morgbayda.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/an-open-letter-to-educators/ by
Morgan Bayda.
I like the fact that she added other opinions into her blog post so that you can compare and contrast more than what one person believes. Like I said to Morgan, I can't agree with something without knowing in detail what it actually looks like. Its like with President Obama. When he is making a huge, sweeping statement, it is easy to agree. But beneath the surface, what does that statement actually mean? What does this "change" actually entail? I want to know what these people (including you Dr. Strange) want to happen. I don't want to know the goals, I've read and heard plenty about that. I want to know what you are actually going to do everyday that is different. What does this new school look like? What is an example of a normal day of work from start to finish? What are the assignments? What is the structure? What is the teacher's role? These are questions that need to be answered before I can hop on the train. I want to make an INFORMED decision based on what is actually going to be DONE, not just sweeping statements about the outcome of the change.
Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take the Pencil Home
We must be able to consider other viewpoints. Like in this post, learning should be about our students. We should see what works for them. How? find their strengths and weaknesses and tailoring the curriculum to their needs. For example, if a student's strength is visual learning, find an educational clip or video and watch it in class. Then let students discuss that viewpoint in class and make their own opnions about the material. They can then blog about it as a way of further incorporating technology.
Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
Very, very much liked this video. I loved inspirational ANYTHING! It speaks to me in a way that nothing else can. It penetrates deep inside me and touches my soul in some way, and I love how it feels. This video is about how we need to focus on one thing and be good at it. If we try to do it all, we end up not doing any of it at all. We end up with what looks like a bunch of half-hearted attempts or just one big mess. Developing your own sentence helps you to focus one thing and do it perfectly. This way we are improving others lives as well as ourself. I decided I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted to change peoples lives. My sentence will be a reflection of that.
My sentence:
She effectively educated ALL of her students and they went on to be the most successful, contributing members of our society.
Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.
Hi Jenny
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post and I agree with you when you said that we must consider the viewpoints of others. We have to listen to our students and pay attention to their strengths and weakness, so we can help them grow through those strengths and help them with their weakness. I also feel that students pay attention to what their teachers say and do. I feel that since they are with us for the most part of the day that we should really focus on our students and show them that we care about not only their education, but also their feelings. Students should never be afraid to share their feeling with their teacher and should feel safe and comfortable in the classroom.
Jenny,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should focus on the students and get to know them. We need to be able to relate and teach all students depending on their style of learning. While I do not feel like I can truly answer your questions, I do know how you feel. I think about the same things. Dr. Strange made a post about what he thinks the future will look like. If you haven't already, you should read it. I also love your sentence. I think it is great that you will believe in all your students and help them achieve in life!