As I read chapter 4 about Social Innovators, I realize how lucky I am to be at a school that offers so many opportunities for our students to see how they can have an affect on the world around them. We do many community service projects and it amazes me how engaged the students are in these and are willing to learn about the problems around us and how they can help. I think that by exposing them early to see that they can make a change is how to get them to want to make changes in the world around them in their future. I know that my daughter is much more cognizant of how she can impact society than my son is. I truly believe this is because of the differences in their high school education. My son went to a typical high school where they did Sprit Week. My daughter went to a Catholic high school where they focus on the community. She was always doing community service above and beyond what was required of her. As an adult, she still sees ways to volunteer in her community to help others.
I agree with Erica Ford, Syreeta Gates’ mentor when she says that students have been “trained not to think, not to go past their breaking point, to settle for mediocrity”. This is a difficult mindset to change in our youth but change it we must. By constantly challenging our students we can certainly try to get them to reach their full potential. We need to make sure that they have opportunities to realize what they are capable of. I also agree with what Syreeta Gates said about discovering what she was good at so she could find her passion. Students need to be exposed to many different experiences so they can discover, for themselves, what they are passionate about.
I am so happy when I see commercials like the one that Kiki Sukezane for Shell (makethefuture), this shows students that anyone with an idea can make a change, they can be the future. She is a person that students might know and relate to; this would give them an opportunity to hopefully realize what they are capable of.
When I read about Zander Srodes I was amazed at not only what he did but the excitement he had for it. So many students don’t get that opportunity to go and explore their excitement. I also agree that many times we need to rethink how students get to learn in our room. I have long been a believer that students need someplace other than their desks to learn, many cannot sit still, need to stand or just need to move. As long as their movement isn’t a distraction, movement can be a good thing. Being in a school with very movable furniture (everything has wheels), it's been interesting learning to be okay with students moving their desks in a circle at random times during the class. Sometimes I just have to smile at how they cope with their need for movement.
I can appreciate your "coping" with the student's need for movement! When I first starting teaching a learning classroom was one that was "quiet" and all the students were doing something quietly! Where was PBL then! Why didn't I break out of that form then! I would have been a much happier teacher and I would have had much happier students! Each student learns differently and no one can sit still for 90 minutes, not even me! I never had a voice in what I learned and I am not sure that I have actually done anything in school that I was completely passionate about! We need to encourage our students to be active learners but that does not always fit the mold of test scores and doesn't always show student achievement. These examples don't necessarily fit the mold of our best students but sometimes our best students are good at studying and turning in assignments on time and may not be the smartest or the most innovative! If we can find that way to help them and PBL is a great tool for that we may be changing someone's future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that so many are okay with mediocrity. I see this all the time with my seniors. I put so much work into making Physics Fun and they just want to get through it to get a grade. They are so trained to do worksheets and take notes that it is hard to get them to think outside of this. They all want it laid out step by step. I too know that there are students who thrive in this environment and it is hard for them to step outside of what they have done for the last 12 years. I think you are doing a great job getting your students the opportunity to move to ideas that they are interested in. They are lucky to have you as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteSara Beth -
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response. I agree with what you have said. Exposure increases our students' awareness and helps them to develop greater empathy for others. This develops greater interest and a willingness to take action. If purpose is not established, our students do not develop agency and do not become empowered. Some standards, content, and concepts lend themselves more naturally to this... Again, do not attempt to force passion; it must grow naturally for students to become truly engaged.
You have also spoken about the necessary soft skills for our students to be successful in tomorrow's world. While I believe this is true, I have been challenged to consider how these soft skills are assessed. Any thoughts on this? How do we, as educators, assess the soft skills we deem important? Some soft skills are easier to assess than others...time management, collaboration, and communication are probably easier to "grade" than creativity, critical thinking, and integrity. What do you think?
Thank you for your reflection and response.