A lot of the information in The Flat World was very interesting to me especially in Chapter 5 where it talked about New Jersey and Connecticut on how they evolved their educational system for the better. What was disappointing was my own home state of California. I remember growing up while our governator was in charge and how bad our education system went. But how can all of this change. One of the biggest messages I got was to listen. Listen to the students on what they want and what they need in terms of what they want for their futures. Adora Svitak said it perfectly, it should be a reciprocal learning among teachers and students. I should include this in my teaching practice as I work with my students. I should listen to them more or get to know them a little bit better to know what they want to learn and get out of my Math 1 class.
A lot of students in my class are motivated to pursue higher education after they graduate therefore I want to make sure that my class, even though it’s math 1, is preparing them for the future. But there’s obstacles. Not every student has access to a laptop while we are in class or when they are in their homes. Do they all have access to Wi-Fi? I don’t know. I wish I had more projects (big or small) that directly relate to my students where they can analyze data taken from our own community so they can apply Math 1 concepts to this data. That way they can see exactly what’s going on in our community and maybe even think on how they can better the community. To do this though what I need is more time with colleagues to discuss and plan projects that will help our student learning. I am sure that if we are all on the same page we can create amazing projects, homework/classwork assignments or assessments that can get our students ready for the future. Another thing that I can think of that I might need is not just technological devices but new and current software that students can use in the classroom. I mean, we live just a drive away from Silicon Valley and my students can’t even have a class set of devices that will allow them to explore the world of crunching live-time stats of Steph Curry’s three point shots during a game? How cool would that be if high school students can dive in to that world of sports data or any kind of "data analyzation" with technology?
4 Comments
James Macariola
2/17/2018 01:30:50 pm
I agree with your comments of that we, as a society, needs to listen more to our students and their needs. Just like in that video, with Adorable Sitka the child prodigy, she states that kids have a very unique and clean view of the world compared to adults. If a child exhibits higher intelligence for their age, why would their age matter? As Aliyah once said in her song, "Age is nothing but a number." Our students can teach us teachers and administration so much because they are the ones experiencing it everyday and know what they need.
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Matt
2/18/2018 11:34:35 am
Your point about California lagging behind other states is a good one. In one of the readings, it mentioned the difference between input and output in our education system here in California. How is is that we know the right way to approach education (skilled teachers, more resources directed toward struggling schools, investment in PD, etc...) and still focus on the output rather than investing on the input?
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Sarah Tinloy
2/18/2018 04:08:49 pm
I agree that California is neglecting our education system and our students, or future of our country, is suffering for it. The Sillcon Valley is right next door yet majority of kids only have access to a cell phone. Probably without wifi. Or even the ability to charge their devices. BUT as Dalton Sherman said believe in your colleges and believe in your students. There is enough experience and knowledge in our community to come up with some killer projects.
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Kendra Parsons
2/19/2018 01:07:02 pm
I love your focus on listening. I think all teachers intentionally taking the time to listen to our students would be so powerful. Not only does it help the teachers to design personalized experiences, I think it also gives students a voice and makes them feel that they are a part of the experience, not that things are just happening to them.
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Samuel UreñaWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
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