Friday, June 6, 2008
Ways to Change Education
The articles for day five had a common theme of, "How to improve education." The Edutopia article, "Big Ideas" discussed various innovations the George Lucas Educational Foundation has found during their research. Some of the ideas for teaching students include project-based learning, integrated studies, cooperative learning, and comprehensive assessment. While none of these ideas are new they are a good reminder to keep in mind as we reflect on schooling. The article on the arrangement of the room was great. As I think of how my staff sets up their rooms, many of the more effective teachers have a couple things in common with the article. They have various setups within their rooms that have a purpose. They also vary the way the desks are arranged in their room based upon their needs. The Counting on computers article discussed some early attempts of the Chicago school system on integrating technology. Boy have we come a long way!
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4 comments:
These articles were quite interesting and the way we discussed them in class was amasing. I find that I get stuck in one arrangement for my room. After taking this SEI class, I realized that I definately need to rethink my arrangement so my computers are easier to access for a group lesson since I don't have a projector.
It is more effective to set up your classroom based on need of the instruction or lesson given. It was common for me to change seating arrangement and desk arrangement often.
As you take this class, what if anything would you push or implement at your school regarding project-based learning and the integration of technology. I ask only because my last principal provided all the technology we asked for, but her initiative ended there. It was up to us to collaborate and educate ourselves on how to use it and implement it. I am greatful I worked with a group of people that had the drive to collaborate and exchange ideas for projects that would be meaningful to our students.
Even though you mention that these ideas are not new, which I agree with, I am concerned about the lack of actually seeing these type of meaningful learning experiences at the high school level. Implementing project-based learning in high school science, social studies, math, English, etc. classrooms could transform the way students perceive learning and could revitalize the teachers. I believe strategies such as these could perhaps motivate students to want to stay in school because they may be more interested in learning and motivated to stay.
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