The most profound need for the "modern" classroom would involve an understanding that students approach the classroom from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. No assumptions can be made about previous learning and thus, educators must be focused on providing the support necessary for students to navigate a rapidly changing world.
For example, students in my classroom walk in the door with cell phones in their backpacks. One could easily assume that therefore, they have access to technology and those phones are connected and have data plans. However, in most cases this in NOT accurate. My students may have a phone, but that does not mean they have access to technology. I cannot, therefore, assume that they will have any access to technology outside our campus. This has two major impacts: 1. It forces me to be thoughtful about planning and building tech lessons. I must set aside time for instruction on HOW to use the technology as well as what to use it for. 2. It limits what I can plan for outside of the classroom. I cannot "flip" my classroom and expect them to complete videos or explore websites at home because not only of my students can accomplish this task. It is essential to keep this in mind when teaching students; not all of them have access to technology. Another key element it the idea that the classroom should always be evolving and changing. I have an obligation as a teacher to be in a continual cycle of learning myself. As the world around my students change, I must change with it. Education is not a static profession. It is one that changes exponentially as the years go by, and teachers must continually be in a position to explore, discover and learn new things. What technology is available today? What technology will be available tomorrow? EQUALITY is the most essential element of any classroom. All students must have access to education. All. Students come to the classroom with a variety of background experiences. This also means that we must strive to provide students with all the supplies they need. Not every family can afford to provide a device for their child, and schools must find a way to make sure that their school is truly one-to-one if they are to present themselves as a one-to-one device school. Whatever innovations or whatever type of technology is added to the classroom to transform learning, it is useless if it is not available to ALL students. Equality, therefore, is the most crucial element in any and every classroom.
5 Comments
Nancy Jaminet
2/21/2017 07:03:29 pm
I really connect to what you've said about appreciating that kids come into the classroom with a variety of backgrounds and experiences- never make assumptions about their knowledge base. I know I've done this as a teacher plenty of times! You start off on teaching a concept or skill and halfway through you realize the kids have no anchor for the newness. That ole KWL chart is a pretty nifty trick - even if it doesn't take the chart form. Find out where to start. Perhaps we spend too much time as teachers thinking about where we want the lesson to go and not enough time thinking about where to start from. Where learning will go is largely determined by the discoveries of the child.
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Nai Saelee
2/22/2017 07:44:43 pm
Jen,
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Dan
2/22/2017 08:58:14 pm
On the field students come from different backgrounds racially, economically, socially, etc. just as they do entering the classroom. As coaches we are teaching athletes that have been taught prior to coming to the college and while some come prepared, others we have to work to break bad habits and build back up. Making no assumptions is really important as you stated. Its important in baseball because every aspect of the game needs to be executed in a certain way to succeed and by not making assumptions we are able to learn the core needs and wants of our players. Thus working with players to improve is more likely.
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2/22/2017 10:20:07 pm
School in the clouds case study was a wonderful idea of having students apply technology and questions together. I've found similar issues of time limits and students that want to go off track for personal use. The studies I found were good for small groups but my classes are large with many challenges.
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Patrick
2/23/2017 06:51:38 pm
What you said about teaching being an exponentially changing profession really resonated with me. I remember growing up as a child when floppy disks and VHS tapes were dominant and people were saying that DVDs would not catch on. Now, I teach students who have no concept of a floppy disk and are confused about the visual design of a save button! Teaching has always been a profession with a moving target but when you add in the exponential explosion of technology over the last several decades, it is easy to see just how quickly education needs to move to keep up. As a math student, I was told I would not always have a calculator so I better be able to long divide. Then, it was a true enough statement. Now, it is not relevant. I feel like the focus is moving away from "be able to stand independent of technology" to "be able to understand and use technology tools well." My students may not have technology at home, so I need to plan carefully to not put any student at a disadvantage. At the same time, I also feel like equality means that I prepare my students to use technology in the future, even if they don't have access at the present moment. Of course, I also have to keep up in content and depth and rigor while doing that. There is definitely a delicate balance there but I agree it is a crucial one to be explored.
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AuthorJen has been teaching school for awhile now. She's learned some stuff, but she's got tons more to learn. Archives
October 2017
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