Anyway I was thinking about what it means to be a life long learner and I stumbled upon this video. In this video the guy shows us how he had been tying a shoelace the wrong way his whole life. He goes on to show the right way and ends with the point that simple changes can yield great results. So I got to thinking how that could be used in teaching. It seemed to me that there are definitely many more opportunities to learn in life other than just how to tie your shoes. School seems like a lot but often times it really only scratches the surface of the knowledge that is out there in that given subject. I think as a teacher by tweaking how I present information it might yield me better results. Students often look at school as something to get through. They learn math, or english, or history, and they're done. They'll "never have to need it" in the real world. I don't know exactly how yet but i feel like there needs to be a change in how society views education. As a teacher I feel like that falls to me in some ways to make that change. I want to be able to show my students that learning doesn't end when we're out of school. I want them to know that learning is a tool that can make your life more interesting and more fulfilling. I'm not sure how to do that yet but I feel like it's not enough for students to learn, they also need to know how to learn, and why to learn.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Life long learners.
Anyway I was thinking about what it means to be a life long learner and I stumbled upon this video. In this video the guy shows us how he had been tying a shoelace the wrong way his whole life. He goes on to show the right way and ends with the point that simple changes can yield great results. So I got to thinking how that could be used in teaching. It seemed to me that there are definitely many more opportunities to learn in life other than just how to tie your shoes. School seems like a lot but often times it really only scratches the surface of the knowledge that is out there in that given subject. I think as a teacher by tweaking how I present information it might yield me better results. Students often look at school as something to get through. They learn math, or english, or history, and they're done. They'll "never have to need it" in the real world. I don't know exactly how yet but i feel like there needs to be a change in how society views education. As a teacher I feel like that falls to me in some ways to make that change. I want to be able to show my students that learning doesn't end when we're out of school. I want them to know that learning is a tool that can make your life more interesting and more fulfilling. I'm not sure how to do that yet but I feel like it's not enough for students to learn, they also need to know how to learn, and why to learn.
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How do we connect the content to the students' lives in a way that "sticks"? That's the big question.Because let's be honest, how often have we taken a class, retained the information just long enough to pass the exams and then completely forgot about it. Any why does this happen? Because the material, the way its taught, or anything about the class doesn't leave a lasting impression on us. It's not an easy question to answer, but at least we know what we need to do: make the content matter. And like you said, there will be a constant need to "tweak" how you teach, but that's just the mark of a good teacher.
ReplyDeleteThe real challenge, to me, is making your classroom not seem like school in the traditional sense. Perhaps it is the mark of an ambitious and idealistic teacher candidate, but I'd like to think that through problem-based learning, cohesive use of technology, and group work, I can make my classroom a place where students don't perceive the curriculum as drudgery; more tests/memorization/standard strict schooling. While I can acknowledge that doing so might takes years of experience-I certainly don't expect that everything will work like that the first, second, even third years, I can hope to build to a point where my class connects students to what life will be like post-graduation and create a vibrant learning environment.
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