I enjoyed the video about the science leadership academy and inquiry learning, I am slightly biased as a science teacher. Science is a subject that lends itself to inquiry based teaching and project based learning. I have incorporated some inquiry lessons in my science class and can say that students had a better understanding of the content upon the completion of the lesson. I think inquiry learning is also empowering for the students since they are questioning and exploring the content on their own. In this model of teaching the teacher is still guiding students and sometimes prompting students when needed. One point that was made in the video was that we need to teach our students about metacognition, I could not agree with this more. Students need to know how they learn and process information so they can take ownership in their learning. As I watched the video I caught myself nodding in agreement with the points made, and yet I am still hesitant to let go in my own classroom. I think a great deal of this hesitation comes from the pressure of standardized test and state curriculum. I find myself skipping some of my best projects because I am so afraid that I will not get through my curriculum. This takes me back to the first point Chris made in the video, as a parent I want my kids to be able to think critically and not memorize information for a test.
The article/blog written by Grant Wiggins was very interesting to read and very thought and reflection provoking. Today education is so result driven for students and for teachers. Standardized tests, that have been instituted through legislation like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, have created an intensified element of pressure and added accountability. It is only natural that teachers want to have their fingerprints all over the classroom instruction and to almost instantaneously correct students who are not grasping a concept of have it misunderstood. The problem of this inadvertently overbearing technique is two fold. The first issue is that students become accustomed to being spoon fed information and not having to think critically. The second problem is when the standardized tests actually arrive, the teacher cannot be right there over the students’ shoulders to redirect them and remind them of critical pieces of information that have eluded their adolescent minds.
The article “Letting Go” was inspiring and a great read that really opened my eyes to how much I over help my students. I thought that I was preparing my students to take on the world by acing the EOG, but sadly I was just trying to cram them with drills that fell flat when the pressure was on. I feel that my students know that I am trying to prepare them for the end of the grade test, but I break everything up and feed them little pieces at a time. I try and build on what is being taught and then give clues so they can remember. I really am only hurting them and should teach and then have them perform and then cover what strategies worked and which need to be changed. I plan on using more activities that challenge my students to think fast on their feet and give them the opportunity to fail and be able to learn from their mistakes. I want my directions to be minimal and students to have to think on their own to complete the assignments. I worry that if I do not help them I am not really teaching my students anything. I want my students to be successful and probably over help thinking I am doing what is best for them. I feel that students may be better off working independently or with a partner to figure out problems and talk out different situations. Messiness or errors can be used as learning tools and show what students are strong at and what they need to improve on. I also like the idea of video lessons so that you , the teacher, can see what you perform strong on and what needs improvement. Assessments need to include a wider arrangement of skills that cover the essential question. I like how the essential question was stated ,but the students showed you examples of how the question was answered through work. The fact that the essential questions was not just words on the board to check off a box for assessment purposes but had real meaning. Assessments could also include the essential questions and have students give examples from the lessons to support their answers. After reading this article I have a lot to do to get prepared for next year.
I see myself as someone who could use work in the area of searching. After viewing the resources, I realize that I need to refine my search skills. Google Scholar is an excellent tool because it is based on scholarly work. I never knew that there was a database full of scholarly work available just by selecting “More” under the search options. I realize that using academic terms changes the types of search done and the search will yield better results. Anyone living now is a part of the Google age especially if they were born between 1993 and today. I will generally type in key words and just select search. I usually switch up the words as needed until I find what I’m looking for. According o the article, “How Teens do Research in a Digital World,” there’s a growing use of mobile devices for communication and information gathering. I find myself doing the same thing – I am attached to my mobile device inside and outside of the classroom. I tend to research right from the device for convenience. In the same article, it mentioned how teachers who teach in low socioeconomic areas voice some negative concerns with teens’ searching. This is due to the fact that they feel that the majority of the students in these schools do not have the basic skills to filter out irrelevant information. It is a work in progress, and everyone is learning. This comment from the November 12, 2014 article, “How Google Impacts the way Students Think” stood out to me, “By ignoring the phrases of inquiry learning, premature Googlers often find what they want rather than what they need.” This is very true, and to some extent I feel that I am a premature Googler. Students don’t often see the value in evaluating the sources they find. Everything has to be quick. In fact, we live in an age where things that are not instant don’t seem to be worth our time and efforts. Students must be taught to evaluate information and this has to come through more than one learning session per year. Continued learning should occur throughout to promote lifelong learning. There are many ways that were presented in this week’s readings that demonstrate ways to filter through information. For example, when using Wikipedia, it’s important to examine the length and text revisions. For research, always begin by looking at the motivation for the source. Who created it and why? Using the tips and tricks for Google searching will yield more positive results. This will increase the number of effective Google users.
