An interesting development in my grade 11 classes. As groups they have very distinct learning styles. Where one class has extroverts, the other introverts, where one class falls over one another to participate and answer questions, the other resembles Ben Stein's class in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (Anyone.... Anyone.... Anyone.... ). Needless to say this is causing havoc in my planning and pacing. This got me thinking about classes and students who "just want the information."
Admittedly these students have largely been the focus of public education systems since their inception. Current students are no more responsible for that than current teachers are responsible for past pedagogical practices. So it occurs to me that in addition to the inclusive, cooperative, and innovative education there must be some level of focus on adjusting all learners to the new educational paradigm. In my opinion, it is not just providing the students with more "entertaining" entrance points into the curriculum, but providing a structure to class and planning that is dependable and allows all types of learners to have a realistic expectation of what is going to happen in class. Not just what we are going to learn, but how, why, and to what extent.
Quick post today, any thoughts on these comments?
2 comments:
The problem with this, however, is that there are still “provincials” being hung over students’ heads. Students just want the answers because failure (or taking chances, making mistakes, and getting messy!) is seen negatively. How can students be expected to take chances with their learning when they feel that their future teeters on one test? If the way students are learning needs to be changed, then so does the way students are being tested.
Point is to make the students appreciate that, in addition to meeting the reqired 'figures' they also have to to the free skate. Weight both aspects and you get the benefits of standardized testing and the benefuts of a curiosity-based open learning envronment.
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