 |
| From Sam Watterson |
We decide what students need to know.
We is big, really big. It is more than me, more than the local district, Minnesota Science Standards, National Science Education Standards.......that decision includes all of those things and more.
My own subjective thoughts and how I learned biology, from home, elementary to high school, undergrad to grad school frame what happens in my classroom.
Does that help or hurt, when answering Calvin's question, "Why don't I learn what I want to know?"
I've been pushing students to master the standards, to become "proficient" or more. Most students have done a great job of figuring that out, what that looks like and what is required. Learning has been the focus, not the grade.
BUT...... I need to do a better job of providing the connection to their lives. Students are born curious, about things that interest them and more often than not, what I'm curious about is not what they are curious about.
I don't understand that.....saying sarcastically. Why aren't then curious about the same cool stuff?
We (the same WE) know that when students are asking the questions, they are primed and ready. That is the resolution for 2013: create better hooks to let questions be asked and answered by students.
What will that look like in the classroom? I'm pretty sure it will look like more PBL and inquiry and who knows...... and more student lead questions, creating the asynchronous classroom where students are doing learning at their pace and interests, within and without the frameworks of standards. The last part of the previous statement is kind of yucky, because it is still putting a box around my students. I take a little consolation in the fact it has been raised to feeling, conscious level.
Dassel Cokato biology students been on break, but I've not really ever discontinued the thoughts of my classroom and how to make this a better science experience for all students.
I'm looking forward to 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment