When I read Why Schools by Will Richardson about what he calls the “old school”. I was transported some years back and remembered what I lived working in the school system for the first time. I witnessed how teachers and school administrators became obsessed in obtaining high scores for their students. I always thought that if they were to use all that time and effort into teaching real, more relevant matters to their students, the students could have had the essential skills to soar faster and more effectively academically. Teaching to the test has become a common practice in schools. I agree with Richardson that there is a need for a drastic change in education. We cannot continue teaching the same things in the same way we have done it generation after generation. Richardson mentions in his book, that the most significant reason for a change is that our students have a surplus of information. Teachers are no longer the providers, but rather facilitators of information. Schools need to shift more into implementing more technology in the classrooms, not only at the level of substitution and augmentation, but exploring more into modification and redefinition levels. Also it is essential to teach students critical and analytical skills to be able to better use the resources available to them. I have been struggling with technology for the last three years. When I enrolled for the Masters in Technology program I knew that it was going to be very challenging for me. I am however, committing to be a “master learner” I am working on unlearning and relearning my teaching strategies and to update my teaching practices to better fit the needs of our future generations. I would also like to explore implementing “real work for real audiences” into my lessons and make learning more relevant to the real world experiences of my students. I would also like to see my students get more involved in the process of globalization. Because of District Web policies I could find “Sharing” and “Talking to strangers” a struggle to implement in my classroom. It is going to take a shift of mindset for parents and administrators to let the students use technology to interact and interchange ideas with people over the Internet. Resource: Richardson, will. (2012). Why School? (Kindle version). Retrieved from Amazon.com |
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AuthorI have been in the education field for twenty years. I enjoy teaching Spanish as a second language. Archives
December 2014
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