So far in my Connect Learning series, I've learned these main points:
"connecting to interest" "connecting to peers" "connecting to academics and career" "connecting to community" I want my students to create, to make, to build. I don't want their schooling to be focused on narrowing, memorizing, and limiting. How can I set up a class that supports this claim? Will their learning involve solving problems? Will their learning involve their past, present, and future? It's not really possible for curriculum to connect to interests, peers, careers, and the community all in one go. So, my goal is to connect to interests in one part, connect to peers in other part, and so on. I also want to throw out that all students won't be engaged. It just is reality. I was in my high school classroom yesterday and I felt that my lesson plan wasn't good enough because not all of the students were participating. However, the teacher came up to me after class and congratulated me on such a good job. I was surprised. She's right though, you have to take a win when you can. "Nobody's perfect," Hannah Montana taught me, not I or students. It was neat to dig into the main ideas that connected learning has to offer future teachers and current teachers at that. They were separated between learning spheres, core properties, design principles, and roles of media. There's a lot that goes into a well-equipped classroom. I think media can be a huge asset for students because everyone's voice can be heard. They can choose certain communities to be a part of. However, I want them to be able to practice using their voices in person as well, especially since there are so many perspectives out there. We have to learn how to understand many different sides of an argument which is why a connected class is important. Cross-referencing different contexts, authorities, learning experiences, and literacy styles cultivates a democracy. Another part of the checklist included recommendations to utilize mentors. I wonder what type of mentors would be possible? This doesn't seem like a guaranteed request at many schools. I understand the reasoning behind it. Developing peer respect is healthy for staying connected with their generation. People don't have to be older to respect their help. I also feel like they could serve as mentors to younger students because those who help teach, understand their learning that much more. I definitely want to look more into how to add hands-on activities, like "tinkering," "exploring," and "hypothesizing." There's honestly limited time already in the classroom and sometimes, it's hard to justify projects like these, but the results are worth it, or so they tell me. Having team competitions is also always fun and engages students instantly, adding a spark to their learning. When looking at curriculum that connects different contents, I usually switch up my articles. I throw in texts about space, Native American culture, advances in the medical field, a fictional piece about baseball, and so on. Knowing my students will also help me be connected with my students.
1 Comment
Cindy
11/12/2018 03:08:59 pm
Kelly,
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Greetings!I'm Kelly! I like to find beauty in what might seem mundane to us over time and bring to life what we experience each day. Check out the About Me tab for an additional look at who I am. Archives
July 2019
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