Week #3 - Response to Drew Clausing

Week 3 Reading | Art of Possibility

 

The most important take away from the reading this week is that it is good, even necessary to step outside of the box to reach kids.  And I hesitated to say, “nowadays”, but realized that this was true generations ago as well.  People/kids haven’t all the sudden changed to require their “fun jar” to be filled.  But I do think that the mentality has been to do things the way they’ve always been done, even if it isn’t necessarily the best way.  Maybe it’s an ego thing...something like, “well I turned out alright and my classes were all lecture and no games.  Why do kids need them nowadays?”  I’d like to say, “suppose you had a fun teacher or one who helped you enjoy class.  Imagine how much more you would have loved your education?”

My final comment also speaks volumes, I think, to the way we need to meet kids where they are and be fun and enjoyable.  I taught at a school where things had been done a certain way for years and all the teachers were set to do things exactly the way they had been done forever.  I came in and, oh no!  I..wait for it... played with the kids on the playground!  In fact, I was called into the principal’s office more than once to tell me how unprofessional it was to play on the playground with students during recess.  Eventually, not being tenured, my contract was not-renewed.  Among other things, I think this story tells a lot about the way people of a more traditional mindset have on education.  Needless to say, the kids absolutely loved how I would do things with them that they were also interested in doing.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saturday, June 18, 2011 - 11:19 PM

Karen Gearns

Drew,  You are so right that we need to meet kids where they are and make things learning and enjoyable.  Before Full Sail I took some graduate classes through a local university.  The classes were 8 - 5 everyday for a week.  Every day students brought in snacks and we had a small buffet that we could munch from throughout the day.  We had an agenda for the day and if we finished early we were allowed to go home early.  I have often thought that if my students could snack when they are hungry and leave early when if their work is done they would be much more motivated to get things done.  

Last year I started teaching Accounting again after not teaching it for 20 years.  I did a lot of direct teaching while I was relearning the materials.  This semester one of my students suggested I turn the class into a game where someone was an owner and another student is a salesperson, a third is a creditor.   This summer I plan to work on that simulation so next year my students can act out transactions instead of just recording them.  It will be a lot of work but I hope it will allow students to grasp more information in a smaller amount of time and remember the information as one concept builds upon the next.  I may even record their role play on video and post it on my LMO for students to study from.  Hopefully this  will make the class more enjoyable for the kids and also for me.

Sunday, June 19, 2011 - 06:57 PM