good teachers still make all the difference (and what if testing were actually fun?)
(another repost from before I had an audience but it still holds true)
As I've traveled on this journey to establish Live and Learn New Mexico! I've discovered many things. I've been able to work in education the way I want to. Although my nonprofit is aimed at adult learners, it's also about families and communities. I decided to not only look at what is happening in adult ed but in education in general, all levels, all disciplines, public, private, online. And that was the best decision I could have made. My work has been so rewarding to me, not monetarily in any way (dammit) but I am starting to feel whole.
The biggest lesson I've learned so far is that we truly need to put the power back into the teachers' hands. This conclusion has been strengthened in a funny way, by tutoring a little girl in first grade. I'm helping her with reading and math, and I'm using ABCMouse (first month free trial) and Khan Academy (always free) to help me. They are incredible sites that are set up for teachers and parents as well as learners. You can set up classes, track your students' progress from anywhere, plan lessons, individualize instruction, and assess learning. I'm still finding more sites like them. Most carry monthly fees but so far, all are worth it. I figure if I'm willing to pay $7.99 a month for Netflix I can pay a little more for one of these sites.
At first, I thought these sites would be great for parents to help their kids, and they are good for that. But as I've worked with this little girl and explored ABCMouse, I've realized that although there are many great tools and activities, if you don't understand how to build good lessons yourself, then you can't use the site to its full potential.
The most successful learning occurs, in my opinion, when the tools are used to their maximum potential, and teachers are still the ones who know best how to do that. It's not enough to have the tools; you need a facilitator.
I plan to spend a couple of hours today on ABCMouse to set up my next lesson for this girl. I want to make sure that all the activities we do flow in a logical way and address the issues that her classroom teacher wants her to work on. That's what educators do, and there is no legislator or test publisher in the world that can tell us we're doing it wrong.
One last, somewhat disconnected thought -- maybe test publishers should consider making standardized tests more "fun" to take. Kids truly learn through play. When I'm sitting next to my student and she's playing a word game on the computer, I sometimes wonder if she's really learning. Of course she is! What I need to do is capitalize on that instead of fighting it.
My son took the GED and aced the reading portion. He didn't do well because he read books all the time; he aced it because he read online all the time. I no longer question this. He was learning despite anything I or his teachers did.
Which leads to my last point -- if we look at it all in terms of learning rather than education, it really becomes so much simpler and non-political. We may quit going to school but we never stop learning.
I propose we start learning about our amazing state and start finding ways to strengthen our communities. Let's start learning toward a better life here in beautiful New Mexico.
As I've traveled on this journey to establish Live and Learn New Mexico! I've discovered many things. I've been able to work in education the way I want to. Although my nonprofit is aimed at adult learners, it's also about families and communities. I decided to not only look at what is happening in adult ed but in education in general, all levels, all disciplines, public, private, online. And that was the best decision I could have made. My work has been so rewarding to me, not monetarily in any way (dammit) but I am starting to feel whole.
The biggest lesson I've learned so far is that we truly need to put the power back into the teachers' hands. This conclusion has been strengthened in a funny way, by tutoring a little girl in first grade. I'm helping her with reading and math, and I'm using ABCMouse (first month free trial) and Khan Academy (always free) to help me. They are incredible sites that are set up for teachers and parents as well as learners. You can set up classes, track your students' progress from anywhere, plan lessons, individualize instruction, and assess learning. I'm still finding more sites like them. Most carry monthly fees but so far, all are worth it. I figure if I'm willing to pay $7.99 a month for Netflix I can pay a little more for one of these sites.
At first, I thought these sites would be great for parents to help their kids, and they are good for that. But as I've worked with this little girl and explored ABCMouse, I've realized that although there are many great tools and activities, if you don't understand how to build good lessons yourself, then you can't use the site to its full potential.
The most successful learning occurs, in my opinion, when the tools are used to their maximum potential, and teachers are still the ones who know best how to do that. It's not enough to have the tools; you need a facilitator.
I plan to spend a couple of hours today on ABCMouse to set up my next lesson for this girl. I want to make sure that all the activities we do flow in a logical way and address the issues that her classroom teacher wants her to work on. That's what educators do, and there is no legislator or test publisher in the world that can tell us we're doing it wrong.
One last, somewhat disconnected thought -- maybe test publishers should consider making standardized tests more "fun" to take. Kids truly learn through play. When I'm sitting next to my student and she's playing a word game on the computer, I sometimes wonder if she's really learning. Of course she is! What I need to do is capitalize on that instead of fighting it.
My son took the GED and aced the reading portion. He didn't do well because he read books all the time; he aced it because he read online all the time. I no longer question this. He was learning despite anything I or his teachers did.
Which leads to my last point -- if we look at it all in terms of learning rather than education, it really becomes so much simpler and non-political. We may quit going to school but we never stop learning.
I propose we start learning about our amazing state and start finding ways to strengthen our communities. Let's start learning toward a better life here in beautiful New Mexico.
Comments
Post a Comment