Sir Ken Robinson has some good talking points. Unfortunately, I think he loses me beyond that. It's very easy to judge and to point the finger, but it is very difficult to act and create a solution. Sure it would be wonderful to educate students only in the things they really love, but that leaves them woefully ignorant of many things that play important roles in our lives. I mean, I would have hated to take art in general. I probably would not have taken it at all (I am an awful artist in just about all fields... I can't even sing well!), but I am glad that I did because I have enjoyed being exposed to a wide variety of cultures, traditions, and artistic styles. And although my example is not particularly necessary to leading a successful life, like say basic math skills, it still has had an impact on my quality of life.
Improving our education system has been a goal for many, many years. The successes and failings of that goal are judged by a wide array of experts and regulars joes including students, teachers, parents, and politicians. This will always lead to a place where there are those who are discontent and it means there will constantly be a desire to alter the system. I am not saying that I am completely happy with how things are now, but a lot of the arguments leading in one direction or another seem to push for consideration of techniques or processes with a history in some educational setting or another. Interestingly, most of these practices have been abandoned in favor of some that we have in place now.
Anyways, before I ramble for too long, I want to talk about what I think the most important part of the video/article was. Sir Ken Robinson stated that the environment must be right for plants to grow. I would challenge that. It is my job as an educator to try my best to get students to a place where they can learn successfully, and this includes building a learning environment that is appealing to students. However, if the students have no motivation within themselves, in their own lives, to truly take advantage of the situation before them, how can they learn? You can change the system, the teachers, the subjects, the methods, and the scale, but if the student chooses not to, they won't learn. Plants grow because they must to survive. Students do not have such a harsh reality facing them, so the street is two ways.
My personal goal is to never stop trying. I will continue to reach out and try my hardest to encourage students to learn. Whether they choose to reach back is up to them. I hope that my classroom will truly engage and excite students, which in theory will motivate them to learn. In addition, I think that educating the students towards mastery will allow them to pass the tests that are put to them without compromising their education. It would be nice if I can move towards that goal while still meeting the expectations of the system that I am currently teaching in.
And who knows, maybe I'll get bold and go into policy later. Then I can try to find solutions in addition to griping about all the problems...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm on the same page with you in never stop trying. You never know when the student decides to study. One of my student has been in ISD for an entire week. He used to refuse to do anything we did in class. Everything seemed to hard for him and the fact that he can't do it by himself frustrated him. However, after he has served ISD for a week, he came back with the desire to learn. When I asked questions during the class, he would raise his hand to answer the questions and he had the correct answers. It didn't last long and his back to how he used to be for now, but I think giving the impression of care and support will give students some room to come back when they decide to study and finish off strong.
ReplyDeleteYou've expressed your argument so well, and I agree with your statement of the flaw of comparing students learning to plant growth. Since you've made the argument, I'm sure you too have experienced students who are not the least bit motivated to learn. Having seniors first period, I have students who will show up 20 minutes before class ends (block scheduling) to get credit for being there. As you said, it's easy to point fingers at the schools and the teachers, but more often than not students need to take responsibility for their actions.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely positive I understand what you're getting at in the first paragraph, but I agree students should have the option to take courses in what they enjoy. At my high school, we had an art program and music program, which many students took all 4 years. I'm not artistic and never took an art class after elementary school. It is unfortunate that schools are dropping art programs, but that is because of money, not because it isn't appreciated.
I completely agree with your post. I especially agree with 2 comments that you made. The first being that students are not like plants; students can choose whether or not they want to learn. I think many students start to become unmotivated in middle school, and then by the time they get to high school, these students progress into full blown apathy for their education. I think the key is get students motivated at the middle school age and to keep them motivated throughout high school by creating interesting lesson plans that are inquiry based and more relative to the students. Lets face it, most teenagers are very self-centered, and will care more about what they are learning about if it somehow relates to them.
ReplyDeleteI guess that leads me to the second comment I really like that you said. That comment is to never stop trying. I believe thats what a teacher's attitude should be. A teacher should try their hardest to motivate students to learn, whether its by making the material more relevant or incorporating more engaging activities.