I think the Did You Know video highlights that the world is moving at an extremely fast pace which is only going to get faster. I feel that change can be seen in many aspect of life. Yesterday was our district’s professional development day in which we were all trained on how to use the new smart boards, united streaming, and the updated version of our website software. When I started teaching these tools were not accessible to teachers because of the cost. Now these items are becoming more prevalent in the classroom. Each one of these instruments can be a powerful tool in aiding instruction. I feel that the main problem is that by the time you master the technology it has changed to become obsolete. I feel that there are so many tools that educators can use that you are sometimes overwhelmed by the choice.
This is also true for the curriculum that we teach. During my junior year of college I took a genetics course that highlighted some the cutting edge research and breakthroughs in the field. Two years later I was looking though the seventh grade textbook and the same material was being taught in seventh grade. I feel that education is constantly pushing more advanced material to the younger grades because there is so much information that is out there.
This poses a challenge to educators. Since the world is constantly changing I feel that education should be more focused on instilling the big ideas into children instead of trying to have them memorize the material. I think children should be taught how to take a problem, ask the proper questions to obtain vital information, and find solutions to those problems. Each child should have strong communication skills and the ability to work together to solve a problem. If we put these concepts into our lessons we would give the student the skills they need in the future. As the video shows, what we are teaching today will be ancient history in a few years.
This constant change not only requires flexible teachers and administrator, but also the dedication of the students and community. Parents need to become a partner in the child’s education. The community also has to financially support the school districts. I feel that we are asking our schools to prepare the students for the future, while continually trying to cut funding for these programs.
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3 comments:
I think you're right. There is no way for educators to cover all that will be needed in the future.
While students need a certain level of foundational skills and knowledge, real learning--and the kind that has always been and will continue to be important--involves their ability to think critically, problem solve effectively and create imaginatively.
Maybe that can be part of your curriculum project; making that "big idea" curriculum.
I agree with your thesis. I find it imperative for teachers to teach the skills of critical thinking and independent thought processes.
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