When I began teaching math in the late 80s, I had two powerful learning experiences that shaped the math educator I am today. Both of these experiences involved teachers like me working cooperatively to solve math problems and using manipulatives (hands on materials) to help us make sense of the challenging math ideas. It is important to note here that we were learning math appropriate to our current levels of understanding--not learning how to teach school level math. I remember being so excited about manipulatives (which I had never heard of) that I got butterflies thinking about their potential to help my students.
I believe that by and large we teach how we learned, but that new learning experiences can change the way we teach. So my teaching came to be based on those adult learning experiences at the beginning of my career, rather than on the learning I had K to 12.
Fast forward to the present. I am now trying to learn about web 2.0 applications such as diigo and ning in order to understand how they might be useful in schools. I have a confession. I didn't even know what web 2.0 meant until about a week ago. This past week I have joined classroom2.0 and learn central; I have participated in a live webinar and listened to several archived webinars. And as we speak I am making my first contribution to our AUSSIE Diigo group.
Appropriately, the topic of the webinars was the potential uses of web 2.0 for schools. Thus, I am learning what I want to learn and doing so in the exact same way that I am considering helping teachers and students to learn.
This is why it is clear to me that we must engage teachers in online PLC's. Only after they have experienced online learning will they understand what we are really talking about when we say 21st century schools. And only then will they begin to experiment with online learning opportunities for students.
One last comment. Even if it would be simpler (at first) to use 20th century professional development techniques (face to face workshops, for example), we should choose the more challenging (21st century) method of establishing online learning communities at individual schools and eventually to networks of schools. The reason, of course, is because we teach how we learn.
started by anonymous on 09 Nov 09
I believe that by and large we teach how we learned, but that new learning experiences can change the way we teach. So my teaching came to be based on those adult learning experiences at the beginning of my career, rather than on the learning I had K to 12.
Fast forward to the present. I am now trying to learn about web 2.0 applications such as diigo and ning in order to understand how they might be useful in schools. I have a confession. I didn't even know what web 2.0 meant until about a week ago. This past week I have joined classroom2.0 and learn central; I have participated in a live webinar and listened to several archived webinars. And as we speak I am making my first contribution to our AUSSIE Diigo group.
Appropriately, the topic of the webinars was the potential uses of web 2.0 for schools. Thus, I am learning what I want to learn and doing so in the exact same way that I am considering helping teachers and students to learn.
This is why it is clear to me that we must engage teachers in online PLC's. Only after they have experienced online learning will they understand what we are really talking about when we say 21st century schools. And only then will they begin to experiment with online learning opportunities for students.
One last comment. Even if it would be simpler (at first) to use 20th century professional development techniques (face to face workshops, for example), we should choose the more challenging (21st century) method of establishing online learning communities at individual schools and eventually to networks of schools. The reason, of course, is because we teach how we learn.