Implementation in a Secondary Classroom (Articles) - 0 views
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unique needs and preferences
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christopherrush on 03 Mar 18I keep seeing "individual needs" and its variants, but no one seems to be able to define it or give specific examples. Is it just "deficiencies in basic educational content and/or skills"? And preferences ... are we still talking supplemental or the entirety of a class/curriculum? I am probably wrong, but I keep getting the impression Personalized Learning keeps getting put up on this pedestal because of its potential when done well, but not too many proponents seem willing to comment on the pitfalls beyond "well, you need everyone on board" and "it will take time to get used to it" and other ancillary notions.
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Although it is not the focus of a student-centered classroom
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It isn't? Everything we've been looking at indicates computers and tablets and the like are essential to do this (except for the million-dollar grade school classrooms that have a dozen "dive into whatever you want to do" stations). I would love to hear more about how technology is not the focus of enabling student-centered learning.
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because it’s an important skill
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But is it, though? How much longer before college application essays go by the wayside? The author seems to be saying this with all the enthusiasm of a weary teacher saying "we should still teach how to balance check books." Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of essays and articles and papers and theses, but I've also sat through Teacher Workshops in which experts told us only English classes should be doing papers, since students should basically learn the skill and do more enjoyable things in other classes. Sort of like this article here. But, if it's a "skill" only for one class, and a class fewer and fewer are taking in college or 'needing" after school years, why are we saying it is still important?
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videos are better than face-to-face lectures because they can skip forward
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I don't want to have a Jim from The Office eye-brow raising moment here, but it's difficult not to. This sounds all great, especially the "rewind" until mastery notion, but are students so capable of handling video lectures they will truly utilize them correctly? I still fear the temptation to treat computer-driven learning as less real than in-person/in-community learning. And I don't say that to be the Keeper of the Lecture Stronghold. Everything on the computer/Internet is designed to be fast, flashy, shallow ... why would they consider school stuff less so? Sure, the "good students" will, but they would regardless of the medium, wouldn't they? If this continues, is there a need for us to even be teachers? Why not just put all our courses on pre-packaged flashdrives and download sites and implement a pay-by-the-class access fee? Have we taken the notion of "teaching ourselves out of a job" in the wrong direction?
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research process
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So is this an "English" class? It's all been so vague, it's been hard to tell except for a few notions about reading a story above. The generalities have been wholly unhelpful. Where are the specifics? Instead of saying "I use videos to create meaningful experiences and Web sites to beget actionable feedback opportunities," I would have rather read about actual tools and programs and in-class activities. Does anyone outside of the English/Research world find this practical?
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discover authentic ways
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The students won’t get a real grant, but they will receive public recognition for the winning project.
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I mean it is easy for me to learn because I can pick assignments that let me do my best work.” I strive to make my classes that kind of “easy” for every student I teach. Across the board, my students acknowledge that they feel better prepared for college or jobs because of our use of collaborative technology. I feel that I am on this blended learning journey with them, and I truly believe it has made us all more engaged in our work and more focused learners.
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And again, this is just ambiguous enough to sound good, but what does it mean? Busy work is still busy work regardless if students are "engaged" or bored. By "assignments that let me do my best work" are we talking "I can do things I'm already good at"? I fear that is an area of Personalized Learning many students will exploit (for lack of a better term). If they are given the opportunity to do things they already like or are good at, why would they ever challenge themselves to do anything else, learn anything else, risk anything else? Are we prepared for Speech Classes in which students do Screencasts or Prezzis all semester long and never stand up in front of an audience and look people in the eyes? Is that the "genuine learning" PL and technology are giving the next generation of politicians, lawyers, doctors, teachers, diplomats, and the rest? (This is where you tell me how far afield I am. I would genuinely be glad for some alleviation.)
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