I keep revisiting this powerful image from John Holcroft. (Image used with permission). As a classroom teacher of a second language, I'd like to think that I'm passionate enough about my subject to captivate my students and show them that the long and sometimes hard journey of language learning is worth it. And that it can be even pleasurable.
However, this image does not conjure up pleasure; it reminds me of how many students are turned off by teacher-directed, pencil and paper assignments, rote learning and standardized testing. Our students' brains long for more engagement, more exploration, more adventure, more physical interaction. With so many incredible tools now available to encourage different ways of learning and of demonstrating mastery of learning, it seems like this image should be that of a different era. Sadly, we see these "brains checking out" in our classes in 2016. Classrooms are not set up for how kids learn. Schools are still largely built for a more traditional instruction, despite all of our talk of innovation and collaborative learning. Rarely do our public schools have budgets for updated resources and materials to allow for project-based initiatives that stoke the fires of student creativity. In September, I will be teaching in a classroom that still has black blackboards and has never housed an interactive whiteboard. It is disheartening that the outdated physical space where I will teach and instruct and where my students will learn is no different from an old classroom photo taken in the 1940's with the sole exception of a projector in the room.
Yesterday, thanks to a link provided to me from classdojo.com, I had the opportunity to watch the documentary Most Likely To Succeed by Greg Whiteley. What I most enjoyed about this documentary was the ability to take a peek into High Tech High, a charter public school in San Diego and observe their model of instruction and learning--integrated subjects, student-focused curriculum, project-based learning, student decision-making, risk-taking and ownership of learning, socratic seminars. No bells, no state imposed curriculum, few standardized textbooks. I couldn't help but focus on the variety of physical spaces and rooms in the school; there was evidence of learning everywhere highlighting final term projects and art on the walls. In addition, the school has an abundance of natural light from windows, different kinds of seating grouped in a way to encourage direct interaction with peers and additional work spaces inside and outside of the school. The place was designed and built with teaching and learning, (but especially learning), in mind. The use of technology was apparent but not overemphasized and it is safe to say that the focal point of learning was what the students created, built and produced. It was gratifying to see how invested they were in their projects. Teachers at High Tech High are endowed with an incredible amount of autonomy with respect to subject content and are permitted to teach to their passion instead of teaching to the test. What a gift! What a concept!
I managed to find an excellent written summary of one graduate student's experience at HTH that deserves a read if you're interested in further exploring a first-hand account and perspective on this model of learning. His name is Andrei Kryssov and he attended the school from 2001-2005. He says about the school, "One of HTH's biggest advantages is its adaptability. Like a startup, HTH has the ability to experiment, build upon what works, and get rid of what doesn't." Sounds a lot like the school itself practises the same kind of model it puts forward to its students.
As teachers, we often hear that a certain book is a must-read and a certain film is a must-see or a particular resource is a must-use. I feel a strong personal and professional connection to this documentary that, for me, it absolutely warrants the descriptor of "must-see", but also that of "must discuss" and "must evolve" and then the hardest and most important of all, "must implement". Below you'll find the trailer. Check out a screening. Would love to hear your feedback and your impressions of the film.
However, this image does not conjure up pleasure; it reminds me of how many students are turned off by teacher-directed, pencil and paper assignments, rote learning and standardized testing. Our students' brains long for more engagement, more exploration, more adventure, more physical interaction. With so many incredible tools now available to encourage different ways of learning and of demonstrating mastery of learning, it seems like this image should be that of a different era. Sadly, we see these "brains checking out" in our classes in 2016. Classrooms are not set up for how kids learn. Schools are still largely built for a more traditional instruction, despite all of our talk of innovation and collaborative learning. Rarely do our public schools have budgets for updated resources and materials to allow for project-based initiatives that stoke the fires of student creativity. In September, I will be teaching in a classroom that still has black blackboards and has never housed an interactive whiteboard. It is disheartening that the outdated physical space where I will teach and instruct and where my students will learn is no different from an old classroom photo taken in the 1940's with the sole exception of a projector in the room.
Yesterday, thanks to a link provided to me from classdojo.com, I had the opportunity to watch the documentary Most Likely To Succeed by Greg Whiteley. What I most enjoyed about this documentary was the ability to take a peek into High Tech High, a charter public school in San Diego and observe their model of instruction and learning--integrated subjects, student-focused curriculum, project-based learning, student decision-making, risk-taking and ownership of learning, socratic seminars. No bells, no state imposed curriculum, few standardized textbooks. I couldn't help but focus on the variety of physical spaces and rooms in the school; there was evidence of learning everywhere highlighting final term projects and art on the walls. In addition, the school has an abundance of natural light from windows, different kinds of seating grouped in a way to encourage direct interaction with peers and additional work spaces inside and outside of the school. The place was designed and built with teaching and learning, (but especially learning), in mind. The use of technology was apparent but not overemphasized and it is safe to say that the focal point of learning was what the students created, built and produced. It was gratifying to see how invested they were in their projects. Teachers at High Tech High are endowed with an incredible amount of autonomy with respect to subject content and are permitted to teach to their passion instead of teaching to the test. What a gift! What a concept!
I managed to find an excellent written summary of one graduate student's experience at HTH that deserves a read if you're interested in further exploring a first-hand account and perspective on this model of learning. His name is Andrei Kryssov and he attended the school from 2001-2005. He says about the school, "One of HTH's biggest advantages is its adaptability. Like a startup, HTH has the ability to experiment, build upon what works, and get rid of what doesn't." Sounds a lot like the school itself practises the same kind of model it puts forward to its students.
As teachers, we often hear that a certain book is a must-read and a certain film is a must-see or a particular resource is a must-use. I feel a strong personal and professional connection to this documentary that, for me, it absolutely warrants the descriptor of "must-see", but also that of "must discuss" and "must evolve" and then the hardest and most important of all, "must implement". Below you'll find the trailer. Check out a screening. Would love to hear your feedback and your impressions of the film.