Dr. Scott McLeod's presentation "Dangerously Irrelevant" regarding the desperate need to reinvent public education as we know it for the future. In his presentation he states that the three essential functions of education should be to prepare our graduates to be socially functional, to become masters of the dominant technological landscape, and to become economically productive.
He also states that there has been dramatic decreases in the level of American students critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, innovation, and the ability to synthesize information a variety of situations. McLeod contends that our schools are using methods that were in place over fifty years ago, and that administrators and legislatures are burying their heads in the proverbial sand rather than structure learning environments that are aligned with our global intellectual economy.
As pre-service teachers where do we see ourselves in the information revolution and what stand do we see ourselves taking in regards to curriculum and assessment reform? In what ways will you become advocates for what you believe to be the right thing to do? And why?
Stellalunalorax~
I would say that in our education classes right now, we are being pushed to move away from the "old" ways of teaching. We are encouraged to broaden our ways of assessment and to make the learners engaged. These are just examples of ways that I think I will try to shift away from traditional teaching methods...
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that comes to mind is that I am pretty sure that schools offer workshops and classes that are reform ways of teaching (and they eventually add up to a salary increase!! haha). But anyway, I would definitely be interested in attending workshops and classes, especially towards the beginning of my teaching career so that I can get as many ideas as possible, and then again towards the end of my teaching career where I will probably be disconnected from the newest teaching ideas.
I realize that this youtube clip involves technology, and I will admit that I don't really get it or how I would bring those kinds of things into my classroom.
PS Happy Easter!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI think teachers have come along way. But when you look at the difference in teaching between now and 50 years ago, that can only mean that in the next 50 there will be even more changes. That is our teaching generation. I agree with Brittney that we need to keep up on the new and effective teaching strategies. Workshops are important throughout this career. As with any job, there is always something new to learn, no matter how long you have been working. This is something we need to be open to, and embrace the changes. This is one of the problems we DO face with some of the "life long" teachers we have now.
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