Kim's Question

Kim's Question: How important is it that students enjoy their education and should this be the goal in teaching?

I believe that teachers should try to make their lessons enjoyable, and encourage their students to enjoy learning. Although the material may not always be enjoyable to all students, the learning experience and the time they spend in the classroom can be made enjoyable, therefore increasing their desire to learn. I think the more enjoyable a student finds a class, the more likely they will grasp the concepts because they will probably be actively engaged int he experience. Unfortunately, teachers do not have the authority to change their curricula to make the subjects more enjoyable, but they can try to select material and activities that the students will like. When students become bored or disinterested in the classroom material, they often become disengaged and will not perform as well on exams and quizzes. By keeping students of all intelligence levels interested in the classroom, a teacher may find that he/she can successfully connect to the students.

My question: Have you ever had a teacher who took a active role in trying to make your education enjoyable?

Constructivism vs. Realism in the Classroom

In class today, we discussed the differences between radical constructivism and realism in evaluating and observing the characteristics of an apple. How do these differences relate to teaching in a classroom? Let's look at the example from Dewey Dykstra's article on the tests of physics students. Teachers who chose the realist approach to teaching expressed the "facts" as they are, while the students memorized these "facts" as truths, and regurgitated the information on an exam. After the test was taken, the students showed no real understanding of the material. However, had these students questioned what they were learning and had their teachers encouraged them to draw from their past experiences, these students may have left the course with a comprehensive understanding of the material. In class, we decided that constructivist teaching emphasizes understanding over simply knowing. Constructivism also allows us to keep in mind that there exists information about everyday objects that we can never truly know. This relates back to Korzybski's idea that you can never know "all" about something. We can only know what our perceptions tell us. So, my question is: Do you believe that the constructivist philosophy should be introduced in the classroom, and if so, at what age is most appropriate for handling this higher-order thinking?

Education and the Open Mind (or Closed Mind)

In class last week, we discussed the adoption of learning preferences in the classroom. Today, many teachers are faced with the challenge of teaching material to suit students' various learning preferences. This strategy creates variety and diversity in the classroom, as well as presenting material in exciting new ways. However, no matter how hard a teacher works to engage her students, at the end of the day, the student's attitude in the classroom determines the success of the teacher's efforts. In class we asked the question: Do students make the choice about whether or not they're going to learn? In my opinion, many students do enter their classrooms with a pre-conceived assumption in their heads that they do not care to learn that particular subject, and as a result, they will avoid doing the work and actively "not-learn". These students do make a conscious choice whether to begin each lesson with a closed or open mind, just as dedicated students choose to focus and participate. Having said that, I also believe that some teachers can break these students out of their shells and show them the value of education and how interesting some subjects really can be. My question is this: Do you remember any teachers who were able to engage even the toughest kids in the class?

Shelby's Question

Shelby's Question: Are textbooks a boon or a hindrance in the classroom?

To me, textbooks can offer a great deal of valuable information. However, considering the misleading representation of history presented in textbooks designed by people who choose to leave things out, I do not feel that all textbooks are credible. I believe that textbooks can be a valuable supplement in the classroom, but I also believe that primary sources offer the best and most accurate information. If schools could discover more innovative ways to teach material in their classes, rather than studying out of a boring textbook, they may find that their students are more engaged and more interested in the course. Having a variety of teaching strategies could mporve grades and make students more passionate about learning, instead of growing bored with the same monotonous textbook routine. However, having said that I don't think we should completely discredit textbooks and the amount/quality of information they offer. Can you think of a subject in school that you may have been more engaged in had you used other sources besides a standard textbook?

Natural Needs in the Classroom

In class we discussed the necessity to address different learning preferences and the importance of differentiated learning. In this discussion, we mentioned the difficulty of measuring intelligence. Although we talked about multiple factors that need to be taken into account when measuring intelligence, we did not discuss the role that natural, biological needs play in the classroom. For example, many students in the public school systems come from low-income parents. These students may arrive at school hungry because their families cannot afford food. While some schools do have breakfast programs and all schools serve lunch, the quality and quantity of the food provided is not enough to sustain a growing teenager. Hunger can become an increasing distraction during the school day, and may result in lower scores and less effort.
Another issue regarding natural needs is the bathroom regulations that many schools have in place. For example, many students are expected to go to the bathroom during the three minutes in between class periods, but they must not be late to their next class. Students are then expected to stay in the classroom unless they have an absolute emergency. These natural functions can become extremely irritable and distracting when regulated at school. So my question is this: How do you feel about school policies regarding allowing students to go to the bathroom, and also, what are your thoughts on the food provided to students in schools?

Education and Students

In class, we discussed the role of students in their own education. Many believe that at a certain point, a child/adolescent must become responsible for his/her own educational successes. This requires a great deal of maturity. Eventually, students must learn to question things on their own and to maintain their priorities without the aid of a teacher or parent. Students who prove that they can be responsible for their own education will ultimately achieve more and go further than students who may be "lazy" or rely on others to tell them what to do. On the other hand, how does the role of the teacher or parent prepare students for this undertaking? If a teacher holds her students hands throughout the course, then she is not doing her students a favor by making them dependent. How does one teach responsibility to another? Does this concept relate back to critical thinking and maintaining an awareness of thinking to improve one's life? My question is essentially this: What role do parents and teachers play in teaching responsibility to students and preparing them for the realities of college?

Jessica's Question

Jessica's Question: Can a person be taught to be a different kind of learner? If so, who does the teaching?

I believe that people can adobt new learning styles as a form of adaptation. For example, when in a college classroom, professors typically provide their course material through in-class lectures and at-home readings. If a student is a musical learner, then he/she may struggle in this type of class. In order to keep up with their peers and to remain active in a college classroom, this student must be able to adapt to these conditions. Although this student can adopt new learning styles to meet conditions in the classroom, he/she may still work best using musical strategies. To me, the process seems to resemble Darwinism and survival of the fittest - in today's classrooms where visual and auditory learning strategies are prevalent, students with different learning styles must be able to adapt. This situation is unfortunate.
My question is this: Do you think that favoring specific learning styles in the classroom is fair? If not, how do you think a teacher could incorporate multiple learning styles in his/her classroom?