Blog Post #11

What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

The first video assigned for this particular blog post is “TEDxDenverEd- Brian Crosby- Back to the Future.” The video starts out with Brian Crosby telling us about his fourth graders survey results.  Not even half the students knew their address or own telephone number.  Mr. Crosby  believes that the students’ results are the product of them having a narrow curriculum their entire lives. Not having a narrow curriculum can promote creativity and passion. Narrow curriculums will have a negative impact on students building a world schema.  Mr. Crosby made it obvious that we should engage and encourage our students to learn as much as possible while also making it entertaining.  All of the experiments he did with his class looked so fun!  I learned from Mr. Crosby that teachers and students, must use 21st century skills to empower learning. He makes an excellent point that we cannot race kids through school. He then brings up the importance, once again, for children to build a schema for the world.  Brian Crosby ends his lecture with a quote from David Cowen,a high school teacher in California.  It is so important to not just look at your students test scores, but make sure they are understanding the material and gaining an experience out of it.  

Paul Anderson teaches AP Biology in Bozeman, Montana. In his video, Blended Learning Cycle, we see how he uses modernized techniques in the classroom, such as a blended learning cycle.  Mr Anderson explains that blended learning is taking the compelling parts from mobile, online, and classroom learning and blending them together.  He then tells us about the five e’s in the learning cycle, which are engage, explore, explain, expand, and evaluate.  Paul Anderson came up with an acronym to help him remember the important points in blended learning. His acronym is “QUIVERS,” which stands for question, investigation/inquiry,video, elaboration, review, and summary quiz.    

In the video Making Thinking Visible, Mark Church discusses the importance of asking students questions before and after a project.  Mr. Church shows that we should have students talk over information in small groups to help understand what they are learning and express ideas.It is also important to have students connect with the ideas, and pick out the challenge or puzzle being presented with the project or activity. It is important for students to carry the information they are learning forward.  

Sam Pane discusses the importance of internet safety in his video,Sam Pane 4th Grade. As teachers, it is highly important that we make sure our students know how to use the internet safely.  Mr. Pane has his students discuss poor and unsafe ways to use the internet, such as giving away personal information. Enagaging students with technology in a way that they are having fun and relating it to their lives can be very successful in a classroom.  Sam Pane encourages students to always be a “digital citizen,” when using technology. 

In this video, Project Based Learning, Dean Shareski teaches us how we can combine different subjects into one Project Based Learning. He states that integrated studies using projects, increases students’ engagement and provides an opportunity for understanding.  using technology and PBL, teachers can incorporate more than one subject into one project.  

In the last video assigned, Roosevelt Elementary's PBL program,teachers and parents share the benefits of Project Based learning.  PBL  can show that students have learned something and understand concepts.  With PBL , children are taught how to begin a project and how to complete it.  Public speaking also plays a role in PBL, and can help students with their speaking skills starting at a young age.  PBL helps give children choices which can encourage  them more to learn.  PBL allows students to learn about things that they can relate to everyday life.  Students’ social skills will also improve by working in groups for projects.  This video did an excellent job on pointing out all of the benefits of PBL.