In class we talked about how Dewey has written so much and influenced so many. Personally, his construction of ideas and use of words allowed me to better understand my thoughts about education and its role in society.
There were a few points in the Creed that Dewey talks about that really caused me to re-read and ponder the deeper meaning of what he wrote.
He writes, "I believe that the school is
primarily a social institution. Education being a social process, the school is
simply that form of
community life in which all those agencies are concentrated that will be most
effective in bringing the child to share in the inherited resources of
the race, and to use his own powers for social ends."
I could not have said it better. School is a social institution whether we like it or not. We spend 8 hours per day, 5 times a week for 9 months out of the year in school. We learn our social skill, or boundaries in school. We are exposed to a mini-society and we find ourselves and who and what we will become in the future.
Another of the point that Dewey writes: I
believe that they are not special studies which are to be introduced over and
above a lot of others in the way of relaxation or relief, or as additional
accomplishments. I believe rather that they represent, as types, fundamental
forms of social activity; and that it is possible and desirable that the
child's introduction into the more formal subjects of the curriculum be through the medium of these
activities.
Dewey believes that no subject is more important than other subjects. Today we push the STEM fields at the expense of other subjects. Yes we need more scientist and engineers. However, if budgets are cut in schools then we cut back on the arts and music programs. In addition, because of the NCLB Act in most states, teachers are pressured to have their students achieve proficiency on standardized tests that test the 4 Rs.
Over 100 years have passed and despite the road map to toward better education that Dewey lays out, we are still clinging to an ineffective and deficient educational model. Enough!
"He is one of the visionaries that could have made significant contributions to the field of education had critics, administrators, politicians and others not gotten in the way." I appreciate this statement but also I think Dewey did made significant contributions to the field of education despite these roadblocks. We discuss his work often in many of our courses and I think that shows that his work was not overlooked simply because of critics and those who didn't agree. Additionally, In response to your response (confusing, sorry) to the second Dewey quote, I would like to hear more of your opinion on what is being done. Yes, it is true that humanities often get cut instead of STEM courses and they seem more valued in our society today. However, how do you personally feel about this? If you think it should be changed, do you have a proposed change? I think your blog was great, I would just like to hear more of you opinion in what you are writing! :)
ReplyDeleteHello Ms. Stilman, not much is being done to change the trend of stripping or reducing public schools of their arts and non-stem programs. Most private schools are able to sustain their programs. As we learned in EDUC 695, Administrators are like Jessie James, they go where the money is. As we implement the NCLB we are seeing that tests are only used to evaluate proficiency in math, science, reading and writing. Art, history and even gym are not tested on the MEAP and other test so less focus is put on them. These non-stem fields are really important and can be used along with science and math to solve major world problems. I would like to see us incorporate art in anatomy classes. Use Di Vinci's paintings to teach anatomy, use Einsteins theories to teach math. We need to be creative!
DeleteWhat was left out of Dewey's Creed would probably been more of the same. The article that we read for class by Dewey was very powerful and really did not need any more. Sometimes we can
ReplyDeletewrite so much that we loose the main point of the article.
As I look through the article again, I am stuck again by how timeless Dewey's message was and how relevant it is today.
Xmarks the spot.
ReplyDeleteOver the weekend, I researched Xmark that is a bookmarking sync software. I had never heard of Xmarks prior to class, so this was an interesting task. As with all unknown topics, the first place that I looked for information about Xmarks on Google. I was surprised to find very little information about the Xmarks so, this meant that it was either old and not really useful or people really did not know about Xmarks.
Here is what I found, if you install Xmarks, allows you to seamlessly intergrate with your web browser and keeps your bookmarks safely backed up.
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ReplyDeleteOrganize your online life was a useful topic. I was introduced to two new programs to organize my life this week, Dropbox and Pinterest. Drop box organizes your life as a teacher by allowing you to store and share files. Simply drag the files you want to save to Dropbox and store them. You use Dropbox the same way that you would use M+Box. So, if you are looking for something simple and do not have access to a dropbox or something similar, than use Dropbox. I do not think I will use Dropbox not only because there is a dropbox on C-tools but because it acts similar to other programs that I possess. With regards to Pinterest, I might try this program because of the colorful graphics found on the site. Many students are visual learners and the colorful images would keep them interested and enable them to grasp tough concepts. On Pinterest, if you see something interesting in your class you can "pin it" and came back to it later or send it home to your students as a homework assignment.
ReplyDeleteThe two programs are very similar in that they can save files and share them.
I am glad I had a chance to read about both Dropbox and Pinterest. I am not sure I will use either because I like using Google tools. Using Google makes everything I do really seamless.
James Gee's article GOOD VIDEO GAMES AND GOOD LEARNING was really interesting and informative. Long time ago, when there were no iPhones or tablets, there was a game called Mathblaster. The game targeted middle school students and required them to solve math problems. Advancing to the next level enabled them to collect garbage that would then be converted into fuel and used by their spaceship to blast into outer space. Once you acquired enough points the ship would take off to the moon. I remember how my children really loved playing this video game. They learned simple math facts and had fun.
ReplyDeleteI believe that games like Mathblaster are educational and there is a place for them. Games can be warm-up exercise in the classroom or even exit tickets. Thanks to the resources and websites presented to us in class, we have access to games that can fit any situation. We can even make up our own depending on our lesson plan.
Just one more thing, I visited the new online version of Mathblaster. Wow it has totally changed. It is more engaging has more colors and seems meet many of the good game requirements.
Thanks for the post, Science4U! My wife and I are thinking about starting a family soon, and we're already thinking about what we would like to see in the school(s) that our children might attend. And, we're also thinking about what kind of extracurricular activities might be available to them as well as what we could do at home both to have fun and to promote learning.
ReplyDeleteAs for my own experience, I really loved playing outside as a kid. I did play video games (Atari, Nintendo, maybe Sega Genesis ... but I think that it ended there), but there were real, tangible things that attracted me outside other than simple play. I've commented before on Ms. Stilman's blog that my brothers and I discovered some Revolutionary-era artifacts in our front yard and backyard before the landscaping was finished and before the neighborhood became more populated. I just had an enthusiasm for discovery and using my hands and playing games outside.
But, as for video games, I ask myself, Why did I stop? Opportunity Cost, I believe, is the answer. What would I have to sacrifice? Would it be worth my time? On the one hand, I know that it would. But, on the other hand, what else would I missing?
Somewhat recently, my wife looked into lumosity.com, we tried it out, it seemed fun, but we haven't used it in some time. With my kids, perhaps I could make the time to play some of the video games with them, not just always let them play them alone or with their friends. Nevertheless, I want my kids outside, as well, and staying physically fit and nurturing an appreciation for nature and their surroundings.
ADG, I can relate to your comment about loving to play outside. Back when I was growing up there were no video games. In my home that meant that you either read books or you played outside. I loved doing both. I think children today can balance video games with other activities like going outside or reading (with a nook). There are so many more opportunities to learn now. It seems if anything, children will become overstimulated. What I really like about learning today, is the opportunity of global learning where students can interact with students and learn first hand information from around the world. With so much technology we have to teach our children how to use it in the proper way. So I think the key word for your children will be balance.
ReplyDeleteBYOD provides the opportunity for students to interact with subject material on their own terms. I have observed students using technology and am amazed at the level of expertise. Where do they learn how to go on twitter, make a Facebook page, and become aware of the most popular youtube video of the day.
ReplyDeleteInstead of using hard text student are subscribing to e-books, nook and kindles. What is next? Has the next technological break through been created? In the classroom we should work to incorporate technology. Use cell phones like clickers, have students make their own video on a pre-selected science topic, and find relevant videos to stimulate discussion. While bringing technology into the classroom teachers have to work to maintain interpersonal skills and student-student relationships that can suffer.
40 states have adopted the Common Core Standards which is a mandate from the government. Michigan has also adopted the CCS. Implementation is forthcoming.
ReplyDeleteToday we learned that starting next year teachers in Michigan are going to be judged on these Common Core Standards and how well their kids perform on the assessment of Common Core.
We discussed in class ways to prepare our students for the online assessment test that will be used to measure student performance.
One of the techniques we discussed was backward design. Unlike traditional design where you go from a lesson plan (front to back), in backward design the teacher starts with goals, creates or plans out assessments and finally makes lesson plans. Backward design can be compared to the process of using a "road map". The destination is chosen first and then the road map is used to plan the trip to the desired destination. In contrast, in traditional curriculum planning there is no formal destination identified before the journey begins.
Backward design is to teach toward the "end point" or learning goals, this ensures that content taught remains focused, organized and promotes better understanding of the content or processes to be learned for students. The teacher is then is able to focus on addressing what the students need to learn, what data can be collected to show that the students have learned the desired outcomes (or learning standards) and how to ensure the students will perform well on the online assessment test.
Review of an Edublog
ReplyDeleteTeacher Reboot Camp;Challenging Ourselves to Engage Our Students
Our assignment was to visit the site of an edublogger. I chose a site called Teacher Reboot Camp. The site provides resources and information to educators. I read a number of comments on the site, watched a video and read about a 30-goal challenge that over 9000 educators have joined to set short and long goals related to education for 2013. Each year a new set of goals are established.
The mission of the blog is
“Let’s collaborate on strategies for engaging all our students through effective instructional methods and technology.”
The blog was created by an English teacher who wanted to create a blog educating teachers on various technologies and methodologies that benefit all learners. She believed that teachers should facilitate, differentiate instruction, make lessons engaging, and teach students to problem solve using technology, create dynamic teaching environments, and have socially and culturally responsible lessons.
Each year, blogger set goals and find better ways to accomplish the goals. They focus on accomplishing 1 to 2 goals a week so that they can focus more on the teachers in the blog community and supporting each other through comments and community building activities. The bloggers have adopted the theme, Dare to Believe. Each goal will focus on getting educators to believe their plans of action will lead to positive change in their environments.
This blog is very useful to educators. It provides resources, and practical information that allows teachers to learn from each other. It also provides an outlet for problem solving and letting off steam.