This is the second blog in a four part series on the topic of Rethinking Education. This TED Talk (see below) is one of my absolute favorite educational TED talks I have seen to date. Rita Pierson's passion about the power of relationships is evident in her shared stories. Rita's stories and talk inspire me as a future educator. Rita Pierson begins with her talk with the quote from James Comer, "No significant learning can occur with out a significant relationship," She then continues to share the power of connection, community, and relationships in education. I could not agree more with this quote! Let me share why.. Reflecting back as a student, I can quickly name the teachers who impacted me the most, and not solely in academics. These teachers created a culture of community and connection in the classroom, and not in a superficial way. These were classrooms were I felt that my teacher was my advocate, or in Rita's words, my "champion." Now fast forwarding to the starting stages of my teaching career, I want to replicate this in my classroom. I want the following philosophies to be seen, known, and evident in my classroom: Apologize and admit when you are wrong (it will happen). Be kind and greet one another. Be more human. Empower your neighbor. Respectfully advocate for yourself. Listen first, speak next. These are to be modeled every day. It is important that I live these out in order to show my students that I highly value community, in my classroom, school, and every day life. These philosophies create community and powerful students. Community creates connection, and connection creates change. To end this blog post, I would like to share Rita's ending quote in her TED Talk: “Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our would be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion. Every child deserves a champion. An adult who will never give up on them, understands the power of connection, and insists they become the best they can possibly be.” Source: T. (2013, May 03). Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson. Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw&index=9&list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp This is the first blog in a four part series on the topic of Rethinking Education. After watching the video linked below, I am encouraged. As a teacher candidate with aspirations to become an effective math teacher, Dan Meyer’s TED Talk gave me (well, all of us) effective strategies to model patient problem solving in the classroom. Before I start discussing my takeaways from this video, let’s retract in order to identify some current areas of concern in math education, along with my experience as a high school math student. Dan Meyer some factors that are currently misshaping and hindering the potential in math education. He lists out the following as bad features commonly seen in classrooms and among students: (1) lack of initiative, (2) lack of perseverance, (3) lack of retention, (4) aversion to word problems, and (5) eagerness for formulas. As a high school math student, there were many times where I resonated with one or more of these factors, specifically eagerness for formulas. As a learner, I wanted the quickest solution as possible so I could move onto the next problem set and be done. I was a computing, memorizing, algorithm machine with one goal: to get an “A” in my math classes. The problem with this mode of thinking is that my retention was short-lived, usually from one chapter test to the next. As a student, I knew this was bad, but I was so focused on getting the “A”, passing the class, and ultimately, graduating. Reflecting back, I can honestly say that I sacrificed my full capacity to learn. Now, as a teacher candidate and having beginning experience leading students in math in the classroom environment, my biggest hope is that students don’t fall into the same trap I did. My hope as a teacher candidate is that students are engaged in the content they are learning and that they are persistent to resolve problems, ones in the textbook and in real-life. Ultimately, I want my students to be confident in their mathematical ability even when the solutions aren’t obvious. As a teacher, I hope to implement the strategies that Dan Meyer shared in his video. I am going to share those exact strategies here: (1) use multimedia in the classroom, (2) encourage student intuition, (3) ask the shortest question you can, (4) let students build the problem, and (5) be less helpful. These strategies shy away from curriculum-driven math, rather they are centered around collaborative and persistent learning. Dan Meyer’s frames these five strategies around the need for math to be real, relevant, and no longer theoretical. This includes technology in the form of pictures and video that allow students to visualize the problem. The integration of technology in the classroom, as minute as the use of a calculator and DESMOS, is important because these are readily available resources for students, even after they leave the classroom. In conclusion, when I entered the Single Subject Credential Program at CSU San Marcos with a dream to educate the next generation, my goal was always to keep it real and relevant. It is refreshing to find others in the education field that see the need to do the same! Source: TEDx Talks. (2010, April 12). Dan Meyer at TEDxNYED. Youtube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BlvKWEvKSi8?list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp |
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