PLEASE READ COMMENTS! they are all anonymous post from my students. All super average high school kids showing above average critical thinking skills.
This was a lesson I did with my students at the end of the year and it was not until I saw this TED video that I realized this was my driving question throughout the entire year of blended learning. When do teachers support learning and when do they get in the way of Learning?
I applied one idea from Bill Ferriter, and probably countless other teachers that don't obsess about monitoring students like I sometimes do...The idea is to allow all inter student commenting anonymous. Students (well at least HS students at my school, and in my classrooms) tend to filter themselves...a lot. Some will say whatever and whenever and they tend to...all the time. Others will be less likely to ask questions, critizese, agree, disagree, based on the feel of the topic in the room. The reason I did this assignment on my teacher blog is to share their comments. They are friggin awesome how quickly they cut to heart of the issue.
Cheers,
S
Before Watching this Video
http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/G2QQDhTpgUEzidl
Watch this TED talk about students in remote Indian villages teaching themselves computers, biology, and more.
Things to consider
When do we need a teacher? when do teachers get in the way? What makes grandmothers effective teachers even if they don't know anything? How would the random natural learning have changed if the teacher made objectives, homework, test to measure their students learning of the computers?
How does the whole idea of school get in the way of learning?
How does the whole idea of school support learning?
