In a previous life, I was a historian on track to earn a doctoral degree from a prestigious university. I taught large sections of freshmen western civilization history. I loved the Socratic method as a teaching method and yet I never stopped to think about how I was teaching was just as important as what I was teaching.
In my readings for this session, I have confirmed what I have suspected for awhile. History professors and educators in general, need to make a fundamental shift in the paradigm of teaching and learning. If our students are to be successful in life, they need to know how to think rather than know a finite amount of information that is regurgitated on demand. Students need to be given the time and tools to review and process information as well as the practice of working collaboratively.
Students need practice in working together across cultural and social divides. In order for our students to become effective citizens of the 21st century, they must learn how to successfully bridge those divides. Technological tools such as Google docs offer students in the same classroom and across the globe the opportunity to collaborate on projects. Educators must ethically maintain their own knowledge and understanding of technology in order to give our students a competitive chance of success.
In the Media Center, I have an opportunity that classroom teachers do not. I see students across their entire elementary school experience, from when they enter as kindergarteners to when they leave as 6th graders. With support from administrators, Media Specialists can initiate and monitor student project based learning experiences that progress over grade levels. Student reflections on these pbl modules could range from monthly wiki updates to blog entries to podcasts. However, as with everything in public schools, administrators must be on board if any new idea is to be successfully launched!
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