Blog Post 11

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

Brian Crosby's Back to the Future discussion demonstrated how PBL allows instructors to inspire students's creativity and "think outside of the box". Mr. Crosby displayed slides that showcased how something as simple as blogging can aid in developing a student's imagination and assist in the want to learn. He also illustrated how children (regardless of the age, in my opinion) are very visual and "hands-on". With PBL, students are able to comprehend fundamentals concerning a specific topic through activities that excite them. Instead of just reading information from a textbook, children are engaged in a task that incorporates the data.  

In Blended Learning Cycle, Paul Andersen introduces a method of teaching I was unfamiliar with previously. Blended learning can be summarized as program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time or place. Within the cycle, the instructor must ask a question that grabs the students's attention then permit students to research the topic. The teacher should develop the material by incorporating a digital tool (video, software, etc.). After the cycle has been completed, one would pose questions to verify that the students completely understand the new material.

Mark Church's video, Making Thinking Invisible, focuses on viewing how a student's perspective concerning a topic can change. Mr. Church requires his students to compose a theme question then post them on the wall. After some time, the children come back to the questions posted and are evaluated to see if/how/why their opinions on the topic have changed. 

The video entitled Good Digital Citizen followed fifth grade teacher, Sam Pane, in Nebraska and how to properly prepare students with digital safety. As instructors, we must ensure our students comprehend the risks they undergo while using the internet. Mr. Pane specifically states that a "digital citizen" must "safe, responsible, and respectful while online" and allows his students to comment on what makes an individual the opposite. The school that Mr. Pane teaches at has a program that permits students to create their own "superhero/heroine" who monitors online activity. Once the children have a finished product, the characters are put into real world situations that have the students determine the best route to venture. 

Dean Shareski's video, he focuses on integrating technology into the classroom to improve communication and combine various subject matter that could lead to more in-depth conversations. Teachers are able to provide a detailed evaluation of their students's work while peer-editing is embraced and the use of constructive criticism is enforced. 

The final video, Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program, viewers are given the basics of what PBL implements:

1. In depth learning

2. Integrated thematic instruction

3. Based on a "real-world" problem

4. Research-based

5. Project and presentation

The essential objective of PBL is having students think for themselves instead of instructors actually "giving" the answers. This allows the children, in a sense, to be creative and explore the subject matter. Several individuals stated that instead of using short-term memory to memorize data for the exams, the children actually grasps the concepts that are being taught and can apply them to every day life.