This was an exciting weekend as I received the diploma for my Master of Arts in Education from Arcadia University, and I had an article published in Technology & Learning magazine. The pursuit of both of these was a major driving point for this weblog. Much of the research cited here, along with the interview with Marc Prensky, was done to support one or the other. Now that the products of these projects are on paper, I realize just how much I’ve learned in the process. My thinking about how kids learn best has certainly broadened as I’ve become better informed.Finding new ways to engage kids in their learning has become a passion of mine and will be the driving force from here on in. And since school is in session, hopefully this weblog can be a source of discussion as I plan, share the successes and failures, and reflect on what’s happening and why.
Here are some of my goals in this area:
- to honor the knowledge that students and their parents can bring to the classroom
- to find ways to make the learning more meaningful to them by offering them choices and giving students the tools needed to take control of their learning.
- to provide opportunities for collaboration with different communities of learners, educators, and experts in the field
- to provide opportunities to write for a real audience
- make the planning process transparent – encouraging student and parent involvement
- Making reflection (from both student and teachers) a regular part of the learning and teaching process
I hope you'll participate in this project as well. Please leave a comment to share your thoughts, experiences, and best practices.
2 comments:
Tom,
Congratulations on both the degree and the publication. I'm looking forward to seeing how your goals fare in the classroom, and to sharing ideas and problems with you.
Thanks, Bud. I've been following your site as well. I'm very interested in what you're trying to do with your journalism kids. I don't teach journalism until the second half of the year, but I still advise the newspaper (they are totally independent at my school). I hope we can learn from one another.
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