I can feel it. There's a change. The conversations are different. People are excited. Rooms are transforming. On a Friday before school starts, I have now spent two weeks talking to teachers, teaching classes, visiting classrooms. This year feels different. Of course, the new hardware helps. Projectors, SmartBoards, soundfields mean that the technology is in the classrooms now. Teachers sound excited. I have been so impressed by the turn out at the summer trainings. In my conversations, I hear teachers asking great questions and wanting to try new things. The stereotype of teachers who won't change, who are stuck in the dark ages. That isn't true here. These teachers are doing great things already. I can't wait for the kids to arrive. This will be a whole new world for them. All day, everyday, connected to the world, interactive classrooms, multisensory lessons. This is going to be great!!
Interesting...
ReplyDeleteWhen some teachers talk about writing curriculum, they often focus on the "how", as opposed to the "what"! I think for curriculum directors, it may be just the opposite! ;-)
I thought your recent post on the debate over content vs. 21st Century skills ties in to this... They are not mutually exclusive!
The 21st Century skills show HOW the WHAT will be taught/learned!
Thanks for your comments Michael. I hadn't thought about it that way. I was thinking in terms of people using the "how" as an excuse to stop trying new things. For example, incorporating more Internet research into your course may be the what. Teachers might agree that this is an important skill to be taught in class. However, we often see moving to a new way of doing things as difficult so we use the "how" as a reason not to start doing more research.
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