Comments on: Students create rather than consume

By: Shelley

Shelley — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:57:36 +0000

It all sounds so real but why do we go back to the way we feel comfortable teaching. I think it is fear!

By: Stephen Pemberton

Stephen Pemberton — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:37:23 +0000

Don’t worry about the regents. It’ll be ok. New York’s board of Regents is now debating suspending many of the regents exams due to budget constraints. All will work out beautifully for Social Promotion. Other than that, we are damned if we have regents exams (limit teacher creativity claims) and we are damned if we don’t (regents exams can hold teachers and students accountable).

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:15:34 +0000

Give a Man a Fish and feed him for a day…..teach a man to Fish and feed him for a lifetime.

I think that says it all!

Stager’s point is that the process is not to learn, the process is to learn HOW to learn. Students will not achieve success in future endeavors if we only teach memorization and the subsequent VOMITING of that information back on a bubble sheet. We are doing them a disservice if we do not teach them HOW to learn. Similar to the Scientific method, there is a learning method and it takes time to digest that because it is different for each learner. I remember when I “Learned how to Learn”, it was in my first year in college. I actually discovered how to filter out material that does not apply and focus on what does. Once I was able to eliminate the excess, my ability to absorb and actually UNDERSTAND the material was a GRETA deal easier. Why do we not teach how to learn?

I always like to attach my opinion to real world experiences. As a Martial Artist, I was taught over and over how to block a strike to the face, I repeated that block over and over until “Muscle memory” allowed it to be instinctual. The problem was that it meant NOTHING until someone actually threw an attack at my face with the actual INTENT to make contact. At that time I LEARNED how to TRULY block a strike in that I felt the contact on my nose and the subsequant sweeling and bleeding lead me to think about “WhY did that not work?” I then modified my learning to focus on the reality of a block. Moving your arm up is not enough, you must also move your feet and hips and shoulders and head at the same time in a coordinated effort to avoid the blood and pain.

It was at that moment that I ONCE AGAIN “Learned how to learn”.

“Go wipe your nose GRASSHOPPER!”

By: Debra La Grutta

Debra La Grutta — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:02:45 +0000

My son is at the top of his class, as a senior in high school. It has always been difficult to challenge him in the classroom. We used to be involved in the SCIL program, and it was a great way for the top students to be challenged. It is unfortunate that the program got cut, as it is one of the few programs for the top students.

By: Timothy Buckley

Timothy Buckley — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:13:37 +0000

I liked this video. It could be because I am a music teacher and he is promoting the two things I love; music and technology! The question “What are we afraid of?” is simple for the core curriculum and administrative types and it is STATE EXAMS. I think most people are afraid that if we gravitate away from “traditional” teaching then students will not learn the content needed to pass the regents. The great thing about this video is that it demonstrates the power of discovery and the value of having the students learn for themselves.

With the assignment that Gary gave his students, “download finale notepad and compose a piece of music.” He forced them to learn for themselves, just as we once did before we knew all the answers. This “learning adventure” forced the students become engaged learners and decide the best way to solve the problem. I like him knows the “deer caught in the headlight” look the students give when there are no specific guidelines and I like him will give an answer when asked, but prefer it when the students realize the answer. “How long should the assignment be?” As long as it needs to be until it’s done. I also really liked how he mentioned that one particular student just put in random notes which led to the discover of the composer Schoenberg. This also demonstrates the value of this assignment and “learning adventures.” What did he want the students to gain from this assignment? He wished for them to communicate and solve a problem. This certainly worked and while they might not have seen this as the teachers main goal, in the end they still learned the skills needed and will remember them.

By: Sarahbeth

Sarahbeth — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:02:15 +0000

I agree with you Melissa. Stager is right in his statements. The question is, how do we take what he uses with his masters classes and apply it to our curriculum, and still be able to get through the required materials in the little bit of time that we have. I would love to be able to do some fantastic projects with my students and allow them to gain a deeper understanding of the materials and at a more reasonable rate of speed. Unfortunately, many times, to be able to get through all of the required curriculum, we cannot do all of the many activities that are available. Hopefully, with this push for a more integrated curriculum with deeper understanding of the required materials, they will change the way in which we ‘test’ our students for their knowledge.

By: Shelley

Shelley — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:58:50 +0000

I agree but it is the chicken or the egg. If they were engaged and connected to the content would that make a difference in their maturity and responsibility

By: Shonna Dell'Olio

Shonna Dell'Olio — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:24:29 +0000

My comments will be focusing on the below statement, “students to create their own content, be active participants in learning, drive what they need to know. This is a life long skill that should be instilled everywhere so our students leave our schools with actual skills to learn not just rote memorization.”

I think in theory having students create their own content would be very engaging for them. The students that I work with wouldn’t cover anything in the curriculum that challenges them or makes them think. If they had it their way they wouldn’t cover half the material that is required to cover.

As far as being an active participant in their learning, they have to demonstrate responsibility in able to do so. Most of my students can’t even remember to bring their math textbook to class every day even though we have math the same day every time.

I think taking part in their learning comes with maturity. Everything sounds good in theory but it all depends on the demographics of your students in your district. If they don’t value their education then how can they be an active participant in their learning or create their own curriculum?

By: Jenel Buckley

Jenel Buckley — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:06:14 +0000

I thought that Gary Stager’s article was pretty interesting. I liked his approach to learning and I felt like his students got so much more out of the assignment rather than merely learning the content of creating the music. While, yes, that is important, it is more important that they learned how to go about making their own discoveries, and learning how to approach things without being told specifically how to do it. These are important life skills that can be applied to the rest of their lives. They need to understand that mom and dad aren’t going to be there to tell them how to do things for the rest of their lives. The same goes for their teachers. We know what we want them to learn, but it would be interesting to see how they would approach it if we didn’t tell them exactly how we want them to learn it. In Stager’s case, I would definitely say this was a “learning adventure” rather than just an “assignment”. The students took the learning into their own hands and explored alternatives and found new avenues for reaching their answers. Instead of Stager telling the students “You’re going to create a piece of music, and this is how I want you to do it…”, he gave them the oppoertunity to really use their brains, be creative, be hands on, and make thier own discoveries. I think this is great because as I tell my students almost on a daily basis, they need to learn to help themselves. In the classes I teach, I dont know that I could gie my students the open range to do some of the exploring without set boundaries because I dont know that they are mature enough to handle it. I don’t give too much room for exploring and making discoveries, especially in my SC Algebra class, because there is just so much content and a regents at the end of the year. it’s sad and its unfortunate because I would love to take Stager’s approach to learning in this class, but for time’s sake, it seems unreasonable. I know this is a battle most teachers face, and its very unfortunate.

By: Kristen VanVarick

Kristen VanVarick — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:29:46 +0000

I think, in Gary Stager’s example of the music assignment the students learned a lot more than just how to create the music or run the program.
The students learned how to learn. They learned how to find the information they needed to solve the problem. Each student probably sought information in a way that was comfortable for them. Some joined groups, maybe some read the information. What I see is so important is that the students are learning how to seek and find the answers on their own. This is an essential skill for life. No one can be there all the time to give you answers. I have even learned that my parents don’t always have the answers, so if they don’t then I have to figure it out on my own. I see in my class so often that students just want me to tell them the answer and don’t want to go through the process of reaching the answer.
I admit I am afraid of “letting go”. This is only because I have a regents exam. There is so much pressure for students to pass or get a 98 on a regents exam. I have to prepare them for this. To the students, their parents, the school, this is success. I don’t agree that the test is everything, yet I still feel forced to teach to it. There is so much information on this test. I am afraid if I let go the students will miss something they must know.