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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Open Topic: Reflection on "Understanding"
When establishing curriculum priorities we need to decide what we want students to remember for 40 minutes, 40 days, or 40 years. One question I asked myself after reading this week is what does it mean to teaching for that enduring understanding? How can I support students to see the bigger picture and application of what they are learning? It is sad to say that not until I got to college I really reflected on the application of what I was learning. I think as a parent and educator it is important to provide children with experiences. Maybe we need to shift our resources towards not just discussing "Poverty" in a social studies class, but actually having students talk to working poor in our community. Two years ago I took a trip to Guatemala with my son (my mom was born there) it was amazing for him to see what poverty is in a Central American country like Guatemala. I think that he appreciated the country he lived in and saw that he could do something to help. We sponsored a classroom in a neighborhood school and sent supplies that were so necessary like pencils, paper, books, etc...We talk so much about learning styles, but I rarely see the next step in looking at ways students can experience that content to develop true understanding.
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3 comments:
I understand what you are saying, but what about those children who are not as fortunate to experience something like this.
I realized how blessed I am and have always been that I was taught at a young age to think...we knock private schools because teachers do not have to be certified but I am a proud product of private school K-12 grade...never public school. Now, having to teach in the public school system I wonder if I have children...would I send them to school in my district. I would have to consider other venues and that is SAD!
You brought up some excellent points regarding understanding and how teachers should address this issue. Having students see the big picture can be a task in itself, but I feel that if we take the opportunity to utilize the backward design model we have a shot.
Having students see real life examples is extremely important to reinforce a concept and to help them understand the effects of an issue such as poverty. I feel that exposure makes an individual start to think about how or why the situation has occurred.
I too echo your statement about not really "applying" my knowledge or understanding until I got to college. I don't remember or use a lot of the information I learned in high school, as I was forced to "memorize" lots of facts that I never really fully grasped.
If we are more aware of this fact as teachers,and make an attempt for students to make a "real life" connection to many concepts, I feel students will leave school with a better understanding of the world.
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