Comments on: Buzzword vs. Substance

By: Amber Redemann

Amber Redemann — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:39:55 +0000

The 19th century curriculum focused on creating a unified America. Different perspectives were not given any consideration; either you were white or you acted white. We have gone beyond that in education and encourage people to learn about and value other cultures. Teachnology has influenced this idea greatly and like Sheena and Katelyn already commented, it’s about being connected. We are allowed to be connected to people across the globe, and we should be using this to increase learning. No longer do we belive we can only learn from books; we can learn from each other and work toward a common goal. Maybe the 21st century curriculum should focus on figuring out what this collective consciousness, this goal, is and how we can work together to deal with so many issues at a global level. Authentic tasks, discussions, group work, and technology are all ways of creating a community where students can address global issues, but that does not necessarily mean these are the best ways.

I am not dedicated to this statement, but perhaps the research we are teaching by is outdated. It is not impossible to imagine a poular method being torn apart and proven detrimental. Although I am sure every generation says this, we are in a time of monumental change, globally, socially, and technologically. If we think about children today; they are maturing more rapidly than in the past, are exposed to different substances in their environemts, and are persuaded by an increasing number of images in the media. As things around us change, we have to take that into consideration and reevalute what we are trying to achieve in education and the best way to do that. My interpretation of the article is to be critical and never stop looking for something better, because we can always do better.

By: Sheena Scannell

Sheena Scannell — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:08:34 +0000

I agree that we need to start doing. All of this re-_____ might be necessary at this time, but not to the extent that hands-on work and class discussions are. Hands-on activities and issues that are real to students will naturally spark interest. Katelyn had a very good point in saying that we should teach how we are connected to the world and have students bring real world issues into the classroom. Children, especially very young ones, think about a subject in relationship to themselves. You can’t start to teach children from the great lakes region about ocean life and salt water marine life until after they know what some different bodies of water are near them, like a river or lake. Connections are made egocentrically, depending on a person’s age. In my past experiences with science classes, I felt like teachers dove right into the hardcore subject, which is why I often found myself lost in a nonsense mixture of words within textbooks and worksheets. Sure, we occasionally discussed things, but hardly ever related them to our own lives. That would have taken time away from learning about more “new” topics, but at least I would have understood more about what I was just taught.

I feel like that relates a little to the “19th century shackles” in the fact that topics are skimmed on the surface, but teachers rarely take their students for a deeper dive. How often do students get to interact with their classmates and promote class discussion? Why are teachers still using textbooks as their bible instead of a guide? Creativity plays a big role in the development of strong lessons, but if we pay attention to students’ interests with the world and each other, we might learn from them and gain new ideas.

By: Katelyn Carlson

Katelyn Carlson — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:50:08 +0000

I think that the “shackles of 19th century” could refer to teaching core subjects, mainly the 3 R’s. Perhaps what they are trying to say through all of the mumble jumble is that we need to start to teach students about the world more, how we are all interconnected. Perhaps a push needs to made toward a more progressive view in preparing students for the real world, bringing real world issues and problems into the classroom so students can become prepared. I believe the 21st century curriculum needs to focus on problem solving, mainly real world problems. Students should be given the opportunity to find out some issues, bring them to school and have meaningful discussions with classmates.