“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must we want for all children in the community. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy” In response to the quote above...I just registered my first born child for kindergarten yesterday. Being an educator and then putting your own child into public education kid of helps to clarify for me what the parents of all the children I have taught for the last 8 years have really wanted from me when up until how it really hasn't been as clear. I think that what they wanted from me was to be teaching their children how to think. How to listen. How to learn in many different contexts. How to be adaptable. How to be perseverant when things get hard. I think that no matter what new expectations children are held to and no matter what new technologies are being used and introduced as long as they have the critical thinking and problem solving skills necessary.... they will be successful. How do your findings fit in with the other topics in this class: 21st century teaching & learning, equity of opportunity for students, the brain, inquiry-based learning, etc. I think that what this brain research touches on is that we as teachers need to tap into how the brain learns and make that the primary focus of how to teach children. Many times we loose sight of this because there are things coming at us in all directions. There was a picture that I found that seemed so appropriate for the discussion of the brain (seen above). The density of synapses in the brain is actually less dense from 7 years old to 15 years old. Why? Probably because in education we limit students creativity. As the video from a few classes ago by Ken Robinson stated, " All children have tremendous talents and we squander them pretty ruthlessly." Without a clear understanding of how the brain learns information and how to best teach so that students will learn we are really kind of wasting our time. Content ( what to teach) has overshadowed the need for attention to the pedagogy ( how to teach it). I think that the tips on Neurobiology and learning was a really helpful tool that teachers should be reminded of. The 4 C's is really the how....if we can teach our students HOW to be creative, think critically, communicate and collaborate we will be giving the gift of being able learn and navigate through any content they may be faced with. I really liked the Brainy Bunch page by Pat Wolfe and how it stated , "So the next time someone tells you that any student or group of students is destined to fail in school, don’t believe them. Their path is in their heads. If they have belief, hope and tenacity, there is no telling how far students can go." This further emphasizes the need for equity in education. If we make sure that all students have access to technology, tools and well trained teachers then there is no limit to what any child can achieve.
5 Comments
Jennifer Perkins
10/6/2018 04:46:33 pm
Hi Caitlin! What a fantastic insight about what parents want for their children in education. Skills like learning how to listen, persevere, and be adaptable benefit children in the classroom, and as they move through life. I really liked the image of synapses in the brain. I read, “Your Fantastic Elastic Brain” by JoAnn Deak to my students, and we talked about the “Magic Decade”, the first ten years where key neural connections are being made. I completely agree that we need to encourage creativity along with academics during this critical time. Great insights!
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Brandon DeJesus
10/7/2018 10:54:42 am
It’s amazing to now have that perspective of being a parent with school age children. It will be interesting to see how that affects your pedagogical approach. I have often been the teacher of some of my colleague’s children. It definitely makes you evaluate your practices when you know your colleagues are relying on your to help prepare their child. I hope that I have taught them to think critically and to solve problems.
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Monica Knecht
10/8/2018 02:18:22 pm
Being a parent in this industry is so profound and gives so much more insight. My first 7 years, I was not a parent and was always asked in crucial conversations if I was. I realized after I had kids how much the parent really wanted to understand if I could relate to the daily struggle of one or more children. I love that you could relate to both perspectives using your own current scenario. Knowing the insides and outs of the schools and staff can be a blessing and a curse.
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Catalina J Goldstein
10/8/2018 07:06:12 pm
How weird is it for you to register your little one for school? I just blogged that I always forget that these little people belong to someone else at the end of the day. It's a great reminder!
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julie
10/8/2018 09:33:54 pm
Caitlin being a parent does give you a different insight when my daughters were younger I always wanted them to have teachers who were mom's just because they understood things in a different way. Now as my Valley Oak student enter sometimes hating school I wonder where on their education journey that happened. I know all their parents want is for their children to have more opportunities than they did many of my students are the first to graduate in their families. Your blog resonated with me as I sit in meeting with my students and their parents. These kids need to get back on the path of loving to learn and valuing the gift of learning.
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AuthorI am a first grade teacher who is passionate about her students and learning new things! Archives
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