http://ezinearticles.com/?Active-Learning---The-Only-Option-For-the-Middle-School-Student&id=2646972
In this article, I found myself just continually nodding my head--a yes nod! Daniel Yordy is a very avid believer that the middle school student shouldn't just be 'sitting at their desk' but rather making things, exploring, and getting dirty. He feels very strongly that the repetition students got academically in elementary school is not appropriate for the middle schooler; nor "college prep."
Daniel Yordy's main point throughout this article I felt like was that student's cannot understand or find what they are, until they are given the chance to embrace it. He never knew he was a teacher until he took a chance, and tried it out. Yordy feels that project-based learning is the best way to go, and that through those projects students may find their passions, where bookwork could never give that.
One of the NMSA TWB characteristics says that students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. If Yordy's articles was a teacher's passion as well, there would be lots of hands on project based learning going on in that classroom. We all know we remember what we did, it's the experience that counts....
This article was interesting Lindsey, and I think it reflects a shift in education that is slowly happening. We're moving from teacher-centered lecture to student-centered, active learning the way this article describes. But the author is right, there are still those who say kids doing something interesting can't possibly be learning. I think despite all the naysayers, we will finally get there, and education in this country in 10 years or so will look radically different than it does now. Hopefully more like this article suggests. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteMr. Yordy has hit the nail on the head, especially in regard to middle school boys. It does seem like the girls can handle the boredom much better than boys. However, all middle school childern need to be up and moving. He also hits on the concept discussed in our text about incorporating those career choice classes into the curriculum. The average adult changes jobs every 10 years (I believe that is the statistic), so knowing this we must expose our middle school kids to as much as possible. Who knows, a child might find their calling in middle school. All this talk about really getting them moving, and creating projects has made me put those two concepts on the top of my list for the '11-'12 school year. Thank you for the article Lindsey!
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