Reflect on the interview with Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay and post a blog entry that shares an idea you have implemented, or recently discovered, that fosters collaboration and helps to develop students’ respectful and ethical minds.
Mr. Juliani's interview with Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay on the "Flat Classroom" was very enlightening and it shows what students with respectful and ethical minds can do! I have heard of the flat classroom in another course for the Instructional Media program, but this is the first time I have seen this video and I believe I have a greater understanding of collaboration and the benefits of reaching out beyond one's comfort zone. The 'Flat Classroom' is a framework set up by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay that helps students engage the mind and discover new ideas and perspectives. This framework includes projects that are researched and completed with students from around the world.
Vicki Davis mentioned how students today need to know how to collaborate and to troubleshooting. During any collaboration, you are going to run into roadblocks or speed bumps. Troubleshooting these problems creates an opportunity, according to Vicki Davis, to think at a higher level. When you are troubleshooting a problem with a student across the world, it can add even more difficulty. It might be more difficult to troubleshoot or find common ground with someone so different from yourself, but in the end, it is worth it. The student has the opportunity to learn from the other person. Each student brings unique strengths and perspectives to the table. Troubleshooting problems increases communication and you understanding of the other person. Vicki Davis stated, "Students are the greatest textbooks out there.. it is our job as teachers to open them!"(Juliani, 2013). The Flat Classroom encourages students to collaborate respectfully and to work with each other to create a unique solution.
In my classroom, I have been slow to implement projects that feature collaboration. I am only in my 4th year teaching and in previous years, I always was pressured to 'get the curriculum done'. Like Julie stated in the video, projects that feature collaboration is a journey and requires a commitment of time and resources. I used to think I simply didn't have time to do anything like this. I quickly noticed, just like Gardner that, "students take keen note of how teachers treat one another, how they treat other adults and how they treat students--particularly those who come from a non-majority group" (Gardner 2007). Students look to us to teach and model respectful minds and it is up to us as educators to develop lessons and projects that foster the respectful mind. Currently, I am working with a new project with my 8th grade US History Class. They are examining Nathaniel Bacon and his role on history. One of the elements of this project is to determine whether he was a hero or traitor. As a group, the students looked over some primary and secondary sources for information. They had to organize their information that they gathered and share it with their group. They then were do discuss whether or not Bacon was a hero... or a traitor. As I suspected, those who were a little more rebellious, thought he was a traitor, and those who were rule followers, thought he was a traitor. They also had to support their reasoning with facts. The students tended to really enjoy this assignment because they were in control of their own thoughts. They were allowed to freely decided on what they believed about the situation. There was no 'wrong' answer. I was pleasantly surprised about how well my student's respected each other's opinions. Of course, there were a few students who decided to name call and degrade another's opinion. I used this as a learning opportunity. I talked to the student about how it feels to be degraded based on their opinion. Many of them believed it was ok because it was done to them. After talking to the student about being respectful and modeling how to approach someone with a different opinion, they usually turned around and was able to be respectful, but still argue their points. "A truly respectful individual offers the benefit of the doubt to all human beings" (Gardner 2007). I stated to the students that their own opinion might not be valued or heard if they continue to view other's opinions as being 'stupid'. I told them if they wanted to also be heard and taken seriously, they will need to model respectful behavior. Being respectful doesn't mean being complacent. I want my students to think on their own, be able to draw their on conclusions and have the ability to respectfully present their arguments and back it up with facts. I also witnessed students agree to disagree and merit other people's different arguments. "Rather than ignoring differences, being inflamed by them, or seeking to annihilate them through love or hate, I call on human beings to accept the differences, learn to live with them, and value those who belong to other cohorts" (Gardner, 2007) I was surprised on how well they did with the project. I realized that I need to give my 8th graders more credit! Not only did they learn the material and the effects of one man on history, but they also developed stronger skills in respectful collaboration. I can't wait to try something similar later in the year.
Gardner, H. (2007). Five Minds for the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Juliani, A. (2013, March 11). Flattening Classrooms and Engaging Minds with Global Education: An
Interview with Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay [Blog post]. Retrieved from Education is my Life
website: http://educationismylife.com/flattening-classrooms-and-engaging-minds-with-global-education-an-interview-with-vicki-davis-and-julie-lindsay/
No comments:
Post a Comment