Last week, we watched "The Dreaded Stairs" and I asked you to reflect on why I showed this. One of the themes that you wrote about was thinking outside the box. The other common themes that emerged in your writing were fun, motivation, challenges, thought provoking, creativity, technology, and appealing (not sure if that is a theme but it sounds like a good idea).
You also spoke about the direct correlation that this video has to education... but... does our current system match the themes that you all wrote about?
14 comments:
I think that our current education system idolizes these qualities of teaching. However, the way that our system functions leaves little time for fun, creativity, and imagination. Strict state standards, for instance, don't allow much wiggle room for teachers. They must stick to the curriculum and the methods that will help a student pass a state test. Future teachers are given the tools now to be innovative and unique but unless our educational system makes fundamental changes, our efforts can only go so far.
I think that this clip presented many good ideas. Maybe its just me, but the stairs to me represent a classroom lesson. Lessons tend to be tedious and boring and noone wants to participate or contribute to that lesson but, if we make it fun, then more individuals are likely to get involved. You have a stair case verse a moving stair case, which is more fun? The moving stair case. You have a moving stair case verse a musical stair case, which is more fun? The musical stair case. You have walking on a regular surface verse a moving walkway, which is more fun? The moving walkway. The more fun an activity is the more people want to be involved. If we could make something that is so tedious and boring, such as going to and working out at the gym, fun then I'm sure more people will be willing to give it a try.
Our current education system, as I have witnessed, does not match the themes that we wrote about. I rarely see students being taught to think outside of the box. It is something I didn't learn until I entered college and took a proofs course. Students can have fun with the work and material, depending on the teacher, but the fun is also limited since teachers are afraid of losing control over the classroom. Many of the students I have talked to and worked with feel that their only motivation is to either: not be grounded or get into college. Not that going to college isn't a great motivation, but it shouldn't be their only motivation. The motivation they do have is questioned as soon as the work becomes challenging. They are so used to being spoon fed that they choke the minute we give them something that isn't spoon fed and a tad bit harder. In addition to this, we do not provide them with challenges that are relevant to their lives. Many of the problems they do are broken into steps that they attempt to memorize. Life isn't a step-by-step problem and students are not being exposed to the problems that they will tackle in "real" life. Students are taught to learn and behave one way in school and then go home to an entirely different lifestyle. We aren't fostering a love of learning, just a modified behavior.
I think with the current education system, students are not given the opportunity to think outside the box, or allow them to express their creativity to their full capacity. From the New York State Standards to the Standardized testing, much of what students are learning are focused around these aspects. For those that are not, because curriculum and learning is so important many teachers force one form of learning and teach only one way which hinders students ability to use their creativity to learn and think outside the box
The concept of "the fun theory" certainly motivated more people to choose to take the stairs over the escalator because of that "fun" factor. In education, however, I think that fun is not necessarily utilized to its full potential. Because testing is seen as so important in education today, many teachers simply need to cover all the material for exams and are forced to buckle down and just get their jobs done. Unfortunately, in many cases covering all the material is more important than engaging the students and making the material fun and engaging. In the "Dreaded Stairs" video, both the escalator and the stairs got all the people to the same destination, but the level of interest and enthusiasm in getting there was drastically different. If teachers were able to use this "fun theory" in the classroom, their students would be much more enthused about the subjects and most likely do better on their exams. There is certainly a need for this fun theory in education today, and should be implemented more often.
I believe that our current education system does not entirely match all of the themes we wrote about it but I do believe that this system is going in that direction. From the teachers meetings that I have recently sat in on, I have seen the new core ideas and standards passed by the board of education. These ideas and standards tell the teachers to focus on creativity, asking students thought provoking questions and trying to get their students to think critically while keeping them engaged in the lesson. What interested me was how the teachers mentioned that these core ideas and standards still existed 15 years ago but they still talk about it like its a new thing. So in my opinion, I think that these themes we mentioned from the video are present in our current education system. The only problem is that we never follow through with them and we continue to teach the traditional way.
I agree, students are definitely not taught to think outside the box. We are so concerned with getting good grades that we are afraid to put down a wrong answer when we can potentially learn from our mistakes.
I think that people want to believe that our education system is one that obtains all the qualities that we listed in class(thinking outside the box, fun, motivating, challenging, thought provoking, creative, technological, and appealing); however, I personally don't believe that it does. Sure there are teachers who tap into the aspects we spoke about, but like someone mentioned before me, there really isn't much room to tap into these ideas due to things outside the teachers control. If teachers really thought about different options and working with what they do have, they could create something that motivates every student. While it may take some time (months, maybe even years), our educational system will become one that is creative, unique and motivating to each and every student.
I agree with Diana that our current education system idolizes these qualities of teaching, but doesn't actively fulfill them. These qualities are stressed in the education classes I have been taking; however, when in a classroom working under a mentor teacher, seeing these qualities can go either way. For example, I've taken several education classes specific to science education that stress inquiry and a movement away from the classic scientific method. But in the fourth grade classroom, in which I am currently observing and will later student teach, the scientific method is posted on the wall. I agree with the many other comments that note that NYS standards and testing are significant factors regarding this issue. I think in being pressured to "teach to the test," educators are continuing to formulate "cookbook" lessons, which do not foster creativity, critical thinking, etc.
I thought that the video served as an inspiration especially to educators. It embodies the qualities that educators want to include in their lessons but not limited to creativity and innovation. However with limitations set upon us by the state it is easy to forget the importance of creating innovative and thought provoking lessons that allow students to be actively involved. When I have my own classroom a challenge of mine will be to incorporate hands on activities that relate to the standards. Also these lessons should allow the students to think outside of the box and further their curiosity in different subjects. School is a stepping stone into the real world and students should be taught skills that will allow them to succeed.
I do not think that our current education system incorporates the themes of thinking outside the box, motivation, creativity and technology. I think the system is more focused on making sure that the students pass the state exams instead of making sure that students are actually learning. I think teachers are scared to try new things because their students need to know the formulas and facts for the test. I think teachers can be creative by using technology to create lessons that teach the formulas and facts for the test but also allow the students to remember these facts after the test is over. By being creative with it, I think students will be more interested in what they are learning. I know that personally I only remember the facts, from high school, that were interesting to me. Our current education system should change so that these themes are seen in the classroom.
Unfortunately, I believe our education system lacks many of the themes that we listed. I agree with JMarks20 and the fact that Standardized Tests and "test prep" have consumed much of the curriculum we teach. Our education system symbolizes the stairs that no one wants to use. Teachers get frustrated and tired of teaching test prep day after day and students become unenthused to learn. Students are NOT being challenged to "think outside the box." In regards to the education we teach, maybe we need to take a step back and figure out how we can "remodel the stairs," to make learning more fun, motivating and thought provoking.
This is a perfect example of how technology keeps growing and making it more interesting for everyone. Using technology brings creativity in classrooms where every child will participate and have fun while learning. In this video we all saw, more and more people were trying the new "fun" way of going up the stairs rather than the old "boring" way. If technology keeps growing, we as teachers should take this as an advantage working with children as well as children working with one another in a creative way.
I find it interesting that we want children to think outside the box, but we are still teaching children the same way we always have. We aren’t allowing them to think on their own. By doing this I feel that students think everything has been figured out for them and that their job is to memorize! Most teachers are caught up with the fact that students need to do well on the state exams at the end of the year and they are preparing these students in the most uninteresting way. Can’t students learn without using as textbook or through a teacher’s lecture? I think the answer is YES!!!! Will it take teacher more time to find material? YES! But at least the students will want to learn and will more likely remember what was taught!
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