In Will Richardson’s essay “Why School?”, the author presents an evaluation of our current school system and how information technology has shifted how educators need to teach students. The Internet has transformed how we access knowledge; we now live in a world of abundant and widely accessible information. What is taught and modes of assessment must change in order to focus on not what students know but in how they use and express their understanding. Things that students can Google is second to how they process and parse, find meaning and relevancy, and make connections to the wider systems at play. The author acknowledges that change is slow and that certain expectations, despite how irrelevant they seem, cannot change overnight.
Richardson presents a plan of action that focuses on what teachers need to do in order to fulfill “old school expectations and new-world realities” even though, he argues, that “we have to do that second part even though no one is asking us to.” Of the six items Richardson outlines, I can and have already committed myself to be a “master learner.”
In order to be a master learner, I commit myself to learn with my students which is going to be an on-going process. I fully acknowledge that I do not know everything and that I am not the smartest person in the room (and even if I was, it still doesn’t matter). This open and willing acknowledgement that I do not know everything is the foundation that drives me to keep learning as an on-going process that does not just happen during professional developments or meetings. My learning is not on a schedule. My learning occurs everyday through both reflection of what I have done and utilization of technological tools. I already have a fairly straightforward method of evaluation I use for both myself and for when I facilitate the learning of others - assess what went well and what could be better. Even though this may seem obvious or straightforward, I think that having a mindful need for reflection and a simple process to achieve it is paramount of master learners. My use of technology such as Twitter, Diigo, and other means of finding, storing, and accessing information is still in its infancy; however, I have already reaped some its benefits. I have found several relevant articles that I will use to help me plan and prepare for my first lesson. Even more significant than that, these articles were put out there by individuals, people on the other end of that screen. That connection to the sharer is almost magical to me. I do not know these people personally - they are literally strangers to me. I don’t know if I would let them into my home, yet I peruse, parse, and select information of interest to me from these strangers. I take their shared knowledge and shape and mold it for myself and my future students. I will continue this process and will do my best to share what I discover when I learn with my future students and with my fellow colleagues.
Richardson, W. (2012, September 5). Why School? [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Richardson presents a plan of action that focuses on what teachers need to do in order to fulfill “old school expectations and new-world realities” even though, he argues, that “we have to do that second part even though no one is asking us to.” Of the six items Richardson outlines, I can and have already committed myself to be a “master learner.”
In order to be a master learner, I commit myself to learn with my students which is going to be an on-going process. I fully acknowledge that I do not know everything and that I am not the smartest person in the room (and even if I was, it still doesn’t matter). This open and willing acknowledgement that I do not know everything is the foundation that drives me to keep learning as an on-going process that does not just happen during professional developments or meetings. My learning is not on a schedule. My learning occurs everyday through both reflection of what I have done and utilization of technological tools. I already have a fairly straightforward method of evaluation I use for both myself and for when I facilitate the learning of others - assess what went well and what could be better. Even though this may seem obvious or straightforward, I think that having a mindful need for reflection and a simple process to achieve it is paramount of master learners. My use of technology such as Twitter, Diigo, and other means of finding, storing, and accessing information is still in its infancy; however, I have already reaped some its benefits. I have found several relevant articles that I will use to help me plan and prepare for my first lesson. Even more significant than that, these articles were put out there by individuals, people on the other end of that screen. That connection to the sharer is almost magical to me. I do not know these people personally - they are literally strangers to me. I don’t know if I would let them into my home, yet I peruse, parse, and select information of interest to me from these strangers. I take their shared knowledge and shape and mold it for myself and my future students. I will continue this process and will do my best to share what I discover when I learn with my future students and with my fellow colleagues.
Richardson, W. (2012, September 5). Why School? [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com