As teachers we are required to teach our students in a way that they will understand and be able to apply the concepts to the standardized state test.  Unfortunately, our students are only "collecting the dots" and not "connecting the dots!"  It is sad to know that what we teach is only remembered for a little time.

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So what are we supposed to do?  What are we going to do?  The questions is not the way the students are learning but the way we are teaching out students.  Teachers have to think that what we teach will be retained in our students.  The reality os that if the content is not interesting to our students, then they will not retain the information by just sitting and taking notes.  Recalling the information is very one method.  Most students struggle to retain the information if it is not presented to them in a matter in which they can identify to it.

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I have been in education for almost 25 years, working as clerical, office and classroom.  I have heard the stories and seen those who have benefited from out of the "ordinary" teachers.  I wanted to see how those successful students gained so much knowledge. These students understood the teachers who made learning fun and exciting.  The instruction was given to them in a way that was not the norm.  Today, students have technology.  They were born into a technological world that has advanced education in a way that not only is changing but developing at a rapid pace.  So, where do the students who grasp the concepts do now?  How do we keep them engaged?

 

Teachers have to commit to what type of learners do we want our students to become. The state has established the curriculum to follow, but that does not mean we have to teach it the same way the writers taught it. We, the teachers, are responsible for preparing the students for the real-world, a world that is constantly changing and evolving. Our students need to evolve throughout their learning journey. "With applying some of the outcome-based education practices, students will be more agile, innovative, and more forward goal oriented." (Harapnuik, 2016) These outcome-based education practices assist students to be learner centered and learner controlled.  Our students will be more engaged to the real world problems they face today.

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It has come to mind that I must challenge myself, in order to challenge my students. I must also connect the dots in order for my students to also connect the dots.  My classroom has not been a place where creativity has brought passion and imagination to my students.  I question myself if I have allowed my students to receive creativity if I have not done a creative classroom.  Next school year my goal his to set a classroom where students can create, imagine, and find solutions to real world problems while facilitating their learning.  Technology has made it possible to allow us to express ourselves with color, sounds, shapes, and pictures. My Innovation Plan asks for iPads where students can easily have access to their imagination and creativity.  We, my students and I, can create an environment without fear of being wrong, offer multiple mediums to express what they have learned (video, presentation, picture, etc.) and most of all create an environment of authentic learning education.

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This will also produce an environment that promotes future leadership and innovative learning.  As a teacher, I will also build on my capabilities of learning new teaching methods and become more of a facilitator than a standerized instructor.   I am excited to see what this new plan will look like and how my students will react to the new style of teaching.  My classroom will continue to succeed through "out of the box" teaching which promotes self awareness and self experience.  Let's THINK DIFFERENT!!!