Seeing a Scientist

“The NVIV (Next Vista Inspiring Video) series of posts are written by Rushton Hurley and designed to provide students and teachers with fascinating discussion prompts.”

In Seeing a Scientist, Rushton features Gitanjali Rao, the 12-year-old who invented “Tethys,” a portable device that detects lead in water.

He gives the following prompts to accompany this video:

“Do you think a 12-year-old can really be a scientist? Why or why not?

Does your definition make it easier to imagine being something that usually only an adult can be? What would be another career that it would be cool to do at your age? What makes it possible for you?”

This video shows that age does not matter when trying to find a solution to something. It seems that no one told this girl that she was too young to try. As teachers, we should encourage students to look at real-world problems and see what they might be able to do to help be the solution. It should not matter how old they are. Too many times society dismisses people because they are too young or too old. This proves that age shouldn’t matter.

Please check out the video and think of other prompts you might come up with. Please share.

Relate to the Real World

There are so many lessons that I think students need to learn. Yes, they need to learn the basics of reading and math, and writing but how we teach these skills is also important.

Just learning facts and memorizing things won’t help students retain the information.

It is important that all learning is related to how the skills will be used in the real world.

There are tools that my grandparents may have used in school that are no longer relevant to skills needed today. There are also tools that are important to learn how to use today that were not even invented during my grandparents’ time.

I like to think about the skill that I’m wanting to teach and then list all the ways that I use that skill currently. I also like to think about what occupations may use these skills on a daily basis. That is a great way to introduce a lesson. It is important for students to learn why they are having to learn something because this helps keep them engaged. By knowing the purpose helps students know that it isn’t just busywork. At the end of the lesson or unit, I might invite a speaker in that specific career who could tell about their occupation and how they use these skills in the workplace.

Reading is a skill that everyone uses every day whether it is reading a newspaper, road signs, or directions on how to do something. The better a person can read, the more opportunities that are available to them.

Many math skills are needed in everyday living skills. Counting money, Budgeting, paying bills, savings, paying for recreational activities all involve math skills. Cooking and measurement go hand in hand.

Writing is necessary for communication. Many forms require personal information and signatures. People leave notes for others when face-to-face communication is not available. Texting on phones or sending emails are commonplace activities now.

As long as I can show my students how they will use a certain skill in their life right now, students are more engaged and willing to learn. If I can’t show a purpose for learning that skill, I need to rethink what I’m teaching. Am I just doing this for busywork? If so, I should be teaching something that they need to learn.

How do you relate your teaching to real life? Please share.

Photo by Carl Jorgensen on Unsplash

Misconceptions of Reality

In Dangerous advice for young people from Blue Skunk Blog, Doug Johnson asks,

“What dangerous things were you taught in school?”

There were many things that we were taught either by being told or watching examples that as I grew older and wiser, I realized just wasn’t true. If you have a chance, read Doug’s post because there is a great list. Here are a few that I would add:

"Only the popular kids will go far in life and become successful. "(Who measures success? I wasn’t popular but had a job I loved and I made a difference. I feel pretty successful.)

Never question the teacher because it is disrespectful. (If you aren’t sure why, always question the teacher. There is a way to ask questions without asking them disrespectfully.)

You should follow directions without asking questions. (This isn’t the military where we are being programmed to do what we are told. Sometimes we understand things better if we know why we are doing them.)

Try to become the teacher’s favorite and you will do better. (No one likes a butt-kisser. Sometimes it is the person who stands their ground who makes a better impression.)

Never rock the boat. (This is why things never change for the better. Sometimes you have to rock the boat to get people to see that some things need to change.)

Don’t fight back. Go tell a teacher. (There are some times when you will have to stand up for yourself. You can’t always depend on someone rescuing you. You don’t have to fight back physically but you can use words. You need to be creative. People respect you more if you stand up for yourself.)

What did you learn in school but found out that reality is quite different? Please share.

Virtual vs. Face to Face

In Is Face to Face Better than Virtual? from On an e-Journey with Generation Y, murcha asks,

“What do you think? If money, effort, cost, availability were of no consequence, and the presenter was highly engaging, would you choose face to face or virtual linkups? Why is one preferable over the other? How successful have your video linkups been? What makes them successful, what makes for unsuccessful connections?”

I believe that if money, effort, cost, and availability were no object, I would choose face to face linkups for my classroom.

Keep in mind that I love all my virtual linkups as well as face to face meetups but I believe that virtually linkups are just 2 dimensional where face to face is 3 dimensional. The more “real” it can be for my students, the more meaningful it will be for them.

Years ago, my class read the novel Four Perfect Pebbles by Marion Blumenthal Lazan. Through various connections, I was able to share expenses with 2 other schools and invite the author to come to our schools. I didn’t just have my whole class there to meet her, but I invited the whole school and even the community. It was amazing how exciting this whole event was! Students from other classes who I knew had some behavior issues were even well behaved! There was something about seeing this author in person that made her story more real. When she talked about differences in people and how all people had value, this message really resonated with my students. By being able to go up to her and even hug her, was a moment that many of my students would never forget. Even years later, I see former students who talk about this.

Now, this author was elderly and probably could have visited my class virtually but I don’t believe it would have been as meaningful. She would have been able to interact with the students and answer questions but there is something special and personal about seeing someone face to face. I don’t believe that I would have been able to engage the whole school or even the community in such a positive way as seeing the author in real life.

As I mentioned, I love meeting my online friends virtually. I feel connected with them and enjoy our friendships. But I love when I have a chance to meet them in person. I feel a deeper connection with them.

Yet, due to the economy, money, effort, cost, and availability are issues in real life. Having the opportunity to connect with others virtually is the next best thing. I would highly recommend it. Being able to interact with people around the world brings a new dimension to learning in the classroom. If face to face meetings are not possible, by all means, look for ways to connect virtually.

What do you think? How would you answer the question? Please share.

Image: 'Flat Classroom Skype'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8107002@N03/3122642792
Found on flickrcc.net

The Real Person

Did you ever meet one that disappointed you because the way they were in real life is much different than what you expected? Have you ever met a celebrity in person that you really liked the way they were in real life?

One year at our Council for Exceptional Children national conference, Patch Adams was our keynote speaker. I remember watching the movie starring Robin Williams. I thought it was a great movie and was impressed with the character. But to think that I was going to finally meet this person in real life was so exciting. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he was an arrogant, belligerent man. He was not friendly and had no intention of being friendly. Our teacher of the year told him that her kids admired him and read his book and asked if he would take a picture with her. He told her no but if she wanted to pay for it, he might be willing. He was not joking and we were all in shock at his behavior. He asked the group why anyone thought they could take a picture of him without paying him for it. I was flabbergasted! Needless to say, I left the room, and was not impressed with him at all. In fact, his keynote address left me cold.

A few years later at another national conference, I met Henry Winkler (the Fonz on Happy Days) and he was awesome! He was the keynote speaker at my conference and suddenly got bit by the shy bug and couldn’t go up to meet him. He honed in on me, walked to me, and said that I looked like I needed a hug so he hugged me! We also saw him at the hotel bar and he acted just like an ordinary person talking to different people like you and I would. I liked him even more because of this. When he gave his speech, you could tell that it was heartfelt and real. He was a sincere person who seemed to truly care about what he was saying and how people received it.

This made such a big impression on me. It made me realize that my students see me in the same light. If I come across like Patch Adams, they will write me off and not care about anything I have to say. If I am like Henry Winkler, and show how much I truly care and that I am a real person like them, the students will be more receptive and willing to hear what I have to say.

Have you had an experience like one of these? If so, please share!

Image: 'The Fonz'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49968232@N00/5380148999

Disconnected

After reading Will You Unwire for a Day? Please issue the challenge and take our survey. from Cool Cat Teacher Blog, coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher), states,

“We are looking for people and students who are willing to UNWIRE for a day. That's right. One whole day! Now, if you need to use technology for work/school that is ok. But, besides that we want your cell phone off, your xbox off, and even your TV off for a day.

Are you and your students willing to take the challenge?
Why or why not? Either way we want you to fill out our survey!

They would like as many people as possible to take the challenge and fill out their survey between now and next Monday at 8:15 am Eastern.

If you're NOT willing - go ahead and fill out the survey. If you are willing, come back and fill out this survey AFTER you have completed the challenge! (even if you fail) What do you think your students will say?”

I am going to give it a try. I think I won’t have a problem and if I do, it will tell me how I’m too attached to my devices than I should be. I sometimes use my computer and cell phone as a distraction from doing a lot of other things. As I sit here and write this post, I think of all the other things I should be doing. I should be folding laundry and vacuuming the house and washing bathrooms. But using the computer is much more fun!

Here is the list of things I can do if I am disconnected. (I will compare this list to the actual list of thing I do on that day).

1. Knit

2. Read

3. Vaccuum

4. Declutter

5. Wash bathrooms

6. Fold clothes

7. Bake

8. Garden

9. Hike

10. Visit friends

Are you willing to take this challenge? If so, please let me know how you did!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Unplugged'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17792525@N00/4322149444 by: Nigel Marshall

What is the Real World?

In This World, That World and Some Other World from Education On The Plate, Deven Black states,

“I don’t like the term ‘real world.’

It is often used in sentences like ‘Every lesson in school should relate to the real world.’

Formulations like that make me think schools are like the Floating World of ancient Japan or the artificial world of the holodeck on some Star Trek spaceship.

Schools are the real world, just as much as slums or split-level suburban homes are.”

As soon as I saw this, I knew, as my husband hears frequently, I feel a blog post coming! I use the term “real world” a lot because I think it distinguishes it from a different time in people’s lives when they are sheltered and protected. I feel the real world makes people vulnerable and I need to prepare my students so that they can enter situations supplied with whatever tools and strategies necessary to keep them safe and independent.

I do not feel like a school situation is the “real world.” Parents, Teachers, and Administrators are able to manipulate the environment in different ways to help a student and this is not possible in the real world. I have worked hard at the beginning of the year to help my students succeed in different situations so they can use their confidence in trying more difficult assignments. There are also laws that protect children in schools that help them get accommodations and modifications to instruction if needed (IDEA and 504, for example). Administrators may use different discipline techniques to help students learn social skills necessary to get along with others. Special Education students are protected under special ed laws that enable them to continue with their education even if they are removed from a regular school environment.

It kind of reminds me of times I have seen football teams practice or play scrimmages and how they differ from real games. The real games are the ones that count. They count towards statistics, records, and championships but practice games and scrimmages do not. Practice games and scrimmages are a way to practice plays or move players to different positions and try them out. This is the time to explore different possibilities without it actually hurting statistics or records.

When a student causes minor problems in school, there are repercussions and this teaches a student how to be accountable for his actions. When a person gets in the “real world,” this student is usually of legal age and being accountable for his actions may involve money or even jail time. This does not usually happen at school age unless the student has broken a major law. I have seen students show violence in schools that will not be tolerated in the real world. Law enforcement will not care if this student has a disability or comes from a bad home life when protecting other citizens.

In school, if you misbehave, they send you to the office and pay the penalty, and then return to class. Unless you are expelled (and schools must have a good reason), you return to class. In the workplace (the real world), employers don’t tolerate people who won’t do their job. Employers want someone who will show up for work regularly, get the job done, as well as get along with other workers. There are too many people who need a job and want that position if you don’t follow the employer’s policies. If you can’t do the job for some reason, they can fire you.

In school, the system makes sure that students get fed. There are free and reduced lunch programs to feed children. If a student does not have lunch or money continuously, someone is notified about this problem (social worker, DSS etc.) In the real world, many people go to work hungry and go home hungry. Many people work so that they can pay bills and buy food.

Even when I went to college and lived on campus, I do not consider that the real world. I paid tuition and room and board as well as books but those were my major expenses. Many other students had their education paid for by their parents. When I graduated and got my first apartment, I never realized how much money was needed for deposits as well as electric, water, and phone bills. No one prepared me for these real world situation.

So, I guess I really don’t feel that school is the real world. And yes, I do feel that my lessons should be related to the real world so I can prepare my students for things that they may face. I might not be able to cover all of the situations they may face, but I hope that I give them enough tools and information so they can go find the answers they need.

What do you think? Is school the real world or not?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Summer Storm over Kuala Lumpur'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95572727@N00/521001746 by: Trey Ratcliff