Blog Post 11 What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?

  In Brian Crosby's video,"Back to the Future", Crosby talks about the setbacks of a narrow curriculum. He says that it is hard to imagine what could be, if you don't know anything about what is. Because of this, students have nothing to build creativity off of, leading to no passion. He goes on to show many of the projects his students have done, and how it has positively affected them with motivational context. Students need opportunities to build schema for the real world.

  In the video,"Blended Learning Cycle", Paul Anderson discusses the use of the blended learning cycle in his science classroom. Blended learning is taking the compelling parts of online, mobile, and classroom learning, and blending them together, then taking the learning cycle (engage, explore, explain, expand, evaluate) and combining it with blended learning, producing the blended learning cycle. This cycle moves through the following steps: Question, Investigation/Inquiry, Video, Elaboration, Review, and Summary quiz(QIVERS). He says that the blended learning cycle makes him feel more involved in the classroom.

  In the video,"Making Thinking Visible", Dr. Ron Ritchhart talks about documenting students thinking to use as a model for other students and teachers to learn from. This helps in showing the progress of ideas and in evaluating students thinking process. Visible means written, recorded, documented, etc.

  In the video,"Sam Pane 4th Grade", Sam Pane teaches his students to become super digital citizens. A super digital citizen is a person who chooses to act safely, respectfully, and responsibly online. He lets his students build their own superhero digital citizens and puts them in real world situations online to inspire them to act responsibly while on the internet, he says this gives his a students a greater sense of ownership. One student said he felt inspired by his classmates superhero to react safely online. Pane says students will be exposed to choices online and he wants to prepare them to make smart choices.

  In the video,"Project Based Learning", three teachers talk about how they restructured their classroom to incorporate project based learning (PBL) to create a unique learning experience for students. The teachers realized that when the students were given more time for their projects, they were able to go back to improve and enhance. Students feel an ownership of the project and do better when they are able to go deeper and when they are given more time.

  In the video,"Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program", PBL is broken down into its basic parts and definitions. PBL (project based learning) is in depth learning, integrated thematic instruction, based on a real world problem, research based, and deals with project and presentation. PBL incorporates real world problem solving skills in the classroom, students learn how to think for themselves.The application of the students knowledge is apparent when PBL is applied. PBL encourages public speaking at a young age, reducing fear in future classes. Through PBL, students have their own choices and options, which gives them a sense of ownership, pride, and power. Students also learn to work in groups, cooperate, and collaborate with fellow students. PBL combines so many educational and learning styles. Students become engaged and have background knowledge when working with PBL. Teachers and parents agree that PBL has done so much for the children and improved their learning/cooperating/applying skills tremendously