Over the last 10 years I have taught high school STEM courses. Teaching students about the blended worlds of science, technology, engineering, and math, was wonderful. I came to firmly believe that young people were capable of so much more, if we as teachers gave them simple instructions and got out of the way to let them direct their own learning. Now, of course, it’s not that simple. I developed a technique of clearly communicating project requirements and boundaries, helped them learn what they needed to know, and backed it up with a well understood assessment model. What surprised me is how well students did without me! I step down from the stage and became a collaborator with my students. The results were transformative for me as an educator, and I know that my students enjoyed my classes more.
Now that I’m working with Kindergarten through 6th grade at Dawson, I still believe firmly in this same pedagogical style. There is more scaffolding involved, but these young minds are capable of great things, if we give them the time and space to participate in hands-on, real world experiences in the classroom. As an adult, sometimes I forget how these “digital natives” are predisposed to technology. They have no barriers to learning technology.
I am excited to spend the year pushing the limits of what elementary students can do. I’m hoping that we have a rich year of digital media, coding, electronics, and robotics!
Now that I’m working with Kindergarten through 6th grade at Dawson, I still believe firmly in this same pedagogical style. There is more scaffolding involved, but these young minds are capable of great things, if we give them the time and space to participate in hands-on, real world experiences in the classroom. As an adult, sometimes I forget how these “digital natives” are predisposed to technology. They have no barriers to learning technology.
I am excited to spend the year pushing the limits of what elementary students can do. I’m hoping that we have a rich year of digital media, coding, electronics, and robotics!