As I sit here exhausted on a Friday night, I am watching the news and am struck at the devastation in Japan over the last 24 hours. I think what shocked me the most, was that my students new as much or more than I did today about the global tragedy we suffered over-night. I hadn't watched the news, so I had to play catch up to even discuss it with my students. I was astounded with how many tweets were coming out of Japan per minute. We were able to witness firsthand the devastation and destruction the Japanese felt. Thanks to this global communication, my students already had more of a knowledge base of what happened in Japan than I did. It sparked meaningful conversations in our read aloud time since I had spent two weeks in Japan with my husband years ago. I was able to share my experiences with my students and connect it to a read aloud about a Japanese family after World War II.
It really brought home to me that when this generation is interested in a topic, they seem to soak up unbelievable amounts of information. I believe that the key to this generation is authentic learning. It seems that if they care about what they learn, they tend to make deeper connections to the information. I have noticed that the creativity in this Generation Next (born from 1998-present) seems to be exploding. We, as educations, are challenged to tap into this creativity. The real challenge for me is to find the time to create authentic learning experiences when current budget constraints have caused most of us to be overworked with more students in our classes and privy to less resources. I would love to hear from you and get your thoughts on how you deal with this dilemma!
The second sentence should read "knew" instead of "new." Sorry!
ReplyDeleteI am also amazed, and at times concerned, with how instantly information is accessable to everyone, even if the content is not age appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI once asked my mother how she stood it when my dad was away fighting in World War II. She said that they didnt know enough to worry at the level people do today. She said "we didnt know every little detail as soon as it happened. By the time we knew about it, we already knew he was safe."
I agree with Holly, the dynamics of learning have changed with the Generation Next. Students are much more willing to go above and beyond what is required of them if the topic being studied is of interest and what they want to do.
ReplyDeleteI had second graders coming in discussing everything that was going on in Japan. I was kind of surprised they were discussing worldly events. I am a Net Genner, but I can honestly say that I don't remember discussing worldly problems in second grade. I feel I pretty much lived in a bubble all the way through high school. I also was surprised that none of my students seemed scared about the events that were going on. Since the students were interested in what was happening in Japan, I turned the t.v. on to show them some live updates. I thought if this is what the kids are interested in I might as well try to find a teachable moment. It was interesting how none of the kids asked if this type of event could occur here, where we live. I know I would have asked that at their age.
With the ever changing econonmy, larger classes, and lack of resources and money we have a greater responsibility to bring authentic and engaging work to our students. It won't be easy, but we have to work hard to get the students what they need, and what they're interested in.