Couros uses a definition posited by Carl Bass, "Innovation is process by which we change the world...It's the practical application of ideas and technologies to make new and better things." The author emphasizes that for something to be truly innovative, it must be both new and better, however rit does not necessarily need to be a thing. In education, what this really down to is creating an environment and designing learning experiences in which the learners...learn. It seems obvious, but how much does a student actually learn while in school? I think it may be important at this point to distinguish between learning and memorizing-regurgitating information. A quote from the Center for Accelerated Learning I found especially fitting:
"Learning is creation, not consumption. Knowledge is not something a learner absorbs, but something a learner creates. Learning happens when a learner integrates new knowledge and skill into his or her existing structure of self. Learning is literally a matter of creating new meaning, new neural networks, and new patterns of electro/chemical interactions within one's brain/body system"
I though that was pretty eloquently stated and echoes so much of what I believe as a future teacher.
Much of the advice that the author gives concerning innovative education is making students the center of the classroom and encouraging them to take responsibility for their own learning. However, Couros points out that students have been condition to "schooling" and are not comfortable with that responsibility and may push back when teachers try new that doesn't include worksheets and multiple choice tests. So a question that I have been pondering, and that I am hoping will be addressed in the following chapters, is how, as a teacher, can I help my students take responsibility for their own learning and actually have a desire to learn? How can I as a teacher inspire young people to want to learn about the world and discover something that they can be passionate about?
I am excited to learn more and use what I learn to inspire others to do some good in the world. Thank you for joining me on my journey.
Michael Cahill
I'm excited to see how you apply what you read in this book to your development as an agricultural educator!
ReplyDeleteGood job!
LR
Thank you Dr. Rice!
DeleteThe disheartening thing about teaching is that many students come into our classroom each day without their basic needs being met. Often their minds are focused on those basic fundamentals and not on what we are teaching. Relevance of everything we teach to life is one way that we can help every student find value in our classroom instruction.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, it makes me think of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and if they are not getting those basic needs it will be hard for them to want to learn or think about anything but those unmet needs.
DeleteWe should talk more about how we can help meet some of those basic needs for our students. I'm thinking, edible gardens for students to grab an apple or a pear or a handful of blueberries etc. before coming to school in the morning.
One of the wonderful things about FFA is that FFA opens doors for students. Many of our students have never left the county or state and FFA makes global connections for them. Networking through CDEs, leadership conferences, and FFA dances today are the relationships that will run the agriculture industry of tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteYes absolutely! Meeting new people and gaining insight into how others view the world is so important for getting young people to challenge their paradigms. And as you said meeting people that can help you get a job or into school or whatever, invaluable.
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