For those of you who don't know (which would be all of you because I've never admitted this out loud, or by blog/text/email/twitter/facebook, before): I'm a closet Government-article-reader-addict. Yep...me. The pure natural blond who doesn't get the simplest of jokes, the one who can't remember to put her mascara on most days when she's worn makeup for 20 years, the mom who NEVER remembers to sign her son's planner until the few minutes before we leave for school...me. I love reading government news magazines and the best part is that I pretend to know what the heckles they're talking about! But in this month's article,
I read one that really pleased me and the reason was because it dealt with a possible change in Education.
I graduated with my elementary education degree in December of 2008. Although I'm not currently teaching, I spent two years in the classroom as a short and long term substitute teacher. And in those sorts of situations, once you get beyond the "let's see what we can get away with while our 'real' teacher is gone", what you notice is that the students have no idea what it means to learn in an active, on-site, and energetic classroom. In most cases, teachers would leave lesson plans with worksheets after questions after worksheets, and I'd turn them around, add a level or two of in-depth-ness, and make the lesson as engaging as possible. That was my mission as a teacher while getting my Masters Degree, and there are many days I'm sad that I still don't get to share it. Now with this article, it truly excites me that things are on the road to changing, even with me not being a part of it.
Forty-seven states are in the stages of developing "environmental literacy plans," which could help student engagement and achievement.
Not only is this amazing for our children, it's amazing for our environment. Our planet is dying a little bit every day. It's about time we put some emphasis on it's sustainability in our classrooms! We're doing what we can, but when it's all over and done with, our children will be the ones who decide whether our efforts are worth continuing. In addition, if done correctly, these measures will open the possibility to MORE active learning, and ideally, in an outdoor classroom. Let's get our kids out of the same four walls they see day-in and day-out, and in the middle of nature itself, even if it is on the barren front landscape of the school yard. Let them plant, let them dig. let them
play with dirt and learn each elements' properties through self experimentation and learning. Let them sit and simply write about what they see or whatever they are currently thinking about, in the wide open air.
Think this can't work? It CAN! Children have no idea how to discipline themselves to teach themselves...so teachers, LET'S TEACH THAT FIRST!
Make them learn how to teach themselves self-working-discipline. If we want our middle and high schoolers to be self-respecting and self-responsible when it comes to their learning (and thus increase test scores and statistics and college admissions results), we MUST teach them self-discipline while they are still young, before it's too late.
We have to teach them how to teach themselves. Teachers are meant to guide, parents are meant to encourage - neither of us can force the knowledge to permanently implant in the kids' brains. That kind of technology just isn't available (and in my opinion, hopefully never will be).
In the article, I don't think Rep. John Sarbanes could have said it any better:
"Getting their hands dirty has the greatest impact,” Sarbanes says. “It just gets them excited and engaged.” Sarbanes and other advocates say that student excitement spills over into other areas of academics and helps kids perform better across the board."
I couldn't agree more. One of the best lessons I ever taught was an on-the-spot first grade math lesson in which we went to the playground and identified each and every 3-D shape we could find. We walked around the entire school building while the kids drew, and then described in written words, what made the object a sphere or cube or whichever shape it was. Then they put the "scientific documentation" in a project journal. And I'm proud to say that each and every child mastered the skill on their test.
So, yes..I'm extremely passionate about this. Is this new piece of legislation the ultimate answer? Of course not! But it seems like a step in the right direction. And once we can get the transition made to not only teach "green", hopefully the actual classroom will shift. I would love nothing more than to hear that my son spent half of his school day outside, where he learned science, and participated in reading groups on the hill side, and wrote using his notepad on the side of the playground - knowing that was what was needed of him at that moment, and knowing that once he put forth that necessary effort, then he could run and skip and scream to his heart's content.
Oh and have I mentioned how beneficial this shift could be to the growing epidemic of overweight and obese children? Am I crazy, or am I on to something here?
