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Sender: American Memory Fellows <AMFELLOWS@RS8.LOC.GOV>
Poster: Elizabeth Ridgeway <Eridgway@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re(2): Applying New Knowledge
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Monica-
One of the things I think is great about your postings is how you learned
from the students. Too often, teachers are afraid to learn from their kids.
This is especially true in technology. Many times, teachers will avoid using
technology because they are uncomfortable knowing their students "get it"
more than they do. I know I felt this way a few years back. Then I realized
that I could get ahead by having a student teach me. It was a win-win
situation. I learned all sorts of new skills, and the student felt proud
that he taught the teacher. Learning certainly is a two way street.
Thanks, Monica, for sharing your great experience.
Elizabeth Ridgway
> Randy,
>
> Thanks so much for your response. I was just incredibly thrilled when the
> kids went on their own to American Memory and felt I had to let those who
> could appreciate it know about it. When I suggested they go to the
> Internet I had thought more in terms of public domain clip art, but they
> headed right for American Memory. Then I was worried they would spent lots
> of time searching to no avail and I was completely wrong. So, what was so
> amazing, was that the kids led me into seeing a new way to use American
> Memory! I truly underestimated what they had learned in January and could
> apply now to a totally different task.
>
> They easily used the search techniques they had acquired back in January
> to search throughout the site, in collections they didn't know at all. I
> only had to guide them to those that had images. It showed me so many
> things. For one, how quickly kids this age pick up search techniques. When
> I suggested they search the Internet I was afraid they would inefficiently
> search and spend a whole period finding an insignificant images such as a
> flag. That was exactly the sort of thing I had observed a few years ago
> with some students and which inspired the History Firsthand lesson in the
> first place. However, that didn't happen. The kids went on their own to
> American Memory and then were able to find stuff quickly. I was just
> floored.
>
> We teachers are always looking to see how learning "takes." That is, do
> kids really deeply learn something sufficiently to use it from then on?
> Or do they learn it for the lesson and then forget it afterwards? I can
> tell how some of what I teach takes, but much is more subtle and difficult
> to assess. Then they go to the next year and the teacher complains that
> they never learned whatever I thought they had learned! So here was an
> unexpected situation to show me they had indeed learned well (even better
> than I had hoped) something I wanted them to learn. I mean we create
> performance assessments (that is what History Firsthand partly is) and
> tests at the end of a study, but how often do we get to see kids using the
> tools and techniques after a hiatus as has happened here? Especially
> technology skills such as those my students acquired during the History
> Firsthand lesson back in January?
>
> I also was pleased to see your reference to teaching for understanding
> having just read this past weekend Howard Gardner's new book _The
> Disciplined Mind_ in which he recommends a focus on teaching and learning
> for understanding -- less topics done in depth. Gardner's thinking
> resonates with me. I found his book _The Unschooled Mind_ from a few years
> back equally thought-provoking. In this one he writes about the potential
> of new technology to help (and hinder) deep understandings.
>
> Interesting that even at the college level there is a difficulty in seeing
> how to merge new technologies with deep thinking. I always thought that
> the older the student the less technologies were used in a simplistic way.
> After all colleges have far better resources than elementary schools.
>
> Again, thanks so much for your response.
> Monica
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 04 2000 - 12:24:22 EST