A Summary of S. Mitra’s and K.
Venosdele’s “Ideal School”.
S.
Mitra Summary: If we, as human beings, are given the means to learn, we
will. Mitra argues through his “hole-in-the wall computer” experiment in a
third world country that anyone can increase his or her knowledge simply by having
access to a computer/ Internet which provides a means to find knowledge on
their own without the guidance of a teacher. Although, I can understand his point of view, I am unsure we
can solely rely on the powers of the Internet for teaching knowledge to all
types of students at every stage of learning.
K.
Venosdele Summary: With a kooky coffeehouse classroom set up that lacks
structure but offers access to various learning opportunities, each student can
excel his or her education that is personalized to their own strengths. Venosdele’s
ideal school may seem a bit far-fetched, but I feel her school ideal is closer to
my opinion of the ideal school. People
are different. No two children have the same learning styles, interests, or
strengths. Thus, having a standard
type of learning structure for everyone (whether independent learning or
structured lectures) may be, in fact, cripple those that learn outside of this
standard. Old school teaching methods
such as didactic lectures should not be forgotten as many individuals thrived
from this structured style of learning. However, we should learn to integrate a
novel set of tools that technology has developed to complement previous
learning styles so as to create a more diverse set of learning norms.
B. Spillman’s Ideal School:
Active Learning – DO IT.
Reading,
mathematics, writing and science is the framework of our educational
system. At one point, by providing
the basics in text form to students was sufficient for a group of students to
succeed. However, we realize now
that we can no longer depend on providing the basic fundamentals as being
sufficient for EVERY student to succeed. In order for each student to have
equal opportunities for success, we must move forward and offer our kids more
learning options. My ideal school, k-5, will offer these kinds of learning
choices. The fundamental coursework
will remain in place but supplemented with additional active experiences that
illustrate those fundamentals. (gardening for plant biology, cultural field
trips for geography/social studies, banking for mathematics, etc.)
I would implement courses such as finance, building,
automotive, debate, cooking, etc. Hands-on learning will be the focus. With the
aid of technology learning experiences are no longer impossible. We can now
visualize processes via movies and create learning programs that allows
students to experience a dynamic event.
Technology will be used as a
starting line. If a student wants to understand why his dad’s truck is not
working, then he can use a computer diagnostic to identify the problem. However,
my school will not stop at this stage. With unlimited funds, we will have the
ability to bring the truck into an automobile DO IT site where the student may
learn how the diagnosis can then be translated into an actual hands-on fix.
Multiple Classrooms Designated
as “DO-ing IT Sites”.
Our automobile site will have many types of vehicles
including modern day technology to develop an understanding of mechanics at a
young age. As students, they will
realize they have some control over their learning process. Projects will be
driven by their own interests and strengths. If they develop a motivation for
finding answers at an early age, I believe these kids will carry it forward
into their careers. In addition to automobile DO IT sites, there will be banks
that have individual financial branches offering different money management deals
in which students will learn to understand the pros and cons of each type of
deal. There will be a “quick-loan”
branch offering high interest deals to insure our 5th graders understand when
and why these institutions exist.
Children will have online banking accounts and bills. I will provide
students with an online world in which one student is a single mom on minimum
wage while another has a successful salary and family of four. Students will have
access to their accounts and make purchases at our local market where all the produce
was grown by our students. This
leads me to the greenhouse DO IT site that will be in the front of my school. At this site, students will learn about
various growing conditions and techniques such as hydroponics. Computers will be used to organize and set
up a water and light system needed for their crops. Furthermore, students will
be able to see his or her plants from their own home by logging into a personal
online video that allows for students to monitor their crops’ growth conditions. In addition, I’d like to introduce a DO
IT site in which students learn the basics of debates. I’d want my kids to learn
how to research, discuss and support controversial topics without malice. I
would introduce topics such as race and politics while teaching them the
patterns of both our and others’ history would be my way of creating
independent thinkers and, hopefully, motivate dynamic DO-ers.
Unlimited Means and
Funds to DO IT.
Everybody’s ideal school should include the option
to have unlimited funds.
Technology is great, but with no funds you will find yourself always
behind the eight ball. Unlimited funds
allows us to travel and meet different cultures, study a variety of different
environments, and have the opportunity to take hands-on learning to a whole new
level. What our DO IT sites cannot
deliver for our students’ active learning process, I believe our field trips to
factories, countries, cities, museums, etc. will provide.
Teaching Philosophy: Read it,
DO IT, Teach it.
As stated earlier, we will continue to provide
information through basic teaching and research that has previously built our
education system: read it.
What will change is that more opportunities to DO IT will be provided
through our DO IT sites and supplemental field trips: do it. Finally, to ensure the learning process, the older
kids will have the opportunity to teach the younger children in tasks and
lessons that they have had the chance to READ and DO: teach it. I believe that if a student reads it, perfects it,
and then teaches the subject matter to another then they will have a more
complete understanding of the information than simply reciting the information
they have read on a written test.
The Role of Technology in my
school: Researching and Organizing prior to DO-ing IT.
Having technology in the classroom will be a crucial
key to the success of my school. It will be important to read and research
about a topic prior to removing students from the classroom to DO IT. For example, our students will be able
to skype with different students that reside in different cultures to receive
first-hand knowledge. After
learning about these different cultures in the classroom and online, we will take
field trips to unique destinations that illustrate that culture. We will not go to a local museum to
learn about tribesman of Uganda, but, instead, take our class to Uganda and
learn from tribesman directly.
Education is changing; technology provides opportunities that were once
unavailable. It is an educator’s job to determine how best to supplement these
technologies without compromising the DO-ing IT.
