- Alan November -
Summary from Good Reads
Merging from a completely teacher taught structured class with tests and right and wrong answers to a more self taught system is a bit frightening to me. Will students even need teachers after a while? What if students develop the creativity and innovation they need to succeed but don't develop the essential knowledge they need. Then I think- are some of the things I consider essential really essential? That's up for debate.
History, for example, is important so we don't make the mistakes of the past. But I have also always been told it's also important to know the general history of the world around us and of the place we live because it's important to know theses things. I agreed with this but now I'm not so sure.
I don't want to sound ignorant but I ask why? Give me a more important reason for teaching requirements like historical facts than to sound educated. I know they are out there but I'm interested in no know wing what you think.
Back to the book- the reason I'm so enamored with this book is 1) for my fears of not needing teachers which I will get into later because I'm on the fence about this 2)with the rise of common core Alan November's book seems relatable and such a strong source to learn from. 3) inspiring independent thinking and recognition of the world around you not just what has already happened (why is there not a class on discussing current events at every high school in America so many different standards could be met. More importantly students would learn to think on their own, collaborate, be aware of current issues and work to solve them) 4) my curiosity and apprehension of project based learning 5) my desire to strike a balance between what motivates, inspires, and interests students and what is essential to their learning.
In the introduction November talks about a course he developed in the 80s where students develop and solve their own problems. Creative, open ended, relevant, and useful skills that until just recently weren't a big part of education overall. Yes there are those remarkable teachers like November who introduce this into their education without it being an essential to the curriculum but before the last 5 years I would say critical thinking was not as essential as being able to get the right answers on the test.
I went to a writing intensive high school that had many essays especially on tests. Even though our essas required critical thinking skills, they were stillin. The most basic form it's not a question of how would you change the end of Romeo and Juliet or why would Shakespeare make x choice? They would ask to explain the dynamic of the two families. Higher level thinking but still there is a right and wrong answer. View the relationships in a different way than what is expected and your wrong. Now we are coming to an age where we don't want right and wrong we want innovation creativity and new thinking. November was able to implement this at such a different time in education. And I find this so inspiring and cannot wait to learn from him.
Another experience in high school that always bothers me was in my honors English class in 9th grade. Which was much harder than I expected. At my school we had to be recommended for honors and I guess 8th grade was either easier or the teacher saw my different way of thinking as a benefit and though honors English in 9th grade would work well for me. Not so much. Any way...
We were working on a poetry unit (one of my favorite things) and had to read and interpret a poem for homework . There was a poem about a motorcycle a bridge a sunset and some sort of crash and possibly a dog. This was years ago give me a break. When I got to class the next morning I was excited because I had always struggled with the. "Correct" interpretation and I knew I had nailed it. We'll boy was I wrong. I was told that my understanding was way off. I couldn't understand how the way I understand interpret something was wrong. She didn't have what the author intended to convey and even if she did, interpretation is subjected to the reader. I don't want my students to go through this. I think I became afraid of literature after this, I avoided it.
I wonder if I had been encourage to think freely or understand things in my own way not just the right way (if there even is one) if I would be more open to open ended learning. Not afraid of not meeting the standards. Or understanding what the expectations are. The expectation of this class and another class this semester are to develop meaning for myself so that I can apply to my teaching and help my students learn to think for themselves, grow, collaborate and succeed in their own way.
So I may have he too high of expectations for this book but let's hope they pay off. From this book I hope to
1) become less afraid of students not needing teachers anymore
2) to learn about tools to use for teaching common core
3) learn how to encourage my students to problems solve, and understand how to think in their own.
After starting all the projects for my learning and technology class I'm inspired by all the freedom. This class has already brought on "ah ha" moments. I am learning how to think outside the box and be okay with it. I feel that I'm not just learning about theories or facts and teaching methods but developing into a life long learner outside of the classroom. My constant desire for knowledge is being fed and I love it!!