Pedagogies

Observation Tool

1. Partner with a team member.
2. Pick with your a different video to watch or article to read.
3. Open the observation tool on one computer and read through the tool.
4. Watch or read together and complete the observation tool prompts.

Maker Education Fires Up a Passion for Learning (2015) - Edutopia

"At a glance, maker projects may appear disconnected from the curriculum. What may look like an arts and crafts activity, or just a bunch of kids playing with Legos, is actually a way to teach about ancient Rome or how to write a persuasive essay.

"Eric Bredder, Sutherland Middle School's career and tech teacher, remembers a student who didn't understand the concepts in geometry until she was making stools for their class.

'"We were measuring the circles," recalls Bredder, "and as she's cutting them, she goes, 'This is the thing we did in geometry.' She did fine on her homework, she got A's in class, but not until she was making this really beautiful stool did she say, 'Holy moly, this makes sense.'"

A Middle School that Works (2011) - Ira Socol

"The middle school is really just the junior high school continued, and that was always a bad idea. Kids stumble through a bizarrely carved up yet age-dependent curriculum, and nothing could be less appropriate. There is no age range with a greater range of individual skills no matter the birth date, and there is no age range where getting kids interested in school is harder. After all, kids 11-14 have a million things, really important things, to learn - about themselves, society, life, their bodies, and almost none of those things are taught in schools."

1970 New Rochelle, NY "Postman Proposal" for an Alternative High School - Neil Postman, Alan Shapiro, James Gaddy

This alternative high school lasted 18 years, graduated 99% of students, sent 95% of students to four-year colleges... "we are assuming (1) that learning takes place best not when conceived as a preparation for life but when it occurs in the context of actually living, (2) that each learner ultimately must organize his own learning in his own way, (3) that "problems" and personal interests as well as "subjects" form a realistic structure by which to organize learning experiences, (4) that students are capable of directly and authentically participating in the intellectual and social life of their community, (5) that they should do so, and (6) that the community badly needs them."

Students Flock to Philadelphia 'School Without Walls' (1970)

'“For the first time,” said one parent, "[my son] is actually being educated. He has learned more in his first ses sion than in all his previous years of school. For the first time he likes school.”'

Developing Responsible and Autonomous Learners: A Key to Motivating Students (APA)

"This module takes into consideration the holistic nature of individual student learning and the most effective practices for helping them develop into autonomous and responsible learners. Addressing the whole learner in developmentally appropriate ways includes establishing positive student relationships and listening to each learner’s voice in creating productive learning climates."