Hello Fellow Bloggers,
I want to put in more concrete detail how this blog/forum will function. As for outreach, I will be creating a mass e-mail to advertise the blogs (I have two) to my own friends, families, and colleagues. I will also use Facebook as a method for advertising the blog and bringing in new followers/members. I will also be sending e-mails out to some education and child/adolescent development programs as well as schools so that we can bring in some relevant issues and research from the academic realm and from practicing educators and administrators. If you are interested in helping to create a diverse and informed community at each of our fingertips, then you too will pass this information and our blog's website on to people who you think may be interested or could add to our discussions.
I am interested in really providing a variety of outlooks on topics. What I mean is: I want to bring in the view points of students, teachers, parents, home schoolers, nannies, doctors, psychologists, community members, etc. It is important to be informed from a variety of perspectives, and to make sure we are viewing each issue from a multi-cultural perspective, and not just from the perspective of the mainstream dominant culture. We also need to stop thinking about children or students in terms of only their academics, or as only having one type of intelligence. Although much of our topics will cover the cognitive (thinking) side of development, it is important to think of the whole child (their social, emotional, physical, and linguistic development to name a few). If you want more information on the idea of "multiple intelligences", please google Howard Gardner (who popularized this theory). In terms we can all relate to, people are not something we can cut into parts... We deal with whole people, and although each of these areas of a person's development have separate characteristics, they must interact with each other. The nature, abilities, and way in which these separate areas interact determine who we are and how we behave as a whole person. Just think about it. When you contemplate how to feel or what to do in a certain situation, you weigh your own logic and reason as well as what other's think or do, how you feel or will feel later, what you are physically capable of, etc. If this is how we work, then shouldn't we be teaching in a way that respects this? What all too often occurs in today's classrooms as well as in our homes is only recognizing the cognitive (some would say intellectual) aspects of the children we teach - this is a heavy burden for those children who have amazing (but unrecognized) strengths in other areas.
I recently spoke with a high school social studies teacher about motivation in her classroom. She said it was hard to get the kids involved, and that if one student "got the class going", everything would fall apart. I asked this teacher what kinds of activities were being done in her class. Most of the work was seat work, where students were expected to sit alone in their seats and work quietly or listen to the teacher. There is room for discussion, but the students were not engaged and they would just sit there waiting for someone to speak. Now I am not professing to have all the answers. I am not a child development expert (yet), and am certainly not an adolescent development expert. But I do know (from child development theory and experiences) that children at that age are typically interested in (1) forming an identity for themselves, (2) identifying which social group they belong to, and (3) not looking stupid in front of peers. Not all children are like this, but it is safe to say that this is what the average teenager DOES go through. It is very much a stage of life. So I suggested that the class do more to become comfortable with one another by means of a really fun day in class dedicated to "ice breaker" type games, getting to know one another, and possibly bonding over a project that can make the teacher appear to be more a part of the group (this takes a teacher who can be humble, can make fun of him/herself, and who can get in touch with their inner teenager). Next I suggested that their activities be geared more towards small group work. This would allow the students a chance to relate to each other, and give them a much smaller and less threatening environment to test out expressing their ideas. Also, when planning the activities, we must think from the teen's perspective - let's provide adequate time for self-reflection and a safe environment in which to express what they have discovered or how they feel. They need time for this, and they may need an audience that they feel comfortable around to hash out their feelings so that they can better understand them. Maybe the groups can be self selected in the beginning so that the students feel more comfortable, then they could be assigned later to make sure the students get to hear varying opinions. Smaller class sizes and smaller schools in general really help to provide an environment where students feel less threatened and take more chances in expressing themselves - but the budget concerns are another, very real topic to discuss. I can go on like this forever, but the point is if we recognize the characteristics of the stages of life our students are in, and if we can see things from their perspective (we have all been there), then we can better set up the learning environment in a way that respects their opinions, is appropriate for their way of doing things, makes learning much more enjoyable, and actually increases the chance for student success. This is another quick point to keep in mind: The more a person experiences success in anything, the more likely they are to branch out, to do it again, and to take risks. This is how we learn, this is how we expand our thinking; but we cannot do it without confidence in ourselves and a safe environment to experiment in. We must have these if we want students to succeed.
This is just a jumping off point to start how we look at education. I may have said too much, and I do not want to completely control the direction of this forum, but I do want to bring up the wide spread complaints against our current ways of thinking, so that we can have a more critical eye when we examine topics. If anyone has anything to add, correct, or criticize, please feel free to do so.
Lastly, I would love to hear from you personally if you wish to make a contribution to this forum, and I hope you do. Remember, all of what was stated above applies to this forum. Talk with your friends and family first before writing, so you feel comfortable before you write. Not everyone will always agree, but there may be a very important part of what you say that each of us will carry on as we modify our thinking. We are all just people, trying to improve, and no one should feel scared or awkward in what they say. If you do, contact me personally and we can talk it through in a safe space. I will be acting as administrator, and if you have any topic you would like to write about, please e-mail me (dmcassetta@gmail.com). I have received one request so far to write about the lengthening of the school day and year, as well as the decrease in time for recess over the years. I will be conducting research on this and hopefully posting shortly. I will also be brainstorming topics, and may post a list of possible topics, including some background information and starter questions.
I am truly excited about getting this going, and I hope that it can be a resourceful tool for all of us as we continue to learn, grow, and improve our lives! As always, thank you for your time!
Danielle Cassetta
