It's my third year at WNS, and I'm still teaching sixth grade social studies (ancient history), advising the yearbook and the newspaper, and helping with the film festival. It's been a year since I've updated (not that my updates ever came very frequently). So clearly, I don't blog anymore. I would love to write for HuffPost again-- that's a New Year's resolution. But in order to be inspired and get the momentum, I need to think of a topic that hasn't been overdone... and that won't get too many mean comments :-o!
I am considering writing about student problem-solving skills in the modern classroom: often times, when students have a question about homework, they will email me. All the questions I get are legitimate, but many could be figured out by calling a friend, asking a parent, Googling, or even reading the directions more carefully. In my day, which was only 10 years ago, we couldn't email teachers... either they didn't have an email or they wouldn't answer it! How has the widespread use of email, iPads, and other communication technology changed students approach to problem-solving? Should we be encouraging them to figure out stuff on their own, or is going to the "expert" the best way to go about it? I also wonder if the automatic teacher-emailing is a private school thing. My public school teacher friends don't seem to receive nearly as many emails. This may be because students don't care as much, or because they don't have the same access.
If you are a teacher or student and have any thoughts, comment below. Or email me!
I am considering writing about student problem-solving skills in the modern classroom: often times, when students have a question about homework, they will email me. All the questions I get are legitimate, but many could be figured out by calling a friend, asking a parent, Googling, or even reading the directions more carefully. In my day, which was only 10 years ago, we couldn't email teachers... either they didn't have an email or they wouldn't answer it! How has the widespread use of email, iPads, and other communication technology changed students approach to problem-solving? Should we be encouraging them to figure out stuff on their own, or is going to the "expert" the best way to go about it? I also wonder if the automatic teacher-emailing is a private school thing. My public school teacher friends don't seem to receive nearly as many emails. This may be because students don't care as much, or because they don't have the same access.
If you are a teacher or student and have any thoughts, comment below. Or email me!
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