Innovation In The Now

The Idea that "education is what people do to you and learning is what you do to yourself" really stuck with me after watching these two Ted talks. In my time in school from elementary to college, I have always been told what to learn and how to learn it as I am sure many of us have experienced. This idea of education happening to us seems all too true when I look back on my own experiences in school this way, it wasn't until the senior year of my undergraduate degree that I had a class where I was able, and encouraged to explore my own thoughts and ideas through my capstone project. This specific project was one of the first times I learned something in school that was what I wanted to learn and not just something in the curriculum I was bound to be educated on. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that all curriculum is bad or that we shouldn't be educating our students, but I do think that giving our students the choice over what they want to learn about could create some very interesting results.

In my own classroom, I have a little bit of flexibility when it comes to what I teach and how I teach it. So long as I follow the main curriculum I am allowed and even sometimes encouraged to branch out and add supplemental materials to my lessons. I think that since my school is a charter it's easier for us to be flexible in the classroom and the administrators at my school specifically are open to innovation and change if it will benefit the students. When I began thinking of what I wanted to do for my innovation proposal I found that talking to my principal allowed me to gauge her level of openness to change and innovation. Through our few discussions it became clear that what was truly important to us was the students we serve and I believe if using technology is truly in their best interest then not only would my administration support the change, but so would many of the other teachers on our staff. However, not everyone at my school is open to such changes and I think that is to be expected at any school, but what's more important is that the teachers I work with are willing to do as much as they can to support our students.

I am hoping through my own proposal that I can encourage those on my team who may be skeptical to join in on the revolution and begin creating more significant learning environments where our students can have choice, voice, and ownership over their education.