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This blog was created so that school administrators would have the opportunity to form a dialogue addressing the most pertinent issues facing them today. I encourage you to comment, post questions, and assist others in their quest for solutions to the challenges facing a 21st century leader.
3 comments:
I am most frustrated with an ever increasing number of students that are extremely apathetic. These students seldom make any attempt to get to task regardless of the nature of the assignment or discipline. Some resist efforts of teachers passively and some more aggressively. They are not motivated by positive reinforcement or deterred by disciplinary consequences even after the whole gamut of interventions. What instructional practices have you had success with to motivate such students?
Many educational researchers are now finding that students of today are wired essentially different. Their world is very different from ours. They see things very differently and often are disconnected from the school and traditions associated with conformity. This has led me to begin a dialogue with many students about their interest in the classes they are currently enrolled. Most students find them not challenging or the delivery is very tedious and boring. I would say around 60 – 70% of their classes meet this description. The students are disengaged from traditional instructional practices. Unfortunately, nobody knows the exact answer, however, career and technical and fine arts classes have been showing the best impact for these new students. This is because the content is rigorous and relevant and they can develop relationships to previous knowledge. Problem-based learning (PBL) is nothing new, but is showing a tremendous comeback. This provides students with three “R”s and engages them. The challenge lies with limited training on PBL and the extra work in the initial setup of this instructional practice.
My goodness folks, wake up. These kids leave your schools, go home, plug in, turn on, communicate and all of it happens at the same time. Utilize white boards, internet, blogs, wikis, etc. to keep your kids multi-tasking and involved..........which is what they are doing when not in your classrooms. If they are bored, it's the method of delivery, not the student.
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