Agree or Disagree?

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Permalink Reply by Trent Saracini on October 20, 2009 at 9:42am

I do agree. If we can try to make things relevant to students while using real-world applications, there is a good chance they might become interested. Can we teach them 21st Century Skills to prepare them for their future? We are trying to address those concerns.

Trent Saracini
Cross County SD

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Permalink Reply by Harry Dickens on October 20, 2009 at 9:43am

Disagree. Teacher must plan a creative lesson. The lesson has to be linked to something real world. The lesson must include some technology or a hook to get the kids interested. The kids also have to play a part in the learning and the teacher will need to just facilitate in some cases.

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Shanti on October 20, 2009 at 9:50am

I believe that the only way for students to learn content and skills is by practicing them while doing research on projects that are meaningful to them. The internet, especially programs like Nettrekker, provide an area for learning that could not compare with learning 30 years ago. Primary sources, video, audio, and the ability to discuss with experts in the field they are studying, while under the direction of a teacher, provides the most authentic learning environment anyone could imagine. Standards are generally about gaining skills that are applied in a student's life after school. How can this NOT be interesting?

Jackie Shanti
Library Media Specialist
Instructional Technology Leader
Barton Elementary School
Milwaukee, WI

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Permalink Reply by Melody Hysinger on October 20, 2009 at 9:53am

I disagree. If learning is not made interesting or authentic, students most likely will not learn (or will not retain) those skills. No doubt, it is much more difficult to catch the attention of kids today, but it is not impossible. You have to work to understand what interests them.

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Permalink Reply by Lorena Martinez on October 20, 2009 at 10:32am

I agree to a certain extent with this statement. I believe there are certain skills and content that better lend themselves to being taught in a creative and interesting way. It's a bit more complicated with a few others. I believe that for those skills that are much more complex or that lack that creativity factor, teachers need to build a support or collaboration system where they can get together with other teachers to share ideas on how to teach these skills in an authentic and interesting manner. Many great things have been done and can be done through sharing and collaborating.

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Permalink Reply by Erica Wilson on October 20, 2009 at 10:36am

I completely disagree because a content driven curriculum can still be interesting - this is up to the teacher. The teacher must take the time on the forefront of their lesson planning to work to make necessary content relative to the real world and interesting. A good lesson plan can contain interactive, real-world multimedia and other resources that will engage the students. As well, if the teacher holds onto the notion that he/she is the sole source of the information/skills to achieve the standard, unfortunately, the students will most likely become disengaged & find the lesson boring; they are being spoon fed. If the teacher takes the approach that he/she is the facilitator to the gaining of the content/skills, then through a more project-based, hands on approach lesson, the students will find the lesson not only interesting, but also relevant, authentic, and engaging. They will not see this as 'work,' but rather an opportunity to explore and ultimately learn.

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Permalink Reply by Teresa Diaz on October 20, 2009 at 10:47am

I disagree, even though it doesn't mean that it's easy to do. Standards-based assessment does drive so much of what happens inside a school from an "external pressure" standpoint, and I am certainly not a fan of the overtesting climate that is so pervasive at least in my current school district; however, there are ways to work around those and other roadblocks by being more "authentic" with how we approach real learning. The biggest challenge I seem to face is not a lack of creativity, resources, or even desire to make learning more engaging and relevant to these digital natives inhabiting our classrooms and libraries---it is simply time. What good is a great idea, when you simply don't have the time to implement it? It's like throwing a free valuable resource away...

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Permalink Reply by shirley fetherolf on October 20, 2009 at 2:03pm

Disagree. Making connections to what students already know will make any topic more interesting.
Shirley Fetherolf
Little Rock, Arkansas

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Permalink Reply by Debbie Hall on October 21, 2009 at 10:18am

It is most likely impossible to make every lesson interesting and engaging for every student. However, as an educator, it is a goal that you must always pursue. If you are not aiming to make it fun, interesting, and engaging, you need to look elsewhere to earn your daily bread.

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Permalink Reply by Ellie Simons on October 21, 2009 at 12:56pm

I disagree. Even with topics that are considered to be very "dry", it is possible to really engage the students and make the lesson interesting. An example of this would be a lesson I taught on how to effectively read non-fiction. I taught the students reading skills by modeling my reading behaviors. I used a book I picked out about the history of slavery in the United States. I let the students know why I picked the book, I talked about my personal feelings and reactions to the information in the book. I explained to them throughout the lesson that the best way to remember information and tie it in with your previous knowledge of the subject is to connect to the topic. I addressed the importance of the affective domain in my learning process, and showed them explicitly how I go through that process as I am reading. This lesson was very effective in helping the students chose a book for their project and in helping them be aware of their own learning process and how to own it. The students really bought in, and remember the lesson was about reading nonfiction effectively. I think part of making it "authentic" is bringing your process into the picture and sharing your own love of learning.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Evans on October 22, 2009 at 4:02pm

I disagree with the statement. While some content maybe more interesting than others, there are ways to make less interesting content interesting and authentic. I would initially think that if a skill is necessary then there must be a way to make the learning experience authentic. I would think that certain skills and content could be applied in the framework of their real life purposes. I further believe that content that is less exciting must be presented in a way that it generates excitement. As educators, we have to employ our creative skills to generate interest and motivation. I sometimes think that we have to somewhat perform, in a sense, to get students interested in the content.

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Permalink Reply by Danielle on October 26, 2009 at 9:20am

These have all been fascinating answers, and it's great to see the different thoughts of each. I have a friend in a program right now that requires him to write reports based on events. Sometimes he has to write a report before the event happened and sometimes after. One of his exercises was to write a report to Lincoln on why the South would invade the North. As a former 7th grade career teacher and from working with Teaching American History grants, what an authentic lesson for 8th grade. It gives the students a chance to investigate careers, gives them a chance to analyze the war from a different angle, and it gives them a chance to write across the curriculum. Would this be a sample of authentic learning?

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