An Open Letter to Educators
I took a visit to Morgan Bayda’s blog and read the post we were assigned for the week thinking, “Hm, yet another blog. Hope this isn’t boring.” Well needless to say, it definitely wasn’t the least bit boring. I agreed whole-heartedly with the information she and Dan Brown portrayed through words and video.
At the University of South Alabama I do go to class and feel completely cheated of all my time and money. I go to class to be bored. This is sad, but I have a Sociology class that I go to every Tuesday and Thursday for an hour and a half just because of the attendance policy. It is the most boring class ever because the teacher does not teach us a thing, nor does he want to teach us anything. I think he just wants us to be bored since we paid money so he reads notes that he emails to us anyways. Is there even a point to me being there? No. Is this going to help me on the tests I will take in that class? No. Could I learn that information on my own? Yes and I do that anyways!
Classes need to progress to the new age. If my Sociology class were an online course that I could use blogs and PLN’s with then I would be doing much better in that course. Educators have to change their form of education because institutional education can be so boring now. We have so many tools to take advantage of! I wouldn’t count on most schools changing anytime soon just because teachers do not want to learn. Personally, I am excited to be a teacher of the future. Teachers of the future will be well equipped and ready to use all of the tools that are out there. My class will not be bored and will not have to sit through boring lecture and burp-back answered tests.
I don’t blame Dan Brown for dropping out of school. School really can hold you back in learning everything that you can learn! Even though school is supposed to be the thing that is teaching you all you need to know, now you can go on any internet website and learn something new. Educational information is not just in the classroom. I’m not saying it is okay for everyone to rebel and drop out of school, but I do think everyone should choose to work on their own education outside of the classroom.
Anyways, this is what I would like educators to hear me say. Please progress your class along with each year. Don’t be afraid to learn or use something new. Take advantage of the technology we have because we are all blessed to have it. Lastly, keep your students awake during class. I don’t mean to fall asleep during classes, but if the information you are teaching is not interesting I will fall asleep. I think every educator has every tool to make his or her classroom a success. They just have to run with it.
Here is a link to Morgan Bayda's blog post:
An Open Letter to Educators
Your sociology professor is teaching the same way he was taught. We typically emulate what we know. Since this has been a powerful (although negative) learning experience I am glad that you learned how not to approach teaching, at least in this context.
ReplyDeleteSince education is about solving problems, what are you going to do to make your sociology class a learning experience for you? This assumes you see value in the content that is being presented.
And I am determined to break my students from the hold of the past. I am glad that it appears to be working for you!
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful post filled with examples. I wish the VP of Academic Affairs would read this!
I will use the class as a learning experience in the way that I now know to keep my class interesting and my students involved in their learning experience. Honestly my teacher is not making any point out of anything he is teaching us in Sociology and that is what is making these burp back tests so difficult. I'm about to read through 4 chapters of information and notes that he has emailed us, pick out what I think is important, and try to memorize it for one test. My students will never do that. I would rather them truly understand what they are learning and then show me what they know. I think that would be a great way that blogs could be used.
ReplyDeleteI completly agree. I have a History class that I sit through every Monday night for a 2.5 hour lecture in which the professor reads from the powerpoint, that he hands out anyway! I have done horrible on his tests, and when he asked me why I got such a bad grade, I wanted to say "because your teaching style is horrible!"
ReplyDeleteGreat job Amber. I am behind this blog 100% and think the VP should read it as well. It is amazing how we go to class just for attendance and a lot of my classes give extra points for showing up because they know it is pointless. I could finish some classes in a month if they just gave me the test cause I study the night before the test anyway. Good job though.
ReplyDelete