Watering the Seeds for Growth in a Desert

According to Sir Ken Robinson, Death Valley received rain. This rain caused the floor of Death Valley to become covered in flowers. Up under this dry desert ground were the seeds of these beautiful flowers just waiting to be hydrated to flourish, much like our students. (Robinson, 2013)

Like my previous posts states, we are currently fostering an outdated education philosophy. One that allows no room for creativity and innovation. Much to Laura Bush's dismay, the No Child Left Behind act is not working any longer. We are leaving children behind by the boatloads. (Robinson, 2013)

According to Robinson, about 10% of children in America are being diagnosed with ADHD. This being that they have a hard time focusing, especially in schools. My daughter is actually part of this 10%. I was shocked when she was diagnosed at 7 years old. I had noticed that she would space out when she was bored, but did not think anymore of it than that. I never put her on medication because I did not feel she needed it. I worked with her on her school work when she got home and explained it to her in interesting ways. I created projects for her to do at home. I provided real life examples for her outside of school. Even if we were just going to the grocery store, I would have her count out the change she needed for her candy or read the signs in the store. She quickly started accelerating in school and I am proud to say she is now a straight "A" student who values her education. And boy, oh, boy can the girl write! She loves creating mystery stories. I just know she will be the next Colleen Hoover of her generation.

All of that to say, I respectfully have to disagree with the person that tested her. The problem was not a medical diagnosis. The problem was that she was a 7 year old who loved to create, move, and explore. She was BORED! If this happened to my daughter, think how many more students are in this exact same position. I know, I know, we all have had those certain students who 100% have ADHD. I have experience with those friends as well. However, it is evident that they have it. Many others are still being diagnosed when it is not so evident. These guys may just be bored and need a creative outlet to learn.

However, if we want our students to be creative and innovators, we have to allow our teachers to do so as well. When I started really focusing on my daughters education, I had to think creatively to make it fun for her. This proved to work when I started noticing her accelerating past her peers in reading and math. She was reading on an eighth grade level in third grade. Both of my daughters still come home and ask me to teach them how to do their TEKS of the week. They know Mom will come up with some way to make it relevant and understandable. (Don't mind me, just patting myself on the back a little ;))

Just think if all teachers could move to this relevant type of teaching for all of our students. We would have more engagement, more learning, lower dropout rates, and ultimately better test scores. That is if we, as teachers, were given the freedom to have this opportunity.

Take a listen to what Sir Ken Robinson has to say below.

References: Robinson, S. K. (2013, May 10). How to escape education’s death valley. Www.ted.com. https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley?referrer=playlist-tv_special_ted_talks_educatio&autoplay=true

Teaching for the Real World

Back in 1893, a committee made the decision to shift the education world from agriculture to manufacturing because they foreseen the future. They knew that students would need to have the skills that the future world demanded. Skills such as, following instructions efficiently with little to no errors and the same routine tasks over and over again. The committee knew that these skills would lead to these future employees holding great manufacturing jobs. They were right. This shift led to America being the top country in the world and the middle class excelled! (Dintersmith, 2020)

However, the 20th century committee did not take note. We are still relying on the manufacturing education system in 2023. Education in America has not shifted to a new approach like we once did. This is, unfortunately, resulting in our students being left behind as well.

We need to shift our education system to where we are and are headed in the future. We need innovation, creativity, and boldness. We need to prepare our students for relevant life experiences rather than irrelevant routine tasks. Those manufacturing jobs are disappearing at this very moment and will be gone in the near future. So why are we still teaching an education model that only prepares our students for these types of jobs? This is going to lead to millions of students being unemployable. (Dintersmith, 2020)

Have a listen.

References:

Dintersmith, T. (2020, August 21). Why schools should teach for the real world. Www.ted.com. https://www.ted.com/talks/ted_dintersmith_why_schools_should_teach_for_the_real_world?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

A.I. in the Education World

It can be a scary thought to think what all artificial intelligence can do for students. However, what if we shifted this thought process and think about all the things that artificial intelligence can do for the teacher? Artificial intelligence can serve as a one-to-one tutor, who is always accessible to the student. Sal Kahn recently stated that this one-to-one tutoring can take an average student to an exceptional student and a below-average student to an above-average student.

How could we possibly give all students a one-on-one tutor, all the time? Make room for Khanmigo! Sal Kahn's new artificial intelligence program. This amazing A.I. program will not simply give students the answers, even if they ask. It will, however, probe them with thought provoking questions for the student to determine the answer themselves. It will also clarify and explain misconceptions that the student is making. Khanmigo actually goes a step beyond that by making the student explain their misconception and the steps they took, along with their reasoning. It will then redirect them to the correct way. (Kahn, 2023)

Khanmigo will also provide real-life connections to educational videos, allow students to chat with historical figures and fictional characters, and have Socratic debates with students. (Kahn, 2023) Additionally, the A.I. can help with writing by prompting the students to craft their writing in a fun and collaborative way. When students are reading comprehension passages, the A.I. will periodically stop them and ask comprehension questions to determine if the student is understanding the passage. (Kahn, 2023)

It doesn't stop there! Khanmigo can also help teachers by helping them write lesson plans, explain to teachers the best way to teach an objective, and help with progress reports. (Kahn, 2023)

Many people are terrified of what artificial intelligence will do to education. However, if we train our students to correctly use it, A.I. can greatly benefit them. As much as we may hate it, artificial intelligence is not going anywhere but up. We might as well grab the bull by the horns! I am excited to experiment and pilot this program in my classroom this year!

References: Khan, S. (2023, April). Sal Khan: How ai could save (not destroy) education. Sal Khan: How AI could save (not destroy) education | TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_how_ai_could_save_not_destroy_education/c