EDUC 5313: Week 1

     I never anticipated becoming an educator: I obtained a degree in Interior Architecture and intended to always work in creative fields. After starting what I thought would be a temporary job in my son’s school I fell in love with education and am now working towards my teaching certification. My goal is to teach English as a Second Language—with the ultimate goal to move abroad and teach English there. 

     

    Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts standard 7.5.W.1 and 7.8.W have students write using proper writing rules in shorter time frames while varying their “modes of expression.” (Oklahoma State Department of Education, 2016). The ISTE standard Knowledge Constructor 3d states “Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions (ISTE,2016).

     To help develop student’s writing skills in a 7^th grade Language Arts class they will write a Letter to the Editor. Using an online newspaper, students will choose an article published within the past week. Using an open-ended question like “What do you think of what is being reported in this article?” students will evaluate the topic and do any necessary research using appropriate resources and decide if they will be sharing their opinion on the article/topic, criticizing the article, or praising it. Once they have developed their ideas, they will then write their Letter to the Editor and proof-read and edit it to ensure that all grammar, spelling, mechanics, etc. are correct. They will then email their letter to the publication.

     This activity is based upon the idea from the Kolb text that talks about how the technology tools used should benefit the students’ everyday lives, not just academic ones (Kolb, 2020, p.22). Since email is a major mode of communication used in the modern world, having middle school students become familiar with the format and procedures for sending emails will help them with life, not just with their Letter to the Editor. Regarding real life application of lessons, Kolb (2020) states “Designing the learning activity to be as authentic as possible supports understanding how to use soft skills to solve real problems or gather knowledge” (p.27). The hope with this activity is that the students will see the value in communicating this way and apply what they learn to how they communicate outside of school. Also, having them evaluate a news article and do additional research before forming their opinion will help them learn to synthesize information throughout their life. This is something that is done in every research project, but by using a news article (something they may already be familiar with outside of school) on something that is very current (within a week of their research) they will hopefully make connections between what they do in school and what they can do outside of school.

     Another thing discussed in the Kolb text was the benefits of project-based learning, so incorporating this into the lesson will help them create, not just consume (Kolb, 2020, p.12). In the Gura text on creativity, the author interviewed Melinda Kolk and she said “ So giving kids something open-ended, an idea for a potential investigation, that doesn’t have an obvious right answer—that’s the sort of thing that we need to offer more of” (2016 , p.19). This activity is designed for the students to use their critical thinking skills to form an opinion about a topic and to communicate their thoughts in a coherent, concise manner (Letters to the Editor typically have a strict word limit) without the pressure of trying to find the usual “right answer.”

 

References:

Gura, M. (2016). Make, Learn, Succeed: Building a Culture of Creativity in Your School. International Society for Technology in Education.

Kolb, L. (2020). Learning First, Technology Second in Practice. International Society for Technology in Education.