MST PORTAL - Promoting Open, Reflective Teaching & Learning

I was out with a great group of 5th graders today out on the Hojack Trail. They were using their Garmin eTrex GPS units to navigate to the correct latitude/longitude to find hidden caches. Inside the caches various science tasks awaited. The first task my group encountered was “Communicate Concerns.” They needed to make observations about the trail and surrounding area and identify an area of concern. Next they needed to prepare a brief public service message to inform others of the problem. This group of kids did an amazing job. They decided on the problem, identified details to use as support, divided up the speaking parts, and practiced their lines. Next, they used an iPod with a Belkin TuneTalk Recorder to record their message. The process worked great out in the field and was completed in about 10 minutes. Click here to listen to what they had to say.

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Take a look at some snapshots of learning taking place in the MST PORTAL.

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I want things beyond technology. Peek into the MST PORTAL room and you’ll spy some great technology tools that we already have at Klem South. In this room we have a Smartboard and ceiling mounted projector, both the Senteo and CPS response systems, 35 Palm Tungsten E2 hanhelds, Pasco and Vernier sensors including force and motion, temperature, pH, and more, Imagiprobe software, 4 iPod Classics with both voice recorders and speakers, handheld microscope, color printer, scanner, & fax, Tablet PC, digital binoculars, multiple Garmin GPS units, 6 Samsung Q1 UMPCs, Kestrel pocket weather trackers, a digital camcorder, and lots of great software. The majority of these tools were purchased through grant awards and I love using them in the classroom, but I want more. More technology? Perhaps…there is always something out there that interests me. But what I truly want is to improve student learning in science and math and continue to discover how technology can be used to support a student-centered, constructivist environment. To make this happen, my list of wants grows.

I want students to inquire, think and reflect, problem-solve, test their ideas, take risks, develop creativity, collaborate, seek and share information beyond our classroom walls, expand their view of the world, and imagine the possibilities that await them, and never doubt their abilities. I want to push, not lead. I want to ask, not tell. I want to wait, not rush. I want to spark, not extinguish. I want to change, not maintain.

My wants are not about the technology.

What do you want?

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Starting on the first day of school, both Eva and Amy H. brought their second grade class to the MST room to work on a problem-based learning experience (PBL). Using the Wonder Pets theme, students were presented with a serious problem to solve regarding Monarch butterflies. The scenario revealed that Monarch butterfly larvae were ordered by the teachers, but the company called and left a message saying the larvae were shipped without instructions. While the person apologized, she said there was still no way to get the information to us in time. So now it was up to the 2nd graders to help. Time was of the essence as this was a matter of life or death!

It’s hard to describe the process involved in implementing a PBL. The teacher’s role changes from a lesson provider to a lesson facilitator. Students’ thinking and ideas about solving the problem drive the time in the classroom, not the teacher’s scripted agenda. Specific plans are not determined ahead of time, but rather day-to-day depending on the outcome and effectiveness of the students’ actions. Not only do teachers need flexibility, but most of all they need to have trust in their students’ ability to think and problem solve.

It took the second graders two class periods to discover that Monarch butterfly larvae eat milkweed. Is it worth the time when we could have told them the step-by-step directions to raise the larvae in a fraction of the time? If we simply shared our knowledge, the students never would have experienced the same opportunities to:

• own a problem and feel emotionally attached to learning
• ask questions that truly needed to be answered immediately
• work with a deadline
• prioritize their learning
• think of solutions
• try out their ideas
• revise their thinking
• use a variety of resources including the internet, books, and other experts
• discover a purpose for learning
• experience empowerment
• listen and respect the ideas and thoughts of others
• make connections between experiences at home and school
• think creatively and problem-solve
• communicate with s other than teachers (entomologist at the Strong National Museum of Play)

This is inquiry and I think it is worth the time. What do you think?

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Klem Road South Elementary School looks fantastic.  The new carpets, clean rooms, and inviting atmosphere will welcome both students and parents to our door.  Before the students even arrive, we have focused our attention on student learning through the well-thought out arrangements of our furniture and supplies as well as the attention to detail in the decor of the rooms.  Color, simplicity, and warmth can be found throughout our classrooms as well as some incredible technology tools that I’m sure the students and teachers can’t wait to use.  As my 9th grader said when he visited our school this summer, “Why can’t my classrooms look like this?”

As our year begins I can only wonder what opportunities, celebrations, changes, and challenges will await us.  No matter what the weather it is always great to be at “Sunny Klem South!”

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