“The Olden Days”
To me, this looks like a typical classroom from way back when. The teacher is in the front rambling away. Students are all seated in desks with material out to take notes. My, how things have changed..
“My School Days”
I went to a small Catholic school from grade 1 to grade 8. We had very little funding (most money came from student tuition), so that was a barrier to innovation that public school students were getting. It was a huge deal when each classroom got 2 computers. By the time I got into the ‘upper grades’ (5-8), most students had computers at home, but some did not. It was up to us whether we wanted to type our papers or handwrite them. When I was in high school, I saw my first Smart Board. The more advanced level maths required us to have TI-89 calculators, which had way more features than I knew how to use. Once I graduated high school, it was almost necessary for any person enrolled in college to have a laptop. My college professors used PowerPoint almost on a daily basis, and required internet access searches for success in the classroom. I took one online class before beginning hygiene, and the instructor used a lockdown browser for our final. It made the computer completely lock so that you could not navigate away from the exam until you were finished, even in new tabs. As I have mentioned before, two classes used clickers to engage students.
“An Innovative Classroom”
In the text, there is an example of a patient comparing his pain to the Titanic (Innovative Teaching Strategies, pg. 42). Nursing students did not understand the connection, but they discovered more about the analogy on their own. This allowed them to relate to the situation a little more. The point of this is that students need to be active learners to be successful, not only through school but throughout their career.
I am a big fan of having a ‘flipped classroom’ environment for students of all ages. This focuses on the instructor being more of a guide, providing a push in the direction of student discovery, and students teaching themselves the objectives of the day. At younger ages, the flipped classroom allows for students to learn at their own pace, and interact with peers, learning to work together. In older classrooms, this gives the opportunity for students to form and discuss their own opinions, and take responsibility for their own success.
In my classroom, I picture each student with their iPads that contain their text books, online materials, and notes, all for easy access during class. I also see myself using clickers often for the times that I do have presentations to share. This keeps students engaged.
I think it is important for innovations to be present in a classroom. Students are growing up with technology and they are going to be good at using it. I asked a 4 year old patient what she got for Christmas and she said an iPhone. I could not believe it. FOUR. She is not going to remember a life before having all the answers at her fingertips. Teachers need to use this to their advantage, and could use it to encourage research and self discovery.
P.S. Does anyone remember this guy?
