For our January 14 class, we had to watch the documentary Most Likely to Succeed, which is about a school that takes a unique approach to teaching. One of the biggest takeaways I had was how much more motivated students can be if they get to focus on things they actually care about. The film showed a lot of great ways to connect the students’ interests to the curriculum, like doing a play or independent project. It was also cool to see how their school used family and community involvement, which made the students more proud of their work. Their projects mattered more to them when it was on display for their loved ones to see. It made me think of all the different ways I could create this level of engagement in my future classrooms.
During the class, we also talked a lot about technology in education, especially focusing on keeping kids safe online. Teachers have to think about privacy, permission and potential risks before they can take or post a photo of a student. Another interesting point made during class was how much content is actually created by teachers, like lesson plans, assignments, quizzes. I also didn’t realize that anything a teacher makes is automatically copyrighted to them, and there are platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers and Twinkl for sharing resources or getting inspiration. There are other helpful websites that share educational resources as well, like Creative Commons. Overall, this class had me thinking about how to balance technology so it improves learning but keeps everything safe and accessible.
