Sunday 21 April 2013

Module 4

I have been very engrossed in reading Ned Herrmann's book 'The Creative Brain' lately and while participating in this module, reflecting on many of his findings.
"Have you ever felt like you're missing the mark?  I have.  In fact, if the life lived fully and well were a bull's eye, then for a number of years, most of my arrows seemed to be hitting around the edge of the target rather than its center.  Even though I was considered to be successful, many of my arrows never hit the target at all."
Herrmann was referring to his learnings about the brain being the center of who we are, but I connected strongly with this thought.
I felt in my earlier years as a teacher that  content was the target - and should be the epicentre of the classroom.  All students needed to learn the same thing, at the same time, in the same way.  How off the mark was I!
The more I explored pedagogy and different methods the more excited I became.  There are so many ways of thinking, so many ways of learning - we can all reach the centre of our target by so many different avenues.
This to me, is what Module 4 is all about.  By using - or introducing our students to - Podcasting, Vodcasts, Videos - and digital storytelling - we are inviting them to be creative, unique, exploratory in their learning. We are accepting their different ways of thinking and celebrating their ideas.
I hope today's students grow to realise how lucky they are!

'Every now and then we educators must close our books on pedagogy and open books on science, art, literature, theatre, cinema, politics, sociology and tear down the walls that separate these disciplines. Let these things contaminate each other!''
                                                                 Loris Malaguzzi


No comments:

Post a Comment