Quote
“As teachers we can
make research more relevant to students’ lives by making it an activity that is
done outside, in the community, by exploring students’ environments” (Herrmann, 2012) .
I think this is an amazing way to engage students in research
and teach them about the appropriate process of analytic methods. However in
mathematics, it isn’t normal to do research in school, unless you are at the
end of your undergraduate program. But, this could change if students were
given the opportunity to research the mathematics involved in their daily
lives. We used to teach students how to write a check or balance a checkbook,
and now we have to teach them topics that are on a standardized test. We forget
about the life-skills necessary and the natural curiosity that children have in
their surroundings. Instead of utilizing that curiosity, we diminish and
discourage questioning by stating that “that is just the way it is”. We often
tell our students that we are teaching them so that they can pass the test at
the end of the school year. However, the students care about how they are going
to use this in their lives. We have to make topics relevant.
Resource
Student Centered Learning is a video about how education must shift away from the traditional auditory learners that make up about 20% of the school population and make it relevant to all students' needs. I really like the out-of-the box thinking that this video displays. This website also gives an example of a student-centered project that includes Hip Hop. The video is part of a short film series about changing the education paradigm.
Questions
Herrmann, B. (2012, Fall). Writing as an Exploration:
Rethinking the Research Paper. Wisconsin English Journal, 54(2), 49-51. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from
http://journals.library.wisc.edu/index.php/wej/article/viewFile/538/579
Questions
What is the difference between
writing a report and “doing research”?
The difference between writing a report and “doing research” is that
research is a more complex method than just writing a report. A report
highlights and emphasizes texts from books and magazines, while research takes
concepts from resources and associates those ideas by making them relevant and/or
intertwine them with new knowledge. “Doing research” is applying and digging
deep into a topic of study, while writing a report is the gathering of
information already given.
How might doing authentic
research better prepare students for the 21st century work place?
Give specific examples from the “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” reading.
According to the article “Trapped Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” information
is a valuable commodity in the fast capitalism of the twenty-first century. It
is the most traded resource, and because of this authentic research will better
prepare students for the work place than writing a report. Authentic research
gives students the unstructured method of conducting and gathering research on
topics like it is done in the workplace. Academia has created a structured,
regimented process for research that it isn't beneficial for relating
real-world research to its students. Authentic research eliminates this regimented
and restricted process so that students become better prepared for the
twenty-first century workplace’s research and information sharing.
Why might Constructivist type
learning better prepare students for the 21st century work place
than Behavioral approaches?
The Behavioral approach is what teachers/professors are doing now for
creating research lessons for students. It’s a step-by-step giving of
directions, while Constructivist type learning creates information that is
transferable to situations in the real world. This includes authentic research,
which better prepares students for the twenty-first century as I have stated in
the previous question. The student is able to research outside the bounds of
structured step-by-step directions in a Constructivist approach, which
simulates the real-world where directions are not always given.
How does authentic
research support new media literacies? Make connections to the reading “What
Wikipedia Can Teach Us About New Media Literacies Part 1 and Part 2”
According to “What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About New Media Literacies,” new media literacies is a set of cultural understanding and social
skills which young people need as they confront the new media landscape of the
twenty-first century. Authentic research allows students to learn and practice
their skills with new media which is essential in being successful in the
workplace by the sharing of information. Authentic research takes information gathered
by students and teaches them to relate it to their world or needs. It is
important that students know new media literacies in order to create authentic
research, as well as share their findings with other peers and professionals in
and out of the twenty-first century workplace.
