Curiosity in the Classroom- EdTech Talk

Though the conversation I listened to on EdTech Talk didn't discuss how technology affects it, the talk I listened to focused on curiosity in the classroom. We examined how to foster creativity and how a curious classroom appears. The issue that came up again and again throughout the discussion from the speakers was time, but what I saw at the bottom of most issues was motivation and the responsibilities of a teacher beyond curriculum.

Sheila, Maria and Lisa constantly discussed how we need to give students time to be curious and how though wrong answers and misconceptions provide a huge opportunity to foster curiosity, the time to explore and elaborate on something that isn't necessarily part of the curriculum is a huge challenge. What they all agreed on though, that curiosity is a key to being successful learners.

While trying to define curiosity, someone mentioned that curiosity is asking questions. As much as I think that's a sign of curiosity, I think it goes much further beyond that. As a student, I have asked questions not because I really want to know something, but sometimes it's because I feel like it's something that might be on a test or something that was unclear and I feel is SUPPOSED to be important, but I'm not personally invested. In my opinion, fostering curiosity is attributed 100% to finding intrinsic motivation. If an educator differentiates curriculum enough to allow a student to focus on areas in which they are interested that relate to the unit, curiosity should be organic. Lisa joked that "we teach them things they don't care about," but I think as a passionate and interested teacher, part of doing your job well is to find ways to make them care. Present the information interesting ways, make it relevant to their lives, make THEM find ways to make it relevant to their lives.

At the same time, I think it's also the job of teachers to create an environment in which students feel comfortable to be curious. Knowing that asking questions will be well received and encouraged is crucial to learning and curiosity. It's the job of all teachers to, from day one, to create a genuine sense of community where students accept one another and the teacher models that for everyone. I think a part of that, and it's something I really worry about as a future teacher, is a willingness to talk about thing's teachers are "not supposed" to talk about. What students often want information on is what is going on in the world, in their communities, in their families, in their school- they are curious about the things that affect their everyday lives, the world they live in, etc.

Is it always relevant to curriculum? Probably not, but it is important that our students look at school as a safe learning environment, learning is all inclusive and happens every moment in the day, more outside of a structured classroom than within. It is important that educators encourage students to find and examine information and that students have a place that they feel safe to ask some tough questions or discuss some difficult aspects of history or current events. Students should feel like the teacher is honest with them and willing to delve into subjects of all kinds, and they should especially feel like teachers are there to help them learn more about things of which they're curious.

Overall, I liked this edtech talk better than the last one I heard though there wasn't much direct discussion about technology. That being said, I think it's easy to see how much technology plays a role in curiosity whether it's through providing exposure to new ideas or providing further information about existing ideas. It did make me sad that it was so openly acknowledged that there is little time to foster and allow curiosity because of the curriculum that needs to be taught. To me, kids need to be taught about things that they see as fascinating and relevant to create a love of learning that will hopefully spread into subjects of all kinds.

Teachable Moments- EdTech Talk

Listening to the EdTech Talk discussion on teachable moments, it was very interesting hearing teachers bounce ideas and lessons off of one another and explaining in depth their lesson plans. Lisa saw an idea on twitter about using the anniversary of the earthquakes in Haiti as a teachable moment and she and Sheila mentioned how a lot of climate change issues bring up a lot of teachable moments- flooding in Brisbane, mudslides in Brazil, all of the major storms lately that present incredible teachable moments- why are these happening? How often do things like this happen? What can cause these storms? Using current events or anniversaries of important events to allow students to research, ask questions, discuss and stay informed about relevant issues is so important.

What becomes challenging about taking advantage of teachable moments it, as Sheila and Lisa said, that they're not necessarily things that fit into curriculum but they are things that are still so important to discuss. Students realize that horrific events happen and teachable moments are about discussing human nature and exploring compassion. With the recent shootings in Arizona, being able to get correct information and have a safe environment in which to discuss, ask questions, etc. is so vital in making kids feel informed, safe, knowledgeable and again, compassionate. I follow the Dalai Lama on my personal twitter account and almost daily the tweets are about compassion. In my opinion, instilling a sense of compassion in students would solve so many problems like bullying, class/country/religious/political segregation, and general taunting that goes on in schools. What better ways to explore compassion than by trying to understand other humans better whether fellow classmates, or by skyping to a classroom abroad, or by using current events as ways to see both sides of a story.

At the same time, they discuss how as a teacher, when you know what is going on in the world and the sadness that can exist, how much is appropriate to share with students? Students often hear of things anyway, so why not use teachable moments to answer their questions and talk to them about real issues that exist and are important? It is also hard having to deal with parents- kids want to know more but sometimes parents want to shelter their kids to an extent or have the opportunity to tell their kids what they think.

They also brought up a great question that I was thinking about- "Do you think more teachable moments happen with more experienced teachers because they feel more comfortable with their class and know they can get through the content and won't feel like they are being judged and know that they can handle parent feedback?" Both ladies definitely agreed with this- I cannot imagine my first year in the classroom branching off and having a discussion about shootings or something so difficult to tackle. It is risky and scary, you don't know how the students will react or how the parents will react. That being said, it is important to explore things that are not necessarily involved in your curriculum for the day- lots of important things happen!

Technology was discussed in regards to how much it has enhanced teachable moments- it is a great way for students to access information, find out about current events, and to research and navigate information to draw conclusions. I really liked listening to this- it was interesting to hear stories of what happened in other peoples' classrooms, they way they handle situations, how to address student concerns. I think that EdTech Talk is a great way to bounce ideas off of other teachers that may have completely different students, resources, etc. at their hands enhancing what you can bring into your classrooms and the ideas that you have.