Week 3

Over my ten years as a teacher I have seen many changes. I have taught for a local public district, brick and mortar charter school, and cyber charter school. I have taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade. One may think that a young teacher with so many different experiences might feel frustrated with all the change. I on the other hand have learned to embrace and accept the change. I realize that education is no longer a career where you get a job and you stay their for 30 years. On the other hand it is a field that is constantly changing and one must evolve to stay relevant! Over the past few years I have dabbled with the idea of the flipped model. However, I could never commit. I had many thoughts that ran through my mind. The students won't watch the lessons, parents will complain, where will I find the time. While this year I finally decided to commit! Therefore, I find a lot of similarities to this article: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/UKFLVnN5lzRf7hZzdI8v9L/Technology-to-the-assistance-of-the-flipped-classroom-model.html It is truly amazing what you can accomplish with using both Synchronous and Asynchronous instruction! I can say that I value my time this year with my students more than I did in the past. It is fun to see my students be the ones doing the work/teaching while I am acting more as a support system. I also find it really interesting to see how start up companies are presently using the same strategies that I am. This gives me hope that this student centered approach is properly preparing my students for their futures!

You cannot argue that the internet is changing the world and education.You can also not argue that no two students learn the same way. Therefore, it is critical that we no longer just provide our students with a lesson that some have mastered and some are left feeling confused. However,we have many more standards to cover so we just move on. This article https://www.yahoo.com/news/media-advisory-inacol-blended-online-learning-symposium-2016-162600028.html truly talks about a student centered approach where students use asynchronous instruction to move through objectives at their own pace until they master the objectives. This is truly an approach that is about the students and not about the standards. Standards should guide our instruction. However they should not dictate the pace of which the student moves through the content. We must make it a priority that each student masters the objectives and not just move on unprepared to the next grade due to their age. I truly believe that we can all work together to use the flipped/asynchronous model to make sure that all learners master the needed objectives with a student centered approach. Is it more important to cover standards or prepare our learners for the future?

Can a student centered approach break down the language and cultural barriers in the arts? This article https://www.bupipedream.com/ac/73552/downtown-center-poetry-festival-has-global-focus/ talks about how this happened. Although performances were done in different languages with ties to different cultures all were able to interpret the art different due to the hands on approach. These article on widely different topics all seem to have a common thread. When students are able to apply their thinking in an approach that is centered on the student education moves forward. Standards are great! However, is it more important to move through these objectives or allow all students to master these critical thinking skills.