Skip to main content

Deeper Thinking with the Microwave Generation

While at a Kiwanis event this past weekend I (Ellen) ended up sitting at a table with all educators except for me and one other person, who asked how are kids different these days?  One of the educators replied with, “they are part of the microwave generation, zap and here is the answer.” 

It is interesting to ponder a group of people, who for all their life, when presented with a question had the ability to just ask Google.  One of the educators went on to say that it is hard to get her students to work into the depths of a problem.  Of course, that is exactly where you want them to go, deep into a problem because Google is there for everyone, right? 
So, what does going deeper into a problem look like in a classroom?  What tools and what environments provide support to the “microwave generation” to move beyond the quick answer?  Access to the internet only gives them Google….

At a workshop, I also attended recently, a STEM (STEM is an acronym referring to the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) instructor said the answer is white boards, and when the presentation showed a whiteboard wall and table tops his colleague was excited and said “that is what we need.” Really white boards! That’s it? This response is coming from a UC system cutting edge multi-disciplinary hub of educational innovation.

Maybe, in the end that is what we need, to worry less about the new age technology, which the students will bring in their hand anyways, and more about the basics, which of course white boards fit the basic.  It may be a matter of thinking of white boards in a new perspective. Student centered groups, non-teacher lead discussions, and deeper more engaging discussion of a “real-life” multidisciplinary learning opportunity….white boards are not just for teachers.

Interested in the effectiveness of deeper learning?  Here is an article from eSchool News:
Deeper learning has significant impact, study finds
By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor, @eSN_Laura
September 26th, 2014

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Changing an Icon

Changing an Icon I draw. Little doddles cover cards and note pads at large and small gatherings. It was a note taking technique I was taught and gratefully adopted early in my career. The reason, beyond my lack of spelling talent, is really to distill the spoken word into the most basic pictorial concept because when gathering information from so many, it needs to be contained and expressed in the most condensed form. The smallness allows all input to be displayed at once. Most of the drawings are well accepted icons to today’s texters, our culture’s emogies. These symbols hold strong association. A “house” is often drawn with gable roof and two symmetrical windows on either side of the door in the middle. We faithfully hold that image in our head even though very few, if any, have ever lived in a house that looks like the icon. We have many of these connections imprinted on our brains. Think of trains, building types, flowers and genders, which all have the easy mental imag...

Why is it designed that way?

Why is it designed that way?  It can be a common question when touring facilities on assessment or in a recent case during an interview. Still I wonder why more people do not ask that question on a day to day basis.  I do.  It is common fascination when touring facilities.  Looking a strange cabinetry and realizing the room was originally for a sewing class or once in Mexico, showing a whole group of guys that you need to pull a pin out to release the spare tire from under our stuck vehicle.  Designers normally do not place things willy nilly yet understanding the function of a design can be elusive.  No matter the effort in programing and design, new users are always present for when the building opens, who don’t know why decisions were made on the placement of switches and amenities or arrangement of spaces.  On the operational side, including servicing heating and air conditioning and cleaning finishes, there are manuals that are created, but,...

Define: Facility Needs

Getting bogged down by the jargon on 21 st century learning? You are not the only one.  One of my first tasks in starting a relationship with a District is discovering the District’s terminology for departments and special programs.  Special education is always an area where terms like Special Day Class can mean a whole host of different things and require different type of spaces.  Different approaches to learning and the world of technology have exploded the learning vocabulary to the point there needs to be a dictionary.   A Dictionary For 21st Century Teachers: Learning Models & Technology Creating common language is key to making any organization work.   One of the unsung heroes of a facilities master plan is the cross pollination of jargon, philosophy and purpose different departments have in an organization and how they affect the final environment.    Teachers will ask why they can’t paint their classroom a different color and the...