What's happening in 6th grade?
For starters, I am very surprised by my thinking after thinking this one out...Disclaimer #1: I guess it should be noted that my thinking is continually evolving, especially listening to my brilliant edu-friends hash it out all day! My thinking is always being shifted, so if there is any push back, please share! Disclaimer #2: I'm not a cognitive scientist! These thoughts have come through conversation with other educators, personal experience, and reflection! As usual, the #4ocf Voxer Group has really challenged and transformed my thinking on this topic. I presented the graphic (below) last evening half-joking, but curious about the response of others in regard to this seemingly antiquated styled assignment. "MEMORIZE THE PREAMBLE." I can recall in high school memorizing the Gettysburg Address (Mostly memorizing... I think I got an 85%? Can you really assess memorization quantitatively in this fashion? Not a discussion for now!) and Annabel Lee by Poe. Memorization and recitation has always caused me great angst. In high school, I performed in one fall play and three musicals with two leads over the years. Each time... great anxiety over the memorization of lines. All this being said, the assignment posted below made me cringe and laugh (due to the "all-or-nothing" nature of it. So... What's the verdict? To memorize? Or, not to memorize?Again, presenting some ideas here that challenged my own thinking today as to why memorization of facts is not the evil which I had previously believed. Start With WhyTrevor Bryan, Matt Larson, and Elizabeth Merce (and others) are constantly reminding myself and others to START WITH THE WHY. What's your why? What is your end goal? What's your purpose? I'll admit, I'm not doing this continual metacognition and reflection, but am becoming better! Is the end goal rote memorization? Is your only goal to have them recite and regurgitate with little other thinking? If so, have at it! Or, when it comes to something such as the Preamble, is the goal a deeper understanding of the principles that lay within? If so, you may want to reconsider the type of memorization your students are doing in the classroom. Can deeper understanding happen through pure rote memorization? Maybe? For some? Usually no. Not for me, that's for sure. Students should be tearing apart the content or text. Analyzing. Reflecting. Creating. For example, the teacher could be asking... how are the principles found in the Preamble being applied today in government? Are they being applied? Maybe students are memorizing in class, but more as a fruit of deeper learning. I have no problem with this! PassionsMatt and Rachelle spoke this evening of memorization happening in conjunction with your passions and leisure activities. I mentioned earlier that I have some background in theater. Despite memorization being semi-nightmarish and nerve wracking for me, in the end, some of my best memories occurred on stage performing in Beauty and the Beast as Maurice (Bell's dad) or in Music Man. Memorization was not the end goal here, but rather the end goal was owning the story and sharing in this story line with others on stage and with the audience. Similar experiences were mentioned by formed marching band member. Routines and music must be memorized in order to put on the performance. Again, the end goal is the experience and to entertain, and not necessarily the memorization in and of itself. Having played baseball for many years, signs were a key part of the game. You needed to memorize the signs. Believe it or not, back in the day I was a base stealer (when I was a skinny kid)! Knowing and memorizing the third base coach's signs are key to any team's success! Nevertheless, Matt helped me to understand that memorization occurs when you want to and when you need. Again, in these cases, memorization was not the end goal. You need to have a little filing cabinet in your head!Is memorization even necessary at this point? Yes! It is necessary that every human has some bank of knowledge in their brains! Whether it is your address, telephone number, favorite sports players, times tables, etc. There are most definitely times to memorize these facts. When it comes to our jobs and responsibilities. I sure hope my doctor has memorized his treatment plans or procedures! I hope administration and teachers have memorized most security protocols! Memorization is necessary. It happens. Maybe not through rote practice, but through experience. Nevertheless, memorization happens. Also, as functioning contributing members of society, we need to (and do) develop some sort of schema! We need some degree of background knowledge when it comes to our every day tasks and responsibilities. What sort of society would we live in if nobody was informed on any issues? Policies? Basic scientific, economic, government-related principles? (For those who believe we are already there, this is a debate for another time. ;) ) What if we relied on Google to recall any basic fact? We would be mindless. Not good, especially in the age of AI! There needs to be, and there will be due to one's life experience, some degree of memorization. That about wraps it up... Memorization is still necessary!I only reflected on a few of the points that stuck out to me throughout today's conversation, but there are many other facets of this conversation. I didn't do the exchange justice, but I needed to get down my thoughts because I knew I would not remember otherwise.
I'm surprised to have come to this conclusion (at least at this time). Memorization is necessary. It happens through our human experience and helps us to live fuller and more rich lives by applying what we know. As with anything, it should, and usually does, have purpose. As educators, if ever assigning something such as that seen above, we need to reflect on the WHY. What is the end goal? What's your purpose?
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Whew! It's been a while...I've meant to check in recently! I didn't realize it had been so long. I actually forgot to reflect on my experience at Ed Camp AoP, where I met Rachel Murat in person, again! We were able to talk teaching over a yummy desert at Perkins. (#notsketch) What a privilege! Such a brilliant mind. The ability to collab with Rachel in person is something that I never would have imagined before teaching and in my first few years in the classroom. In the past couple years, my professional learning network (PLN) on Twitter and Voxer have filled me to the brim with excitement and a drive to always be the best I can be as an educator. This is my 5th year, 4th full year, teaching. I can look back at my first couple years teaching when collaboration meant bouncing ideas off the one or couple teachers who were generous enough to give of their time to share with the excited newbie in the building. Today, collaboration means sharing with hundreds, if not thousands some weeks, of teachers in a week via social media. I have found a PL(F)amily!A couple months ago, I joined an incredible community of teachers in a #4ocf Voxer Book Study. The 4 O'Clock Faculty is written by Rich Czyz, also a part of the study. The book revolutionizes the traditional paradigm of PD in the school setting and, for some, introduced PD on a personal level. This book study has come and gone, but this group of educators has transitioned into an incredible support network, and a family of sorts! I'm likely the baby in the group, but I am SO thankful to be amongst such brilliant minded educators always looking to push the limits. Every day, I look forward to hearing the conversation between these friends from afar. (Yes - always a conversation before I'm even awake at 6:30am EST. (Usually @emerced_learning or @CoachJonCraig!) In the past couple months, I have found some great friends in the field who have challenged me to think beyond the status quo and seek what is best for my students. The support is tremendous. I'll go as far as mentioning, when I was having a tough time at school, one of the group members side-voxed me to "pray over" me. I was almost brough to tears on my commute home. This book study, turned "think tank," has turned into an incredible PL(F)amily! I'm still not quite sure how to explain this group to my professional colleagues (book study group? voxer group/friends? I've tried a bunch!) in my building, but I know that they are a second family, of sorts. I realize everything has its season. This incredible community will not stay the same forever; it will change, grow, evolve... My biggest takeaway is the need to surround myself with educators who will challenge me in my thinking and support me. They do say, afterall, that you are what you eat. You are the top five people you surround yourself with. I aspire to be more like these amazing experienced educators everday! Every professional, whether educator or not, needs to find this network, or family.We must be fed. We must be challenged. We must grow together. The learning does not stop here. So thankful for this group of amazing educators.
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About MeLouie here! 5th Grade Teacher. Level 2 Google Educator. Love all things Google. 1:1 Chromebooks. Archives
June 2020
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