The Ted talk (http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/The-Myth-of-Average-Todd-Rose-a) below discusses the concept of the myth of averages and that we should not "pigeon hole" students into fitting a norm. Students are jagged and bring different sets of skills to school everyday. Todd Rose, the speaker within this Ted talk wants teachers to build practice that is adaptable and I would definitely concur with him.
In my school, we are in the process of creating a quality learning environment by engaging students in the practice of such things as formative assessment and technology integration of a one to one model. Technology is a core component to creating this environment and even restructuring a classroom with new desks can create the necessary changes to build on student achievement.
The question was asked, "how much of this problem of classroom environment is just bad design?" When I answer this question, it revolves around the following ideas of:
1) Nurturing individual potential – every single student has a jagged learning profile.
2) “Average destroys talent” – educational environment needs to
be able to challenge
3) Design to edges - a
bold move to produce a “game changer”
These salient points of discussion stem from the Ted talk and our class discussion today. It is important to recognize that students need to be engaged to enhance performance and that this is possible through creating adaptive learning environments. Technology such as iPads that can definitely support the ability of students with varying learning profiles to meet the outcomes of the curriculum.
Items like and apps like 1) Poll Everywhere.com – creates word clouds - instant feedback and 2) Book creator, are just a few of the adaptive technology pieces that can enhance the classroom. It is up to the school leader and classroom teachers to build environments where students can thrive and explore the disciplines that are offered at any specific school.
The learning continues...:)
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