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dockter
What to do next?
I had a great day with interesting and challenging discussions. I heard a lot of fabulous ideas exchanged. What to do with them? I figure one useful (maybe?) perspective I can share comes under my Tom Snyder Productions hat, particularly the marketing one. And with that hat on, I can’t help but wonder: Who is the audience? Maybe the more appropriate question is: Who is the audience that can bring these ideas to scale?
On the surface, geography and social studies are a clear target. However, we still live under the umbrella of NCLB and accountability, and, frankly, geography doesn’t count. Even where it’s measured, the results have no teeth, at least not compared to reading and math. What can you do to raise the importance? Where are the leverage points?
One thought is 21st century skills and preparation for the world economy. Geography is important as it builds awareness of the global competitive and interconnected environment in which we now live. We can’t divorce ourselves from the rest of the world. How does mapping build critical global awareness?
Digial media literacy is also a potential lever. We need to prepare students to be informed consumers in a 21st century digital world. They need to be able to evaluate information and make sense of the bombardment of data they face everyday. I wonder if groups like Bill Daggett’s have any relevance (http://www.leadered.com/research.html)?
A third angle concerns the value of nml skills in the core academic areas. How can mapping, but more generally the nml skills, help kids master reading and the math objectives. This might be too much of a stretch. Maybe the key here is engagement. How do we make learning meaningful for kids, particularly disaffected ones. A sense of control and self-efficacy can make a huge difference. There’s a growing body of literature surrounding the effects of psycho-social interventions that have nothing to do with the content students are learning. Is there a connection with your efforts?
There’s so much good stuff here, I hate to see it limited just to the good and creative teachers. In many ways, they are the ones who least need it. Go for it!
