Learning to Unlearn...Say What!?

After reading Chapter 3, and finding this image on google, it really put what I had just read into perspective. I would like to think of learning to unlearn as a skill that is difficult to achieve. Soooo. let's put this into context. In middle/high school I was always told Wikipedia was a terrible source. Never use it for ANYTHING! Once I got to college, and was writing my first research paper, my professor said go to Wikipedia and see what they have to say about the topic, and scroll down and get some sources that are on there. Never did I think that anyone would say to use Wikipedia. But, if I wasn't willing to get on board with Wiki, I would have never found such good sources or wrote such a factual research paper.

In my opinion, as teachers, it is important to always be up on current research, teaching procedures, and general information. Different ways of teaching are always being developed, and most importantly technology in the classroom is always changing. Just because you know powerpoint or simple windows programs doesn't cut it anymore. To be able to make the most of your classroom you need to learn many different technology methods and possibly unlearn the same old powerpoint lesson.

I found an awesome website/blog called The School of Unlearning. It gives a lot of different ideas to kind of test your brain, and also information on Learning to Unlearn. As younger teachers something we need to think about is the fact that we may be the ones trying to get our older co workers to unlearn and relearn with new technology, and if we're not even open to new things, how do we expect others to as well? Thats why, we must be open to Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn, because that is not an easy trait everyone has. It is something not only yourself can benefit from but your co-workers and students too. Every new school year you should be unlearning and relearning with students, and easing the transition so they are able to share this trait as well.

My First Flipped Lesson!

I was introduced to "Flipped Lessons" in my Intro to Technology class, and I have to say I love the concept of flipped learning. It will only work if every student has a computer at home though, which is not something very common in Lawrence County. Although Flipped Learning seems to be more targeted for Middle - High school, I do feel as though it can be used in the Early Childhood Classroom setting. My flipped lesson was on finding the main idea, a simple concept that could be learned at home from watching this video. I enjoyed making my boards. I added a little "psychedelic" touch to mine :). My video needed two takes due to built up tension and screaming a not so "classroom appropriate" word at the end of my first video because I couldn't think of an ending. So, make sure you have your video planned out. I enjoyed doing this lesson, and this is definitely something I could see myself doing in my classroom as long as my students have the appropriate equipment. What I like about flipped learning is the fact that learning quick lessons = more in class time to actually apply what you have learned.

This is my first flipped learning lesson. It is on finding the "Main Idea" of a passage. This lesson is targeted towards a Third Grade class. Enjoy!

Peace, Love, and Happy Teachings - Miss Caitlin