Primordial Soup to Mountain Gorilla

I just watched the Ted Talk Dr. L. posted on the Learning Commons Facebook page by Paul Andersen, a science teacher who tried to turn his class into a video game.

It's a fascinating idea, and I think there are a lot of great concepts to remember from it. 

One, that students struggle with reading, and with reading textbooks specifically.  We as educators have got to stop "reading the book" for them (ie, lecturing to restate the text) and teach students HOW to read and remember what they read, especially with nonfiction.  We must hold them accountable for textbook reading if we want them to be able to learn independently.

Second, that if you're going to try something like this there will be failures, and that's ok.  It's ok, that is, as long as we try to do something different the next time.  One reason teaching gets "easier" over time is that we learn what works for us and what doesn't.  If we didn't adjust our lessons, tweak our activities, learn new methods, etc., not only would teaching be really boring but our lessons would never get more effective.

I really like the idea of starting the year by telling students they are on level zero.  That seems like a better speech than "you all have an A," which I don't think any kid buys anyhow.  I love the different levels he created for his students.  I love that students were engaged and interacting.

A better approach, one that ensures more scaffolding and direction for those students who "crash" their cars into brick walls, might be to plan your class as a series of games, allowing for differentiation within each unit.  This also allows students to all start over at level zero with each unit.  It also allows teachers to tweak how the "game" works between units, adjusting to the unique interests and abilities of our students.

I also love his point that we are not Vulcan.  Technology is not THE answer.  It is a tool we can use to increase engagement and promote interaction, but we don't learn by having videos and facts flashed in front of us.  We aren't passive, we are active.  My job is to help teachers design lessons in which students are active participants in their learning.