The following provides a summary of the Spanish article promoted by the “Tiching Blog” titled “Michael Jay: A Teacher Should Create a Desire for Learning”.
Check out the full article in spanish here! http://goo.gl/z3Basc
Michael Jay is a recognized specialist in the science education field who has a passion for research. He is currently the president of Educational Systemics, a company founded with the goal of developing systemic strategies and sustainable products that will improve education system. Michael believes in the importance of personalized learning and allowing the child to develop the skills needed to be successful in and out of the classroom.
Working directly with students has been instrumental in his professional development. It has served as a guide to improve learning and teaching. In order to provide the students with the skills necessary to not only learn within the classroom but also be able to think critically within the professional world.
Michael stresses that it’s not just about content, but creating a desire for learning. Without using the assigned textbooks, he encourages splitting the class into groups to learn the material on their own, and then teach that material to their peers. They can do this by utilizing technology to find demonstrations or expand on classroom content. Michael also has the students create three questions in relation to the topic with the goal of creating an engaging discussion. The key here is to allow the students to create a personal learning experience that doesn’t involve simple fact regurgitation on an exam.
Michael believes that schools have yet to adopt this focus, but have observed that there are cracks in the system. He expands upon his belief by stating that technology is a fundamental key in implementing a new teaching and learning style. Shedding light on the benefits of using technology within the classroom, Michael shares his personal views on technology. He finds that the use of the Internet allows for children to look up information, share with others, find unlimited content, and unearth conflict within a student’s comprehension with the ability to resolve it. Students have shown that once they have finished their studies they are not prepared to face a professional reality, and instead are stuck in the same generic mindset of someone facilitating learning rather than owning their learning.
Michael reasons that teachers are not the source of knowledge but are the facilitators of learning. He then promotes the idea that educators should make technology the facilitator of learning. And in this sense, that technology is the best friend for teachers in this process. The importance of education tools to teaching, are essential in helping teachers identify the education needs of their students, and taking advantage of every resource. Michael also delves into the benefits of the Learning Resource Metadata Initiative (LRMI) schema.
Michael’s describes the LRMI as a schema that provides handles, places where educators can find resources in ways that are relevant to their students needs. Traditional metadata options describe the content - how many pages, how many pictures, who is the author - but does not describe teaching. Instead, LRMI allows, "tagging" of resources that are relevant to educational level and provides and instructional context.
Michael ultimately believes that teaching and learning should be a rewarding experience, for the teachers and the students.