Last class we watched a video that I had seen several times before for other education classes, but was more than happy to view again.
This video, which explored the educational system today, voiced a lot of the doubts that I have felt, both as a student and as a future teacher. The way students are viewed in many classrooms by the powers that be tends to be more of a product, like something that is tinkered with and shipped out, as though the school was a factory. The classroom is no place for mass-production, and I am all for taking an individualized approach, putting the student's needs first.
Another concept I really enjoyed that we discussed was this idea of multiple literacies. I admit that walking into this class, which is supposed to focus on the topic of literacy, I rolled my eyes, thinking that I was going to have to sit through a few hours of reading and writing tips. I was pleasantly surprised however, to find that we were going to look at literacy in a broader sense, exploring the different kinds of literacies and what this means in the modern classroom. Just as the idea of the "classroom" is expanding to include, essentially, the whole world, this definition of literacy has expanded as well. I look forward to seeing exactly what this means, as I really don't know yet, but I love the idea of it and can't wait to learn more!
