Not Just for Math Teachers...

Similar to the theme of yesterday's post, but from a Math perspective...applicable to all teaching...(and shorter!)... Thanks to Heidi B. for sharing this... Thoughts?  (also, feel free to comment on the bottom of these blog postings... good things to be talking about)

Doing Homework in Class...

First of all, a quick reminder- If you havent already taken the survey about professional development day 2010, please click on this link: Professional Development Day 2010 Feedback Survey. The survey will close Wednesday, 4/28.

I went to a lecture the other day by an educator named Dr. Alan November. I was quite struck by his presentation. His basic premise was this: The HUGE amount of information that is at our fingertips now is literally turning education upside down. We give kids homework... ask them to answer questions and solve problems. How long does it take for them to get feedback on whether or not they are right or wrong?  A long time...too long, anyway.  Then, we bring them into class and we lecture content to them...content that is already available to them in a million different formats in a zillion different places (A great example is the content that is podcasted on iTunes U- lectures and classes about all sorts of subjects). We spend time recreating lectures, slideshows, notes, etc. that are already available.  In class we give them stuff they could really do at home. We ask them to do stuff at home that would be much more effective if it was done in class...  "What used to be classwork should be homework, and what has always been homework would be better as class work. Here is a video by Eric Mazur, Physics Professor at Harvard,  that i really think is worth watching. Just put it on in the background while you are doing other work (its kind of long) and see if it doesn't make some sense.  It is not DIRECTLY applicable to our classrooms, but it has some pretty strong parallels and its worth consideration.