Getting Students Engaged with Meaningful "Work"

Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege of observing several outstanding lessons.  These lessons were outstanding (in my opinion) because the teachers deliberately planned learning experiences that provided students with a high degree of choice and engaged them in learning that was worthy of their time.   I observed students writing short stories on topics they chose, students researching why certain books (that students selected) were banned by the Church and supporting or denouncing the ban, and students "pitching" their topics for memoirs to classmates.  In each lesson, students were clearly excited to be doing the "work" that the teachers assigned and truly invested in the outcome.  These lessons involved very little direct teacher instruction, did not require students to read any textbooks, and did not have students completing worksheets.  This leads me to believe that we must consider the need to reduce (if not eliminate entirely) these "traditional" teaching strategies and increase the opportunities for students to take ownership of their learning.


Take a look at this video for examples of students engaged in meaningful learning.

To Err is Human, To Rub Your Face in it is American?

Let me begin by saying that I am not a fan of Christina Aguilera - to be quite honest, I cannot name one song or album she has produced.  I have no strong feelings about her as a person or as an artist.  However, the public reaction to her recent faux pas during the Super Bowl has really hit a nerve with me, so much so that I decided to write about it (a skill with which I am not overly confident).  Ms. Aguilera's mistake with the lyrics during her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner has generated such a groundswell of criticism that one would think she sold nuclear secrets to the Soviets during the Cold War.  From interviews of people on the street, to politicians, to late night talk show hosts we hear all kinds of nasty comments that call into question Ms. Aquilera's intelligence, her musical talent, and even her patriotism.  Within seconds of her mistakes, there were over 50,000 Twitter messages pointing out her errors and poking fun at her. 

How many of us have forgotten the words to our favorite song, let alone the national anthem?  How many of us have rehearsed for something and then missed the mark in our presentation? 

My concern here is that - whether we like it or not - Christina Aguilera is a pop star that many of our children admire.  When these children hear all of the criticism leveled against Ms. Aguilera for an honest mistake - what kind of message is that sending these children?  Is it acceptable to denigrate a person because he or she confused the words in a song?  Will the children who witness this level of criticism be willing to take risks in order to become successful?  Today's youth are inundated with negativity and it's our job as adults to let them know that it is OK to make mistakes - not to public humiliate those who do.