I’m thinking about majoring in education in collage. However, I’m a little bit concerned that teaching and just school in general will become all online and virtual. Will technology just change the way how you teach, or will it someday replace traditional classrooms?
Oh I really do hope not.
Not anytime soon.
Sure, a kid in my class could watch Khan Academy from now until forever. But that won’t replace what I do in the classroom.
After a while, you start to know when a kid isn’t getting it. Not from a hand in the air, but from the look on a face. That’s my cue to slow down and repeat my explanation. And then to try an alternate explanation. And then to use a real life example. And then to try another example.
LOTS of times, my kids don’t even know what to ask, they just know that it’s not making sense in their heads.
So much of the learning that happens in my class is prompted by something another kid has said, or a question he/she has asked. We take that jumping off place and veer in a new direction; I never teach exactly the same lesson, use the same explanations and examples 5 times a day. I start with a lesson plan, and each class evolves depending on the kids in that class and on what makes sense to them in that period on that day. I don’t always move faster or do the harder examples with the same class: some days 3rd period will see the harder examples and some days it’s 9th, depending on my feel for how they’re understanding the material.
My kids learn from ME. Sure, they review a lot from the videos on my website. But they have those “AHA!!” moments in class.
I think that videos are a great way to review material. But I don’t see them replacing what a flesh and blood teacher does in class.