Keep It Real: Authentic Learning is
Teaching At It's Best
Teaching At It's Best
What do I mean by authentic learning and teaching and how can I use these strategies to teach alphabet knowledge? Authentic teaching is using lessons that teach through simulated, real life situations. They are provocations to engage students in higher order thinking activities by immersing them into "Big Picture" ideas and "real world" situations. Educators can do this by integrating content strands in ways that permit students to experience "real-life learning" through age-appropriate, thematic learning units. Authentic learning is meaningful, relevant, necessary and engaging to the students' needs and interests now and to their future needs and interests as they adapt to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
Academic activities that share the contextual features of real-life experiences and are similar to what practitioners actually do can support the transfer and integration of taught skills into out of school settings and real world utility (Putnam & Borko, 2000).
Many scholars have conceptualized learning as coming to know how to participate in the discourse and practices of a particular community (Putnam & Borko, 2000).
In our highly literate and technology infused society, the ability to read, write, speak and collaborate are essential and the acquisition of these skills are connected to the simple act of a child picking up a book or pen as a way to begin to learn his ABCs. For me, the most authentic ways to teach alphabet knowledge is to have my students read meaningful and relevant text and to write to real life audiences. As Confucius said, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." Below are 3 You Tube videos describing some excellent websites to get your students doing and learning. Understand?
A wise person once said, "Education is only a ladder to gather fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, not the fruit itself." For too long schools operated as if education was the prized plum to be picked, not the orchard. Authentic teaching and learning makes the real world the orchard and transforms students into skilled harvesters.
To learn a Thing or Two about keeping it real while you differentiate your writing instruction, check out the choice pickings below. Each site can be a rung on the DI ladder to help you reach new heights in meeting all your students' unique learning needs!
www.storybird.com
www.storyjumper.com
www.kidblog.com
www.littlebirdtales.com
www.popplet.com
www.zooburst.com
www.speakaboos.com
www.animoto.com
www.storylineonline.net
www.tumblebooks.com
www.readingatoz.com
www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/picturebookmaker/picturebookmaker.php
www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/embed.cfm
http://www.colorincolorado.org/
http://storyplace.org/preschool/other.asp
www.storyjumper.com
www.kidblog.com
www.littlebirdtales.com
www.popplet.com
www.zooburst.com
www.speakaboos.com
www.animoto.com
www.storylineonline.net
www.tumblebooks.com
www.readingatoz.com
www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/picturebookmaker/picturebookmaker.php
www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/embed.cfm
http://www.colorincolorado.org/
http://storyplace.org/preschool/other.asp
"Learning is an ornament in prosperity, a refuge in adversity and a provision in old age."
-Aristotle
-Aristotle