Traditional Education: “Try not to have a good time - this is supposed to be educational”.
Charles M. Schulz
Since when has learning new things not been fun! Who doesn’t remember the first time you learned to ride a bike? Squeals of joy came out of everyone involved as I unsteadily made that first trek down the road! I felt as if I could conquer the world after that! As an adult, I recently trained for and learned how to run a 5K. When I crossed that finish line my arms were in the air, fist pumping, high fiving, spectators were cheering! I felt like a million dollars! The training, concentration and perseverance to achieve both of those skills were grueling. But the end result of pure joy was worth the amount of bumps, bruises and scrapes sustained in the process! Learning is FUN! The rigor and requirements in education today is much like enduring all those bumps, bruises, and scrapes but without the same rewards.
Fun doesn’t have to be superficial, simplified or amusing. What fun in education does mean is highly motivational, actively engaged, innovative, creative and imaginative learning. Children are supposed to LOVE learning! It is understandable that today, in traditional educational settings, children find it very difficult to love the boring, monotonous, repetitive, meaningless hours of sitting at a desk or in front of a computer being force fed superficial facts for high stakes testing.
What about WBT isn’t FUN? When I incorporate WBT into my day, not only do my students have fun but I do as well! My kids beg to play Super Speed 100! My class loves to act out their basal reading stories with their hands, bodies and silly voices. Teach/Okay shows students how others think. “It’s okay” encourages students to not be afraid to give a wrong answer. WBT naturally encourages critical thinking skills without the students even knowing it! My test scores and exemplary evaluations prove that WBT works!
Laurie Matko
firstgradeelljungle.blogspot.com/
ELL teacher in VA (I attended the WBT orientation)
Charles M. Schulz
Since when has learning new things not been fun! Who doesn’t remember the first time you learned to ride a bike? Squeals of joy came out of everyone involved as I unsteadily made that first trek down the road! I felt as if I could conquer the world after that! As an adult, I recently trained for and learned how to run a 5K. When I crossed that finish line my arms were in the air, fist pumping, high fiving, spectators were cheering! I felt like a million dollars! The training, concentration and perseverance to achieve both of those skills were grueling. But the end result of pure joy was worth the amount of bumps, bruises and scrapes sustained in the process! Learning is FUN! The rigor and requirements in education today is much like enduring all those bumps, bruises, and scrapes but without the same rewards.
Fun doesn’t have to be superficial, simplified or amusing. What fun in education does mean is highly motivational, actively engaged, innovative, creative and imaginative learning. Children are supposed to LOVE learning! It is understandable that today, in traditional educational settings, children find it very difficult to love the boring, monotonous, repetitive, meaningless hours of sitting at a desk or in front of a computer being force fed superficial facts for high stakes testing.
What about WBT isn’t FUN? When I incorporate WBT into my day, not only do my students have fun but I do as well! My kids beg to play Super Speed 100! My class loves to act out their basal reading stories with their hands, bodies and silly voices. Teach/Okay shows students how others think. “It’s okay” encourages students to not be afraid to give a wrong answer. WBT naturally encourages critical thinking skills without the students even knowing it! My test scores and exemplary evaluations prove that WBT works!
Laurie Matko
firstgradeelljungle.blogspot.com/
ELL teacher in VA (I attended the WBT orientation)
