In Marc Prensky's video about quality storytelling, he talks about the importance of enhancing the imaginations of our children. His philosophies for teaching have taken my creative mind to an entirely new level and I can't wait to put some of my ideas in action. I, too, believe it is so important to inspire children to be happy and silly and maybe a little weird sometimes because those are the traits that make them who they are! As teachers, it is our job, early on, to teach children that being different is perfectly okay and to be a constant reminder that they are capable of anything they put their minds to. Some children may not be raised in the happiest settings, and teachers may be the only bright faces they see on a regular basis. We have to always remember to treat them with the respect we would want someone to treat our children with. Creativity seems to be something that is being taken out of the classroom, unless the "creativity" is via technology. I remember an assignment I had in high school-I was asked to create a child's book on a specific topic in a history class, and I loved every minute of it. Every child needs an opportunity to do something that uses the right side of their brain and requires unique skills.
In this video, Marc Prensky discusses the importance of answering questions-not just answering correctly, but just answering. He says that they "need to be afraid to not fail a little bit", and that games are one of the best ways to make children more comfortable with quick thinking and even quicker responses. His idea about using different things in the classroom to help make children more comfortable is innovative and incredibly helpful, in my opinion. He also suggests the use of cameras in the classroom to cut down the shyness factor. There is nothing wrong with being shy or nervous or even wrong! The problem lies within the fear of being wrong and we, as future educators, need to teach our children that it is okay to be a little wrong sometimes because we are all constantly learning. I think it would be helpful, too, to have days where the children can tell YOU about new things and have them be the teacher for a minute. It would help them to feel important and smart, and be a reminder that it's okay to admit you don't know something, but you should never be afraid to try to learn more about it.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about some new, fun idea to use in the classroom from Marc Prensky. I also loved getting a little bit of insight about his opinion of creativity in students. I have included a fun picture I found of Marc Prensky that I found online!
Catherine, great summary! Reading this makes me want to go read more of Marc Prensky's posts. I loved the part where it says we need to make the kids feel like it is okay to be different and a little weird. I feel like that is so important. Society is always trying to tell people who they should be and how they should act. It is our job to bring out the uniqueness of each child, and to make them feel loved for who they are. I also liked the idea about letting the kids be the teachers. I would love to hear what things the kids would have to say. Great read. The only thing I noticed was in your last sentence you used the word found twice.
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