Web group for teachers

I have to say Classroom 2.0 really is an amazing web group. I have yet to read all the post or be familiar with all the functions, but I can already say that it is a great web filled with priceless treasures of experiences. More than sixty thousands of people from all fields and all over the world visit and contribute on this site and share their experiences, knowledge and engage in discussions with others. For a teacher, a student or a learner eager to immerse and explore new aspects and share their own experiences, what can be better than getting involved in such a great and organized web group?

I think this web group will be very useful for me because for a teacher, staying in a lab or studying theories is never the case. Especially for language teachers who require constant interactions with students. Teachers learn by a mass amount of experiences and communications of teaching, sharing, evaluating and reconstructing. For example, I can post my lesson plan, and activity I would like to do during class, videos filmed in classes, or a question I don’t understand on the board to ask for opinions and suggestions. I can also read through other posts and find new ideas or give my own opinion. Classroom 2.0 allows all these communication for teachers from all fields to stay updated and share information for improvement and suggestions.

Group projects and creative learning

      I commented on the post What does learning feel like? in the blog What Ed Said created by whatedsaid. It is actually a large student projects including What does learning look like? Year 6 PYP exhibition unit, the PYP exhibition is a large student project that allows students to chose a favorite filed and do research in groups, a creative way to let student engage in their own studies.

    I really like the idea of students research because this is a rather novice idea in my home country. The only group work students are familiar before university is their study groups which only serves the purpose to academic grades. The PYP activities will allow students to actively engage in the study because the field was picked by their own choice of interest, and not just sit there and be fed the knowledge by teachers.

    Students will also gain the experience of cooperating with others, which is a main current of nowadays since more and more progressions require group working and brain storming. The feedbacks of many students said that they learn how to cooperate with other, showing that this project not only serves an academic purpose, but also teaches them how to work with others. Also, the research will let the students have a taste of real life instead of holing in their narrow world of schooling. In the post the students comment that they learn how to be grateful of what they have, which is an ethical issue parents and teachers find it harder and harder to teach children.

    Group projects may seem a waste of time in some people’s opinion because children may not be mature enough to see the whole picture; but everything needs a first start, and I think a big group project on social inequitiy is a good start for them to learn and cooperate with others and give them more insights on their subjects and on themselves.