Prensky Chapter 1: Partnering

1. What works in the classroom today? In most classes today, active participation and lessons that engage all students works the best. Most students in classes today do not want to sit and listen to their teachers lecture. They want to be actively engaged with their peers. Using technology such as net books, ipads or some type of web based tablet works well in my classes to keep students engaged in lessons. What needs changing? Although I feel as though many teachers are beginning to create classrooms conducive for today’s learner there are still some teachers that resort back to lecture based instruction. Also, as Prensky states, for partnering to work there needs to be support from parents and administration. Partnering requires flexibility in terms of classroom layout and school day structure. It is essential to have more options for a flexible setting in order for partnering to work. With these changes and this new partnership in the classroom, we as educators can work together to ensure the most beneficial educational environment for our students. 2.Can we see students differently? Yes, it is essential for successful partnering to see students differently, both individually and as a whole. Individually, we need to remember to differentiate instruction. It is important that we as teachers remember that all our students do not learn best the same way. We need to instruct in various ways, using oral, visual, tactile and hands on experiences. As a whole we need to remember that these students are not the same type of student that we were. We as the teacher and facilitator need to see the students as researchers. In which we, the teachers, guide their discoveries Can we achieve mutual respect? As Prenskey noted in his Teaching Digital Natives, in order for partnering to work it is essential for each member of the group, teachers and students alike, to truly respect one another. It is important to remember that just as the teacher can introduce new topics, ideas and questions to the students, the students can introduce and teach new concepts to the teacher. To be successful in this new partnering environment it is important that a mutual respect is reached in every classroom. 3.What is partnering? Partnering is guided based instruction in the classroom. It is literally a partnership between teachers and students. This type of instruction requires roles of the teacher and student to be established. What are the teacher’s roles? In a partnering classroom the teacher is seen as a facilitator, coach or guide. The teacher should set specific goals and help each student individually reach these goals. The flexible, partnering classroom should allow for this type of instruction. The overall goal, is to have each student learn to his or her optimal level. What are the student roles? The roles of the student in a partnering classroom are: to be a researcher, a user of technology, a thinker, a challenger and a self-teacher. If the student learn to adopt these roles and is guided thoroughly by the teacher, he/she should learn and be able to show their new attained knowledge.