Albert Einstein said, "I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." Our challenge is to remove boundaries so they can explore on their own and become lifelong learners through discovery.
Our students are a tech savvy lot.
They feed their minds through the use of smartphones, laptops, tablets, game consoles and numerous other electronic marvels. Their access to information is almost unlimited and their avenues for discovery are growing in leaps and bounds. The team of teachers I work with want to give these young minds the tools necessary to explore and prepare for their life ahead. Imagine what their world will be like 10 or 20 years from now. We know we can greatly enhance learning by combining tried and true teaching techniques with modern technology.
My Project
Imagine yourself in a classroom and the teacher is speaking to 28 students about the discoveries of Isaac Newton or the theorems of Pythagoras. We know they are paying attention because we are great teachers, right?. Reality is, we lose a lot of them after 10 minutes as we drone on and try to dazzle them with our knowledge. Now imagine yourself in a classroom where small groups of students choose which great mathematician or scientist to research. We give them boundaries for the lesson but let them choose the direction and depth of their learning. Now imagine those small groups of students presenting their findings to the class however they choose. Is there a better way to learn than to teach? Is learning from your peers more meaningful? Is the teacher able to roam the room to help guide and direct? This is what these laptops will enable us to do for our students. Help us help them.
Technology is expensive and unfortunately limited in today's budgetary environment.
Teachers ultimately do not teach students. Students learn on their own, especially when they are free to explore. Yes, our job is to teach English, math, history and science. But our long term goal is to teach students how to learn on their own. Your donation can help a young mind to grow and develop lifelong skills.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Magnuson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.