Tips, Tools and Technology for Educators

Kids today... curious, creative, and connected! The quote above sums up the vision of this week's Blogger of the Week, Aaron Eyler, "What if the problems we work on in school are real life, and solving them saves the world?" -  If not the world, then at least education itself, and if not education itself then at least your classroom?

Aaron Eyler, NJ high school History teacher, thinks kid's need more problems - real world, real life, right now type problems - not imaginary scenarios or meaningless projects. His blog, Synthesizing Education examines the past, present and future of education in an attempt to engage educators in discussions surrounding the best learning environments to develop students' minds.

In a recent post, he asks, "Why are we not asking kids like Filip Piasevoli to develop solutions to complex problems like the economy or the oil spill?"

Eyler speaks out against dissenters who may insist that kids do not understand or have the capacity to grapple with society's problems. In relation to the oil spill, he retorts, "As far as I am concerned, neither did BP. If they did, then it STILL wouldn't be a problem. Hell, by this point, the BP oil spill could have been an entire marking period worth of work having kids research and develop solutions that have had the same (or better) success rate as BP's."

This type of authentic teaching and learning will require educators to step outside of their trusty and dusty plan books in order to make learning more meaningful and powerful for students. Eyler's own students are currently learning and working hard to save a local historic site, Trenton Barracks (check out their petition).

Check back Monday for an interview with Eyler on standards, grades, and more!

Free Educational Resources | Interactive Whiteboard Lessons by Learning Today