The Goal-Minded, Globally Connected Educator: YOU DON’T HAVE TO THROW EVERYTHING OUT TO BE INNOVATIVE

11/08/2014

YOU DON’T HAVE TO THROW EVERYTHING OUT TO BE INNOVATIVE

Checking Twitter today I came across this tweet by Vicki Davis https://twitter.com/coolcatteacher

http://pernillesripp.com/2014/11/04/you-dont-have-to-throw-everything-out-to-be-innovative/

I entirely agree with @pernilleripp especially this year, when my own students would not want, YES! they would refuse to work with their own computers at home -there are no computers available for the English As A Foreign Language Class-.

Although I am currently finishing my specialization in Secondary Education and ICT, I want to try different tools as I did last year, 2013, this group of students stopped me or demotivated me. As I had done the previous years, I let them use their Smartphones in class (I have been trying to work with Smartphones really hard during the past four years), so we tried reading articles and consulting several websites with games, dictionaries, news updates, anything that would interest them in order to be engaged in language learning, but this specific group of teens would not refrain or control themselves from using chat and Snapchat, which is something I would not allow them to do.

What was my move? I stopped the class several times, talked to them as they are grown teens about to graduate, came to an agreement and ... Let It Go.

As I had realized they were real "gamers", loved playing and participating in competitions, one morning while at home, burning my brain what I am going to do with these kids! I suddenly without feeling guilty, looked into my bookshelf or "went to my cabinet" to be more precise, as Pernille Ripp says in her blog post http://pernillesripp.com/2014/11/04/you-dont-have-to-throw-everything-out-to-be-innovative/ and found my "Play Games With English" books series from the 1990´s and Voila! These students were ALL soon engaged in Finding Hidden Words, Decoding, Using Phrasal Verbs without even realizing they were playing and learning at the same time!

I even got them worksheets with a simple crossword for Halloween and they had a blast! They got in groups and started working without me telling them anything, no instructions, no explanations: they were soon immersed in their world of fantasy and play.

Sometimes I have to remind myself and combine both: standard and new tech resources:

This is proof of what I am saying is the real truth, totally inspired by Vicki and Pernille. Huge Thank YOU, Pernille! http://pernillesripp.com/ you reconfirm what I did was not so wrong: going back to old school teaching: recycling worksheets and not using so many apps!

My students IN ACTION:

I also have to Thank them for making me a more creative, patient and reflective teacher above all! I feel great because of YOU, because you TAUGHT me!