I have never been as intimate with my computer screen as I have been over the past three weeks. It is now the most important place in my house (besides the kitchen, where we are now constantly baking!), since I use it to connect with my colleagues, my family, and my friends. My children are connecting with their classmates and teachers, and my husband conducts all of his work through a screen. My calendar is starting to fill up with requests to have a remote ZOOM, House Party, or Group FaceTime chat. In this currently reality, I am confronted with the thought that the purpose, or "why" of our learning and doing is now more important than ever.
Each morning as we begin our school day, I try to give my own kids a sense of the purpose of their learning. Yesterday, after we watched a few minutes of the news, I asked the kids to find a local charity to which they would each like to donate. I wanted them to connect what our experience is to what is happening to other families in our own neighborhood. My kids were a little grumbly at first, to be honest. They didn't immediately feel a connection; until they started to research what the people around them are struggling with right now, in this moment.
They each sent me an e-mail with their selected charity, and a few sentences about why they chose what they did. One of my children chose a housing non-profit; one chose a food pantry; and my third chose the local arts center. Each of their reasons were different. But unlike some of the assignments where they don't feel a sense of ownership or relevancy, this morning they woke up and asked me if I had, in fact, made the donations, and if so, could we select a few more charities next week?
This real world connection is one of the most important instructional habits and can be incorporated into our daily practice, on-line, or in the physical classroom. It makes a difference in how kids show up for their learning and how they remember and value what they learned long after the formal lesson ends.
Each morning as we begin our school day, I try to give my own kids a sense of the purpose of their learning. Yesterday, after we watched a few minutes of the news, I asked the kids to find a local charity to which they would each like to donate. I wanted them to connect what our experience is to what is happening to other families in our own neighborhood. My kids were a little grumbly at first, to be honest. They didn't immediately feel a connection; until they started to research what the people around them are struggling with right now, in this moment.
They each sent me an e-mail with their selected charity, and a few sentences about why they chose what they did. One of my children chose a housing non-profit; one chose a food pantry; and my third chose the local arts center. Each of their reasons were different. But unlike some of the assignments where they don't feel a sense of ownership or relevancy, this morning they woke up and asked me if I had, in fact, made the donations, and if so, could we select a few more charities next week?
This real world connection is one of the most important instructional habits and can be incorporated into our daily practice, on-line, or in the physical classroom. It makes a difference in how kids show up for their learning and how they remember and value what they learned long after the formal lesson ends.
