{"id":102,"date":"2017-09-13T11:39:03","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T15:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=102"},"modified":"2017-09-15T16:22:30","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T20:22:30","slug":"monoculture-classrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2017\/09\/monoculture-classrooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Monoculture Classrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Walk to class. Sit in the same seat next to the same people. Turn in a standard worksheet. Listen to a powerpoint presentation. Pack up your bag. Leave class in the same unenthused state as you entered.<\/p>\n

This is what it means to be in a monoculture classroom. Every student is fed the same information and expected to grow at the same rate. But if you have ever driven past a corn field you will know that the age old saying “knee high by the Fourth of July” does not seem to fit with every stalk. Some of the corn on the edges just can not keep up. This can also be said for some students in every classroom.<\/p>\n

When expecting every student to learn the same, you are setting some students up for an uphill learning battle.<\/p>\n

By moving your class to the margins, you can make an interesting place for learning.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to be in the margins? Here are six characteristics of margins:<\/p>\n

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  1. Activity in the margins enriches the places they surround<\/li>\n
  2. New types of life are being created all the time<\/li>\n
  3. Richness of the margins may not be seen easily<\/li>\n
  4. Margins can be dismissed as being unimportant<\/li>\n
  5. Areas of risk or chance<\/li>\n
  6. A place where difference, diversity and change can be fostered<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Image<\/p>\n

    Does this sound like margins in nature or in a classroom? The answer is both. Each of these six characteristics can be applied in either setting. Here is how each of the six can apply to a classroom:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Activity in the margins enriches the places they surround\n
        \n
      1. Activities outside of the norm can help enhance learning for all student and allow them to learn in different ways that might make more sense for them.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
      2. New types of life are being created all the time\n
          \n
        1. New connections to the materials are being made at all times. Each student will find something that helps them connect to the material and retain it better.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
        2. Richness of the margins may not be seen easily\n
            \n
          1. You have to be in the margins to see the benefit of the margins. It can take a lot of work, but once you enter the area of the margin, you can see how it impacts the students in a positive light.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
          2. Margins can be dismissed as being unimportant\n
              \n
            1. Many teachers will throw out the margins because of the work it requires. They feel that using orthodox teaching methods are easier and get the results needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
            2. Areas of risk or chance\n
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              1. Something might not work. It is a risk anyone takes when they choose to move the class into the margins.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
              2. A place where difference, diversity and change can be fostered\n
                  \n
                1. Margins allow students to be more creative, explore parts of a topic that interest them, and express their learning in a new way. Compared to an orthodox classroom, there is much more diversity in the learning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  Now that you know what it means to be in the margins and some of the benefits, lets talk about how to get your class to be in the margins.<\/p>\n

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                  • Listen to your students interests. They will tell you what interests them and you can feed that into your lessons<\/li>\n
                  • Watch the news. You will not want to pass up on an opportunity in pop culture to discuss in class.<\/li>\n
                  • Get your students out of the classroom! These will be some of the most memorable things for students in science. Take them to the zoo, take them to the creek, take them somewhere that is not in front of a projector.<\/li>\n
                  • Get some classroom critters that students can observe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    This is a reminder:\u00a0You cannot have margins without the center.\u00a0<\/strong>This means that\u00a0lectures and worksheets have a place in the classroom, but the margins can help enhance them. If you are always at the margins it will become the center and the activities that are typically special become mundane and expected.<\/p>\n

                     <\/p>\n

                    Here are some real life things teachers are doing to bring their classes into the margins:<\/p>\n

                    Teachers are building school gardens where students can monitor how the plants are growing and possibly run any experiments they want on the plants. This can also give students real life experiences where they can learn to love gardening and want to pursue that at their own homes.<\/p>\n

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                    School gardens can be used to teach students #science<\/a>, #math<\/a>, #art<\/a>, #history<\/a> and more. Great experiential ed for Ss. https:\/\/t.co\/Ort2aZGAzQ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lxjsJRxc8p<\/a><\/p>\n

                    — Next Generation Science Standards (@OfficialNGSS) September 11, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n