{"id":3112,"date":"2020-09-18T16:42:23","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T20:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=3112"},"modified":"2020-09-18T16:42:23","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T20:42:23","slug":"teaching-to-the-margins-into-the-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2020\/09\/teaching-to-the-margins-into-the-unknown\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching to the Margins: Into the Unknown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Margins, What Are They?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ecologically speaking, margins are areas that sit directly between two distinct ecological areas. Where a forest meets a beach. Where a field meets a road. Where a desert meets a mountain. These areas are studied by many scientists due to their aptitude for diversity of life as well as challenges to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In margins organisms are constantly being challenged in their everlasting struggle for survival. Sitting between two ecological areas means that organisms likely will get too little or too much of certain nutrients they need for life. A plant that lives on the edge of a beach and a forest may find it difficult to get their roots in soil due to large amounts of sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, from this struggle, organisms adapt and change, and diversity is found. The challenges these organisms are presented with force them to make changes and grow in unique ways, unlike any other plants before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the concept of margins, there is also the concept of centers. Places furthest away from margins where all is the same. The best example of this would be the middle of a corn field. There’s no diversity of life in the middle of a cornfield, it’s just…corn, as far as the eye can. Although margins present challenges, centers are dangerous in their own right. A disease or bacteria that starts in the middle of a cornfield will be difficult to control because all the organisms in the field are unchallenged and never needed to adapt against such challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ok … So Why Are You Talking About This On An Educational Blog?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The concept of margins can easily be translated very easily to an educational setting. When explaining I think it best to start in the center, in our metaphorical corn field. In the center of education, students are unchallenged. Every student acts and is treated the same, every teacher acts and is treated the same, every school day is slogged through the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The typical class in the center of education looks like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Students walk into class.<\/li>
  2. Teacher lectures in front of them basically quoting the textbook.<\/li>
  3. Students leave.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Fun….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And in the same way the classroom in the center can fall apart just as easily as the cornfield. Students are given particularly difficult test, the teacher says something wrong, or (god forbid) the text book is wrong, all can lead to the class falling apart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So what do we do? We move to the margins of the classroom. The classroom moves to the margins by investigating concepts and ideas that no one knows much about. The class follows their curiosity, they develop solutions to problems, they do their own research and studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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