An Obvious Model

According to Rob Eissler, Texas Republican legislator, classrooms will have to change . He sees the coming generation as a whole different species; “Their culture is different, and so is their mode of communication. Rather than have us force kids to the old way, we need use their way of learning and communicating.” And so a new Bill has been drafted and accepted, which should push the move from paperback to electronic book. But is the next generation that different? Our means of communication have changed; we have different tools and learn to use those at a younger age. And yes, schools need to participate and supply and use those tools as well. It starts with the support of the school management; the principal has to support the teachers, and supply the tools as well as the technical back-up. Then it’s a matter of learning new skills, for both teacher and student. Nothing is impossible - as long as we desire to do something, see the need for it; this is where motivation kicks in. Hopefully Mr Eissler has thought about how to get the teachers to use the electronic tools. That brings us to the third requirement: training. If the teachers aren’t trained, they can’t train the students. Obvious? Yes. In order to maintain these skills and use them regularly in their teaching practice, there has to be gratification; the students learn better, show an increased motivation, research and present their projects, in short become independent and self-assured learners. Wouldn’t that be an ideal world?