In his challenge, Marc Prensky theorizes that today's students will be motivated to learn an entire year's worth of information in half that time in order to receive the opportunity to learn about technology like ipods, robots, and Nintendo DS's in a hands on manner. He also suggests that students would be willing and able to collaboratively help each other learn the information needed to pass the yearly tests if such a prize were offered.
After reading the Marc Prensky Challenge, I felt fairly certain that Mr. Prensky was not an educator. I searched through his website and could find no evidence that he had any training in child development, educational theories or practices, and/or teaching methods. This did not surprise me because the ideas in his challenge don't take into account the many different learning styles that students bring to a classroom, as well as the learning difficulties that many students must overcome. While some students might be motivated by technology, others are motivated by the arts, music, physical activity, and nature (to name a few). Good teachers use all of these factors in their classroom in order to engage and motivate an entire class. Additionally, good teachers are knowledgeable about special education policies, strategies, and modifications. If peer tutoring were simply the answer to all the needs of our special education students wouldn't educators already be doing that??!!!
I found Marc Prensky's challenge to be a condescending and smug answer to the complex challenges faced by today's students and educators. A better challenge would be for Mr. Prensky to spend a semester in a classroom to gain a better understand about the ways in which students learn and teachers teach.
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4 comments:
I agree with you. I think he would be hard pressed to find even one classroom that this teaching style would be successful in. His idea may work for some students, but a small percentage at best. It almost sounds like a warped alternative school for students who aren't suited for traditional classrooms.
I agree with you when you said that Prensky is probably not an educator. Any educator knows that you can not have a classroom of at least 25 students and have them organize themselves however they want. It would be complete and total chaos. In the article it did seem like Prensky thought he had all the answers to our problems, but you hit the nail on the head when you said if it were that simply don't you think educators would be doing it already.
I think that you are right! I found Mr. Prensky's solution to be almost comical. Someone who has spent time in a classroom on a daily basis would never suggest something such as this in order to motivate students. He is obviously not a teacher!
I agree. The motivation that Prensky provides would probably keep students focused for a few days, but students would lose focus and fail to learn the curriculum.
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