"What do you want math to do for you?" This has become one of my most asked questions. Context and perspective often change the way we view information. I also ask, "What does an authentic mathematical experience look like?" The answer to the first question can guide and inform the answer to this question. What I know for sure is that learning math does not need to be an entirely passive experience.
ViewMy favorite five words, of late, have been, "Go play in the dirt." Saying those words, I want students to recall what it was like to play and explore in the sandbox. As adults, we don't spend enough time engaging our desires to connect, interact, and build soemthing together. The value that children get from play are things that are equally good for adults.
ViewI'm a big believer in giving students the opportunity to use their own voice, and have the ability to develop the skills needed to collaborate. I worry about not meeting my own expectations around the amount, the extent, and the way content is covered. However, I believe that possessing the skills to work together, insert one's self into a work flow, and communicate live at the heart of our capacity to confront the big challenges we'll face. Labs and seminar give students the opportunity to discover their own voice, use their talents, and pursue from their point-of-view.
Regurgitation and education are not the same thing. Assessment can take many different forms. I think traditional assessment can be effectively used to see if students are retaining basic facts and information. Self-reflection allows students the opportunity to look inside themselves a little, and to set goals around things that they feel need improvement. Portfolios (digital or otherwise) give students the opportunity to curate what they have made, broken, created, and iterated on. I believe resumés are going to become more about what individuals have curated than job titles and what an employee has done.