Really? Harry Potter?

Talk about a slap in the face to educators everywhere. I've never looked at it like that, but it's true, millions of kids have read the Harry Potter series, Twilight series, and a few others without hesitation. Their interest rates are through the roof. And there aren't any pictures!!! While Loewen can be a little on the extremes on his main points throughout his book, he is right on target with this statement. So how do we make learning "entertaining" for students? Entertaining isn't the right word, how about "enticing"? Yes, technology in the classroom helps, but after so long, the students come to expect it and technology will no longer be exciting. Powerpoint will become a thing of the past. So what do we do?

I won't become reliant on Powerpoint for starters. I love integrating the technology into the classroom. While novicing, I did this for about a week. Initially the students were intrigued, but once they got use to it they seemed to fall back into their lathargic selves. We still need to mix it up a bit. For example, those "higher order of thinking" questions we (the teachers) are suppose to ask the students to answer on exams, why not pose those questions orally in class and allow them to discuss it? You simply act as a moderator or prospect. Obviously roles would need to be established, as well as rules, regulations, and expectations for the class in order for the idea to be successful. Hopefully you have establish the basic rules, regulations, and expectations towards the beginning of the year, and have been consistent in maintaing those since. The activity could help the students see how they can answer, for example, a DBQ. Then, when we give them a DBQ on the exam, they have an idea of how to organize their thoughts, how to analyze the materials, etc., therefore giving them the accessability to be successful. Again, this is merely a quick example an educator came up with, so some fine-tuning is necessary.

"They (the public schools) will not be redeemed by trifiling reforms." (Loewen 305) Henry M. Levin has it right. Reform is defined as improving by alteration, substitution, etc. according to dictionary.com. If reform is simply going to be laughed out of imposition, how do we go about fixing the broken system? How about reconstruction? According to a medical dictionary, reconstruction is the repair of an organ or part by reconstructive surgery. Yes, in this example, education is the organ/part needing reconstruction. To get more basic, compare education to a house. Education reform is like replacing the siding or shingles. But the siding and shingles aren't the issue, it's the foundation that's cracking. How do you solve that? Your go back to the basics and lay a foundation. The education system has never been torn down and reconstructed to suit the ever changing society. It has simply been built on time after time. While the goal has been to adapt the learning and teaching strategies to be most efficient, they tend to lag behind the social changes by a generation or two. We need to go in, gut the house of education, and reestablish ourselves as educators and professionals.