First Entry

There was a time when a variety of instructional strategies meant being treated to the glorious and familiar reverberating click of a film strip. It may also have included the occasional game played by the class or even some sort of handheld manipulative which at my school meant math based flash cards. My elementary years were during the late 1970’s through the 1980’s. Needless to say, technology was not at the forefront of the classroom. Oh sure, we were treated to an occasional trip to the special room that played host to the then new Apple II and being introduced to a game called The Oregon Trail…wow! Sadly, though the classroom strategy never veered far from everyone sitting quietly in neat little rows, listening to a teacher lecture on and on. Sometimes we were lucky to see something different through the use of an overhead projector. 

Over the years education has improved by leaps and bounds. Regardless of the naysayers who focus only on Common Core or state testing. (Those are topics for another time.) Today’s classroom has improved in many areas. Because we finally recognize that not everyone learns the same, steps have been taken to cater to those differences. Classroom seating is one area. Maybe not all classes, but many teachers are exploring this area; providing alternate seating arrangements or even standing. Lighting is being altered too. Dimmer or brighter, softer lamp lighting, even covers are made for fluorescent lighting to add a more natural effect, thus reducing eye strain and headaches.

 

           As for instructional strategies, those are changing in drastic ways as well. Unlike my childhood where we sat, stared, and listened to a teacher’s lecture; today’s kids are taking more control over their learning. The instruction of today explores various ways of delivering content to reach all students. Technology is now at the forefront of these changes. Lectures are still utilized as they do have their place, but even these are varied. The teacher may provide instruction or they may choose to utilize an educational clip from the internet as the aural input. Couple this with reading, researching, writing, typing, handheld manipulatives, individual, and group work and you will find that today’s classroom and educators provide countless possibilities for today’s students.