June’s photoblog

Just wanted to include a quick link to fellow Swat alum June’s photoblog! June is teaching in China and documenting her experiences.

A Cursory Postmortem of the Satellite Distance Education Project in Rural Ankang

Around the world, governments and NGOs like to give vast amounts of hardware to schools. Citizens and donors like to hear how many computers they have helped get to kids. Unfortunately, these projects are often undertaken with far too little attention to how the equipment will actually be used. Such seems to be the case with the deployment of satellite distance education in rural China.

What I love about Fish

About two months ago I started doing one-on-one literacy tutoring with a first-grader just progressing out of the non-reader stage.

Once Again, this Time with Computers: Delivering the Same Old Pedagogy with New Technology in Rural Chinese Schools

One of the great tropes in technology for education is the techno-utopia: drop in the computers, and pedagogy will magically become progressive overnight, creating classrooms full of 21^st-century learners prepared to work in the knowledge economy. Another is the techno-flub: deliver a bunch of computers without any integration into existing curriculum, tech support, or teacher training, and watch them gather dust. But how about this reality: add in the computers and get something that looks very much like preexisting pedagogy, just a little flashier and more efficient.

The Real World

Apologies for disappearing for months! Here is my current dilemma, in all its glory.

Spaced Repetition Software: Beyond Rote vs. Progressive

Flashcard software programmed with memory algorithms is a student-centered way to learn essential basic facts.

In which I teach gym and meet kids

Last week the kids had half days, and instead of my standard hour of tutoring, I led kids in various after-school activities for six hours straight for two days last week. Teaching elementary PE isn’t something I expected to do when I signed up for this job – or really ever.

Life as a Beauvoir Associate Teacher

My name is Mr. Kwan. I used to be called JKwan all throughout high school and college. I studied philosophy at Swarthmore. Now, I’m a 3^rd grade Associate Teacher at Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School. Read: Associate, not Assistant. Supposedly that difference matters. My Directing Teacher and I are responsible for the future salary size (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/opinion/kristof-the-value-of-teachers.html) of 21 adorable and demanding 8 and 9 year olds.

Building Classroom After Classroom of Freedom Fighters

January 30, 2012 marks my first official day as student teacher in a Providence middle school. Amidst the butterflies about how I’m going to get a bunch of twelve-year-olds on my side, this word called ‘stance’ also keeps floating around in my brain.

What’s my stance as a teacher? What do I believe are the really essential aspects of good education? How will I make these essential aspects accessible to students? Especially as a History teacher, what do I believe about all the buzz words that would turn a spark on in any education buff – truth, objectivity, facts? How will I walk that thin line between acknowledging my biases and teaching them?

An Unsent Letter

Dear 学生,

First, I want to apologize: sorry I’m not sorry.