Engaging the Experience of Learning

Classrooms are filled with students that show up but never participate, and that is distressing.  Educators know the real world does not operate in a singularity.  Contextually, singularity means success in achieved through collaborative efforts working in teams.  Your team may be geographically diverse, or sitting next to you.  Proximity is not important, sharing ideas and the ability to express thereof is important.  An educator finds himself or herself struggling to have substantive discussions of any caliber because technology intervened to distract, entertain, and manipulate behavior into patterns observed online, which for the most part is unchaparoned and/or unexplained.  The intervention of technology dampened the development and the desire to skillfully communicate face-to-face.

My solution to the problem is assigning students into random groups, assigning research topics requiring PowerPoint presentations, which are assembled during class, followed up with teammates after class, and oral presentations as a group.

The change in poise and communication has been astounding as each class progresses.