Post #6 Conversations with Anthony Capps

I enjoyed listening to the conversations between Anthony Capps and Dr. Strange in these videos. It is interesting to hear from a teacher who is successfully implementing Project Based Learning (PBL) in his classroom. One of the best things I learned from listening to Anthony was in the video Project Based Learning Part 2, when he said, "With PBL...never limit your students by giving them exactly what you want them to do. Create an opportunity for them to go beyond what you want them to do, and they will." This quote stuck out to me because so often teachers get hung up on children doing each project exactly a certain way. They have a set of criteria that they must follow to a tee or else they risk a failing grade. This gets children focused on spitting out manufactured information and projects. Instead, we should encourage children to think creatively about the information they want to present, and how to present it. Yes, they need guidelines, but specific regulations are not necessary.

I was also interested in Anthony's discussion of iCurio and Discovery Ed. I had never heard of either of these resources before, but I am now intrigued and motivated to learn more. I particularly liked that iCurio has a read-aloud feature. This way, even if I end up teaching in a lower elementary classroom (one in which the students are not yet proficient readers), I can take advantage of this resource.

The last three videos (The Anthony-Strange Tips for Teachers Part 1, Don't Teach Tech - Use it, and Additional Thoughts About Lessons) all made me sit down and think about my personal philosophies of teaching. What do I want to achieve as an educator? How will I achieve it? I hope to be as hands-on and interactive as Anthony. I'm now seeing the amount of work that is involved outside of the classroom in order to be an effective teacher. I'm going to take Anthony's advice and "Let [my] work become a fun experience for [me]." I truly believe that where teachers love teaching (and learning!), students love learning.