Weekly Reading: November 11th

Baerlein & Howe; BBR ch. 10

1. What was the chapter about?

The Bauerlein and Howe podcast showed a discussion between Mark Bauerlein and Neil Howe regarding the millennial generation. Bauerlein sees the millennial generation as polarized, with the vast majority being very disengaged from civic and intellectual life and only a few actively pursuing education. Howe sees a much more optimistic picture, with the new generation fluidly adapting to the rapid rise of technology and expectations for this generation.

The BBR chapter discusses getting students to complete online research and differentiate between reliable and unreliable resources.

2. What does this chapter tell you about teaching students?

Kids often do not want to learn. If they do not see how something is valuable to them, or if it does not entertain them, then they may not care or bother to learn it. Also, students are weighed down with a great deal of work and after-school commitments.

This chapter was only a reminder of what I already knew: the internet is full of unreliable resources, and students tend to trust whatever they hear without checking the authenticity of the speaker. Educators must teach students to consider these facts when they gather information online.

3. Can this chapter be applied in your content area?

As always, be considerate of student time and effort. Take the time to scaffold students through important concepts rather than overloading them with information. When technology will be an asset to your lesson, use it. (If it will not be, then don’t – and don’t let students disappear onto the Internet or you will never get them back.)

Latin’s best resources are in print rather than online, but there are many websites online with information about the Romans. Some of these are from reputable sources, many not, and yet several from both groups have accurate information. Until my students know enough about the Romans to judge the reliability of a site for themselves, based only on the information given in the site, I have to teach them to check for the author’s credentials and to avoid sites where they cannot trust the credentials presented.