Unlearning -- Richardson and Warlick

Will Richardson makes reference to 10 different ways that teachers have to "unlearn" so that they can make their classrooms more effective for their students as global citizens. Three of his most noteworthy are as follows:

"We need to unlearn the idea that every student needs to learn the same content when really what they need to learn is how to self-direct their own learning."

"We need to unlearn the premise that we know more than our kids, because in many cases, they can now be our teachers as well."

"We need to unlearn the strategy that collaborative work inside the classroom is enough and understand that cooperating with students from around the globe can teach relevant and powerful negotiation and team-building skills."

I chose these three ideas to focus on. In connection to Warlick, both of these people believe that need to have access to computers and technology they are interested in. Also, Warlick urges teachers to "take every opportunity to play with your computer" so that they can become familiar with the type of media their students are using. Then, students and teachers can be recipricol learners and teachers.

Richardson notes that students should not be confined to the world inside their classroom or even in their local community. Rather, they should engage with people aroung the globe using technology that allows them to view mutliple perspectives.

I feel this is important because students need to be able to function in a world that is not guarded by "four walls," as Richardson puts it. As ELA teachers, we strive to make our students more effective citizens, which extends from the local community to the global community.