Freedom in Learning

Lately, the idea of Social Justice has been coming up. We have talked about it an almost every single one of my classes as well as in conversation. I cannot ignore it- nor should it be something ignored. It is a very important topic that dives into globalization yet again. In social justice, there are many arenas of defnitions and subtopics. What I have found in all facets of this toipic is that education is required in order to be aware of social justice and lack there of. What this means is that education is a poignant step in benefitting the world as a whole. Teachers need to take their job seriously and know that they are given the opportunity to relay information to students in order to inspire and ignite movement. We cannot let this chance pass on without making our mark. We should be teaching world issues as well as growing their identity and shaping their thoughts.

globalization

Globalization in regards to education cannot be ignored. Because the world is becoming so much smaller in the sense that we involve ourselves with international affairs, education must also. Everything is so connected now. Whether we are discussing business, social media, culture, entertainment, literature, or even our history, in order to get a comprehensive analysis, one must include the globe and not merely a part of it. Also, I believe that this “smallness” of the world will only continue to get smaller. We can already Face Time with people literally half way around the world….who knows what the next advance will bring us?

When it some to educating students, we would be doing them an extreme disservice to not include aspects of globalization. They will constantly be faced with ideals and people from all over the world and will need to familiarize themselves with world issues. With immigration and international business being at such a high level, it simply cannot be ignored. This notion, however, is not new. When you think back to literature, immediately your mind goes to British Literature. Globalization has been around. We have always shared ideas and explored options and it is only increasing.

Giving students knowledge about the entire world will make them better people. It will drastically improve their life. Learning about the reasons behind various peoples’ decisions will create more peace and equality. It lessens the judgment and uncomfortability that comes with not knowing things. Along with being able to understand others better, this will also help our students understand themselves better. One can learn a lot about themselves when they are learning about others. We realize how similar the human race really is and we know what to appreciate and value. I think doing this will allow for knowing oneself to come at a younger age than usual.

On the downside, we should educate our students on the negatives about globalization, so that they can know how to improve it. Too often, certain cultures get commercialized and commidified until it has no respect left. The value in it gets diminished due to its mass production for tourism and the like. This needs to be avoided. Also, part of the business world that globalization is involved in are the sweatshops. Substandard working conditions fill the major corporations and must be put to an end. Hopefully, while students are learning more about other cultures, they will come to a sense of equality and realize the mistreatment these workers are enduring. Hopefully the idea of globalization will be taught in a way that will bring the world so close that the dangers of the sweatshops will become real and not just a far off world. 

globalization

I am currently in Seattle, Washington visiting some friends with my husband and having a blast! We have been here for three days and are exploring  and learning so much!
These are just a few of the pictures from it. The first is a picture if my husband and I when we went on a hike to a light house and searched for the geocache my friend Jon had looked up. This was an excellent experience and I could not help but think of how beneficial this could be for education. You have to be able to learn to read coordinates as well as follow a compass. I was thinking if a class was assigned a geocache in a certain location and had to include a porn in the box once found or a riddle or a fact or something if the like it could be a wonderful experience to appreciate nature, get active, learn to navigate, get creative, and have lots of fun! It would be great to incorporate this type of learning with a book such as Lord of the Flies where the kids must learn to fend for themselves.

The second picture is Jon and I in a German town called Leavenworth. This was an amazing town and provided yet another great learning experience! Granted what we learned was mostly about various beers and bratwursts and how they are made, however, I did realize how much people can and do choose to learn in an average day. If we can make school entertaining and interactive for students it will almost cover up the fact that they are learning and it will have the result that we hope to achieve.

Lastly, during the trip my husband mentioned how much he loved thriller movies and as conversation tends to do, we ended up talking about Genie the girl with no language. My husband Ben had never heard of this story before but was very interested and wanted to know more about it. He simply pulled out his cell phone and searched her name in YouTube. Next thing you know, we were watching video clips and reading articles. It just showed how much learning can be done in everyday life. I just hope that I can tie this fun simple way of learning into my style of teaching.

http://youtu.be/cN7Z_ctY2bU