<rramig@sevenhillsschool.org>wrote:
> I have found that having a "computer skills class" does little for my
> students because nothing is context. I show them how to do columns and
> footers in Word or formulas in Excel. But, the first they use it in
> class for a project, they often need to be re-taught as now it is in
> context of some curriculum area.
Funny you should mention that. Many of the skills I try to teach are the
outgrowth of the typing class I took as a 10th grader 37 years ago because
nothing else fit in that spot in my schedule. It was totally out of context
to what we were doing in English or History (where most people still did
their papers in longhand), but all of a sudden I learned how to do what
little I had been doing on my mother's typewriter *correctly*, with proper
formatting, and what that MAR REL button was really for. I also learned to
yearn for what would become the modern word processing program, so that when
I was finally introduced to one, I checked it out thoroughly to see if it
had the features I had always dreamed of it having. It did, and more.
But continuing with learning the skills out of context, once we got the
basic keystrokes down, there was exercise after exercise on business
letters, short papers, items with lists, etc, so that when you encountered
one of them, you had an idea of what to do and how to set it up. Was I the
only student who came away from that class able to use those skills, learned
"out of context" to type English papers, History papers, scripts, etc when
the appropriate time came? Was I so unusual back then that it's totally
unreasonable for me to expect my students to take the skills learned from
the practice exercises I give them and apply them to Ms Lackland's English
paper or Dr Jobs' History project?
I tell them at the start that as much as I would prefer otherwise, I fully
expect that they'll forget *how* to do most of what I taught them because
they're still in that "Why do I need to know this?" frame of mind that only
retains things long enough for the quiz. On the other hand, what I *do*
expect them to remember is that there is a way to do this particular thing
that they now need to do, and that it's in the handouts, which are online at
my website (http://www.gatling.us/keith/class/handouts.html).
I am often a Science Fair judge at our school, and it thrills me to no end
when I see students using some of the word processing and spreadsheet skills
I tried to teach them in 6th and 7th grade in the write-ups they do for
their posters. Some will grasp its usefulness and use them immediately,
while others (my daughter included) have to be hit over the head with a
brick to stop using the space bar to get the name of the class lined up
nicely at the end of the line in the headings of her papers, when using a
right-hand tab would be so much neater and easier.
Personally, I believe in the adage "No technology before its time." I
> find that teaching a technology tool works best, is retained better, and
> can be transferred more easily if it is taught in the context of a
> curriculum project.
>
But isn't there something to introducing a concept a few times before it
"catches?" Maybe they all don't get it the first time when you do it out of
context, but maybe a few of them see its promise, and use it on their own.
Then when you introduce it again, in context, not only do more people get
it, but you have those early adopters to help out the ones who are still
having problems. I know that the subject area teachers I work with count on
me having taught certain WP and SS basics so that *they* don't have to teach
them from scratch to the whole class. They may have to do a little refresher
on it, but they're comfortable with that.
--
keg
========================================
Keith E Gatling
mailto:keith@gatling.us
http://www.gatling.us/keith
The fact that I'm open-minded doesn't mean that I have to agree with you.
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