Hmm, what a question! First, let me begin by stating I am not an educator. However, I work at a state college as a transition specialist. My job is to advise college students and help them progress through their degrees. I’ve had ample opportunity to work with college educators, and I have seen the best and regrettably the worst. I think some teachers play on team convenience, while others play on team student. I am speaking from a college level point of view. So, it may be easy for some to say that adult learners are different. However, teaching values hold true at any level.
I would like to say that most teachers are invested in what’s best for their students. However, being invested and being able to actually implement new ideas and teaching methods are two different things. While most teachers would like to explore the latest technology and provide the best educational experience, hurdles exist! Factors such as limited time, training and resources coupled with high demands, make teaching extremely challenging. On the other hand, the individual teacher can be a barrier to his or her self. Keeping an “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” attitude diminishes what is best for the student.
Today’s students are digital natives. They spend more time texting and social networking than anything. In this age, we use technology for nearly everything. So, keeping traditional teaching methods would be nearly insane. What worked for past generations won’t necessarily work now!
Ultimately, it would be wonderful if we could take an ounce of convenience and blend it with a large amount of what’s best for our students to create a delicious smoothie. Still, it is very easy to vote for convenience. The greatest that we fear is what we don’t know. To some change doesn’t make sense. However, I feel an educator should meet students where they are, and bridge them to where they need to be. If we are not meeting them where they are, then convenience has already won…
