Media Smarts

It’s amazing how the combination of machinery and having proper skills can capture such important learning moments like the ones shown in this video. The Media Smart documentation was certainly an interesting portrayal of the many ways to promote media literacy. Apparently, virtually everyone in the film appeared very enthusiastic. The various speakers, teachers, as well as the students seemed especially interested in what they were doing. Even the filmmaker, George Lucas was quite influential. To a certain extent, he appears to be very convincing in as far as the important role that innovation and communication skills are linked to many forms of learning.

Along with facilitating functional life skills, I personally consider practical types of instruction that promote literacy to be beneficial for most children. For instance, I feel that students should participate in activities where they can explore and apply logical concepts to everyday reasoning and problem-solving. I think that learning filled with enjoyable activities that meet the needs of the whole child, not only to support intellectual needs, but also social, emotional, creative, artistic and physical skills are effective learning approaches.

Curriculum-based visual-literacy programs are great learning approaches and provide opportunities for students to participate in active learning environments. At the same time, the reality in most public school classrooms nowadays is not always geared toward innovative or multiple aspects of knowledge. In fact, the reality in most of our Guam Public School System classrooms is that Direct Instruction (DI) ordinarily takes precedence over practically any other learning approach. With the exception of the administering of SAT 10 testing, occasional school assemblies and other related school activities, learning about Reasoning and Writing, Connecting Math Concepts and Reading Mastery are customarily the core lessons in the elementary school level of learning.

Fortunately, however, despite the constraints associated with the DI program in our public school system, some students are still qualified to partake in different styles of learning. Like the learning portrayed in the Smart Media video, some of the students in the Guam Public School System are fortunate enough to experience learning that is adventurous and positively enjoyable. For example, students who participate in the GPSS Division of Special Education’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program are truly blessed and are among the few who have the freedom to broaden their horizons for several hours a week.

I was privileged to observe some of the innovative projects that some of my fourth grade students presented at the Agana Shopping Center last month. Surprisingly many gifted students demonstrated their sharp skills in power point presentation where they integrated their technological skills along with social studies, reading and art.
I’ve never really asked some of the students how they apply learning whenever they leave my classroom to spend time in their GATE classroom twice a week. But I imagine is must be better than scripted lessons, because they always seem so eager and at the same time excited about leaving.

When all's said and done, my only hope is for every child to experience the true joy of learning beyond the scripted realm of DI. It would be advantageous to see students experience working with other innovative learning tools so that they can sense the same type of excitement and educational fulfillment that the gifted students are able to take pleasure in.