This last week while I was visiting classrooms I found myself fascinated with the level of student engagement in Sam's 7/8th grade social studies classroom. Students were carefully labeling geographic features on large world maps. Maps, atlases and computers were randomly being shared around the room as students learned the locations of the seven continents, four oceans, and numerous rivers, bays, seas mountains and other features, nearly 100 items in total. As Sam and I walked around we talked about how students direct experiences help them make better connection. In a quick moment of excitement, we created a Google Doc where students were able to record pictures, experiences, and comments for each of the geographic features they were studying.
On Sunday, as I was writing this brief memo I jumped onto the open doc to record a post on the Tropic of Cancer. While on the document three additional students were observed adding items to the assignment. It is exciting to see this level of engagement.
As a teacher, we never know exactly how students will use what we are teaching. However, I know that the students in Sam's class have the capability to accomplish whatever they strive to do. The skills that he is teaching will help future urban planners, cartographers, GIS specialist, scientist, business women, writers and more.
