Yesterday, I had the pleasure of experiencing an exciting video-conference connection at Gage Middle School. Ms. Avila’s AVID students were teaching what they knew about taking and organizing Cornell Notes (something I learned about yesterday from the students) to a group of students in the West Indies who were new to the AVID program. They showed how to organize a binder of notes f
or each class, how to take notes, and how to ask questions during a tutorial. They gave detailed examples of what to do and not to do. They even had a binder with many pages of notes stuffed into the pockets and how those can get lost if the binder is turned upside down. (I smiled to myself since this happens to me all the time!) I was particularly impressed with how they valued questioning during the tutorial process. They shared with the other students that answers come best from the questioning process, where the learner reflects on what they know and how they will learn what they need to know. Wow!
Very bad image of student exchange through video conference
During one part of the session, the teacher had to walk out of the room to conference with several parents. The students demonstrated leadership and maturity as they continued to teach the other students what they knew. There was no indication that the teacher had ever left the room. These students owned their work because they were teaching others! They were the leaders. Ms. Avila should be commended for the learning she is facilitating with these students. She understands how students learn best when all are involved in the learning/teaching process. Bravo, Ms. Avila!
To be equally commended is Mr. David Billett, the technology resource teacher extraordinaire at Gage Middle School. Ms. Avila wanted her students to connect with other students involved in the AVID process, so she asked Mr. Billett to help her make that connection. He searched out listservs and other groups to find someone who would want to connect with her. He found a school in the West Indies that wanted to share their learning with the students at Gage. Through his expertise, they made the connection. Not only did he make this connection happen, he made sure there were no technical glitches. (How can any school survive without someone like Mr. Billett?) The students thrived from this experience.
What was so impressive about this whole process was not only that our students were leaders in the learning process by teaching others, but that they made a global connection. At the end of the session, the students from both sides asked each other a few questions about life in their respective environments. Music was a big topic. Our Gage students were very much into Rock, even sharing some images of a Metallica sticker pasted on one of their demo notebooks. Of course, they shared other western genres – including classical. They were surprised that the favorite music of the students in the West Indies was Calypso. I’m sure many of them hadn’t ever heard of this type of music, but I know they will investigate and experience this now. They learned that this school of 600 had classes such as sewing, woodwork, many classes in the arts – something our schools don’t embrace any more. The class in the West Indies had studied Gage Middle School and knew that it was one the largest middle school in the United States, with approximately 4000 students. The students at Gage shared their experiences with overcrowded halls during passing time between classes, but other than that, seemed unconcerned by the large numbers. They were amazed that the school in West Indies only had 600 students.
Exchanges like this increase student capacity to understand and empathize with other cultures, so important in today’s global economy. It addresses the ISTE NETS student standard of Communication and Collaboration, “…develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.”
Thanks, Mr. Billett and Ms. Avila, for letting me share in this wonderful experience!
