Visar alla blogginlägg från: februari 2014

Hur du får elever att engagera sig i svåra problem

Entreprenöriellt lärande! Vi var väl både en och två pedagoger som förvånat och till och med ironiskt, höjde på ögonbrynen när begreppet entreprenöriellt lärande dök upp i läroplanen. Att det var närmast omöjligt att uttala var vi överens om men vad betydde det och hur skulle det märkas i undervisningen? Att inte alla elever i framtiden skulle bli egna företagare förstod vi nog och snart förstod vi också att det snarare handlade om ett sätt att närma sig kunskap. Att ta sig an kunskap på ett nyfiket, experimenterande och undersökande sätt. Eleverna skulle ges möjlighet att ta egna initiativ, pröva egna idéer och lösa problem.

När vi på Ärvingeskolan hörde talas om en tävling som skulle heta Next Up insåg vi att detta handlade om precis detta entreprenöriella lärande. Tävlingen Next Up är en IT-inspirerad aktivitet inom IT&Telekomföretagens VäljIT-initiativ, där eleverna i åk 8 får ta sig an ett verkligt case som presenteras av ett företag. Alla case är på något sätt relaterade till framtida användning av IT och eleverna ställs inför ett antal problem som de ska hitta lösningar på.

Som pedagog är det både intressant och inspirerande att se med vilket intresse och engagemang eleverna griper tag i dessa inte helt enkla problem. Livliga diskussioner om hur framtida sociala medier ska kunna leda till verkligt inflytande för ungdomar. Sökande efter kunskap om kognitiva system för att minska miljöpåverkan av skolmat. Plötsligt blir kunskapen något levande och verkligt. Att eleverna sedan också ska presentera sina lösningar för representanter för de aktuella företagen skapar naturligtvis en extra krydda till det hela. Kanske kommer flera av de deltagande eleverna om tio år brottas med liknande problem i sina yrken, men även om inte alla i framtiden kommer att syssla med IT har de i alla fall fått möta en del av verkligheten i sin skolvardag.

Roger Terner, SO-lärare och förstelärare, Ärvingeskolan

Deepalaya

Namaste,

Today we travelled about 6 miles north of Delhi up in the country on serpentine roads until we reached a school called Deepalaya. This is a school that holds up to 1000 students. It’s a boarding school for runaways, homeless and orphans.  It is a huge estate that also includes a hospital, opened to the villagers. They are looking for doctors to come work on a volunteer basis, so if you know anyone who would be interested let them know. We were greeted by the school orchestra and then taken on a tour into different classrooms. The students started early in the morning , they we awoke at 5.30 am doing their morning prayer and went to bed at ten with an hour of watching TV, maybe that is something we need to encourage our parents to take after.  We had a great lunch prepared in the school kitchen and afterwards we met a group of very inspiring women who were part of the microcredit system that started in Bangladesh and is helping women becoming more independent.  The women that we met were all Muslim women who had not been allowed outside their home before but through this microcredit were now the head of the household. Some of them told their own personal story and it just showed me how strong they were. I was deeply impressed and touched by their stories.  We all had brought gifts with us from Sweden to be handed out to the students. Things needed for schoolwork such as stationeries and papers. Mr. Matthew, founder of the school, his life work made me humble towards the work and the love for life and people especially children that he give every day.  I would gladly go back and volunteer a couple of weeks this summer.

Welcomed by the students

 Students classroom

Taj Mahal and Agra

Namaste,

Today we went to TAJ MAHAL and AGRA.  This trip meant 6 hours there and 5 hours back. The roads were not always in the condition that we are used to. For me personally this felt like real India, with elephants, monkeys and cows along the way. Once there it was breathtaking and very overwhelming. It is that trip you want to make at least once in your lifetime. I’m so happy and feel so fulfilled that I was able to do it and experience with people that I’m able to talk to every day. It’s unforgettable.

Taj Mahal

Agra

Akshardam

Namaste,

We went to see the temple Akshardam. If you never heard of it, you are probably not alone. Now this temple is huge and as I thought before entering it, very old but I was dead wrong, this temple and the surroundings were finished in 2006. It is a tourist place with about 8 million followers. Coming from Sweden, I think we mostly saw it as a gigantic amusement park. It’s put together by more than 7000 volunteers. It was an interesting experience.

Akshardam. You were not allowed to take pictures once on the premisies.

International Rinkeby/ New Delhi

Namaste,

Our bus finally arrived after what seemed ages. We were in old Delhi. Here we negotiated and finally got a satisfying price for a Rickshaw, a human taxi. My colleague and I were in luck, our driver spoke English. Mad traffic and lots of bumps in the road, helicopter massage our driver told us it was. He took us to the Red Fort which was magnificent.  We also saw from a distance the Shiva temple and the Buddha temple.