Problem-Based Learning

While watching the Edutopia video I couldn't help but thinking "I would want my kids to go to Auburn." The students and teachers were so engaged during the school day. You could feel the energy of the staff and the students just by watching the video. I feel that the students were so engaged because the teachers made the learning meaningful for them. The fact that everything they learned was based off of the children's inquiries gave them a sense of meaning while learning. The teachers did a great job of meeting curriculum needs through the children's questions.
I also felt that there was a great level of socialization among the students and liked the fact that socializing and communicating were goals of the classroom. I often find that as educators we are so focused on curriculum that we forget about these needs. However, students cannot be as successful if they do no have these skills.
Although the process was a bit different, I found the instruction at Auburn to be effective. For example, the teachers allowed the students to write without worrying about spelling. They were then able to determine what the students needed to work on rather than teaching them the concepts and then allowing them to write. The one technological aspect that stuck out was the use of the smart board to instruct the students on the difference between 'b's' and 'd's.' This is such a common mistake for students. It was awesome that the student was able to drag the 'd' over the 'b' to see that they were different letters.
Auburn definitely seems like a school that views life-long learning as a priority. I love how they teach the students how to use resources rather than to just ask adults about things. This helps the students to become problem-solvers and more independent.

Well- done Auburn!!!!