Week 3 comes to an end, and I'm still confused and uncertain - which isn't a bad thing according to Dewey who says "...learning begins with confusion and uncertainty." I guess, it's all a matter of trying to keep things in perspective and plugging away at what needs to be done. This week, it's getting stuck into an early draft of the assignment.
Now that this entry is completely off track, it's time to mention "Saving Black Mountain" - a project conducted in a Year 4 classroom in the state of Kentucky (the American state not the fried chicken outlet!) that revolved around looking at the issues surrounding mining of a local mountain. This article (read an extract here: LINK to Black Mountain article) was a real eye opener, because it proved that an inquiry-based learning episode/unit can be something more than just an information seeking exercise. In the article, the learning gained from learning about Black Mountain and the issues involved with strip mining it for coal, actually led to the participants actually becoming actively involved in the democratic process and social activism, leading to personal change and ultimately the saving of "Black Mountain".
Read the letter that students wrote to save Black Mountain from strip mining at:
http://www.kftc.org/our-work/canary-project/campaigns/black-mountain/letter
"Largely as a result of the students' efforts, a compromise agreement was reached in May 1999 between coal operators and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth whereby 1,850 acres on Black Mountain would be saved from logging and strip mining." *
I found "Saving Black Mountain" particularly interesting, due to having spent 5 years in a mining town. It's very brave of the teacher to go up against a mining company, because in mining communities they are all powerful and don't like anyone getting in the way of profit. It's good to think, that social activism can make a difference - and it's even better, to think that it can be done at a school level through the use of guided-inquiry learning.
Anyway, it's late at night and I need to sleep. :)
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* Powell, R, Chambers-Cantrell, S, and Adams, S. (2001). "Saving Black Mountain: The promise of critical literacy in a multicultural democracy" from The Reading Teacher, May 2001. 54:8.
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| Black Mountain - Kentucky, USA - Drop by and get some chicken! |
Now that this entry is completely off track, it's time to mention "Saving Black Mountain" - a project conducted in a Year 4 classroom in the state of Kentucky (the American state not the fried chicken outlet!) that revolved around looking at the issues surrounding mining of a local mountain. This article (read an extract here: LINK to Black Mountain article) was a real eye opener, because it proved that an inquiry-based learning episode/unit can be something more than just an information seeking exercise. In the article, the learning gained from learning about Black Mountain and the issues involved with strip mining it for coal, actually led to the participants actually becoming actively involved in the democratic process and social activism, leading to personal change and ultimately the saving of "Black Mountain".
Read the letter that students wrote to save Black Mountain from strip mining at:
http://www.kftc.org/our-work/canary-project/campaigns/black-mountain/letter
"Largely as a result of the students' efforts, a compromise agreement was reached in May 1999 between coal operators and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth whereby 1,850 acres on Black Mountain would be saved from logging and strip mining." *
I found "Saving Black Mountain" particularly interesting, due to having spent 5 years in a mining town. It's very brave of the teacher to go up against a mining company, because in mining communities they are all powerful and don't like anyone getting in the way of profit. It's good to think, that social activism can make a difference - and it's even better, to think that it can be done at a school level through the use of guided-inquiry learning.
Anyway, it's late at night and I need to sleep. :)
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* Powell, R, Chambers-Cantrell, S, and Adams, S. (2001). "Saving Black Mountain: The promise of critical literacy in a multicultural democracy" from The Reading Teacher, May 2001. 54:8.
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