Wong and Hendricksen (2008) discuss a very thought provoking question: what if we approached education in the same way as fashion? (p. 180) The authors challenge educators to make their teaching as engaging. This made me think about my own experience in the classroom when it came to starting a new unit of study. Teachers need to make a conscious effort to present information in interesting, unique ways that will peak student interest. One way to implement this notion is through the initial introduction of a lesson topic or mental set to hook student interest and attention. Wong and Hendricksen (2008) discuss the phenomena of the iPod stating that it was an example of how “the real issue of concern to educators is how the ‘momentary’ experience of the advertisement influences subsequent moments of experience” (p. 187). I am wondering the importance of the initial mental set plays in lesson implementation. If I, as a classroom teacher, am able to present information as fashion to peak student interest and attention, then this will have an impact on subsequent learning opportunities for students. In my own classroom, I have done this by first understanding student interests and then trying to incorporate them in my lessons. Therefore, I think that the first part of a lesson is similar to the iPod sillotett advertisement in that it presents an idea in an attractive way that appeals to many people so that they will want to find out more about the product. In the classroom, this product is not an iPod but rather, the curriculum.
Reference: Wong, D., & Henriksen, D. (2008). If Ideas WERE Fashion. In P. Lang, Mirror Images (pp. 179-198). Diana Silberman-Keller et al.
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AuthorMy name is Reena and I am a Masters of Ed student at UOIT. I have created this blog for Professor Guertin's course, EDUC 5199G. Archives
November 2016
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