Does Scratch meet specific state mandated objectives?
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Afek Taragan
Member
February 14, 2010
I am writing a university paper and am looking for some feedback...
Is anyone struggling with the conflict between letting students create and explore on their own versus ensuring that you are covering specific state-mandated objectives. I like the idea of giving my students some freedom to express themselves and explore on their own, but each day we spend doing this I know I am falling farther and farther behind in terms of covering the objectives I am expected to cover. How are other people dealing with this issue?
Thank you for your input
Afek I have been using Scratch with 2nd grade for 3 years now. We do a unit where the children animate a folk tale. Over the course of the unit they have a lot of creative freedom but the assignment also keeps them focused on literacy objectives. I think good inquiry projects always involves a balance. They need to be focused enough so that the children know what to do and certain objectives are met. They also need to be open enough so that children can express their creativity.
Hi im using Scratch with primary children in the UK (for my honours project) I have managed to use some maths ojbectives from the curriculum as well as the computing science and combine them. My lessons are structured so that the kids can get a bit of time at the end to explore on their own.
I have been able to create several projects that address specific state objectives; however, often times they seem contrived. I have gotten to the point where I think perhaps we've been going at it backwards. Instead of the "real world" conforming to our state objectives, perhaps the objectives need to be reevaluated to meet the needs of the real world.
In a word, yes! You nailed the challenge. Figuring out how to do both has me looking for ways to integrate Scratch (and other creative projects) as a means to get at state objectives. How can Scratch be a tool in for how we teach what we are required to teach?
What is your context? My math class just used Scratch to explore similarity as part of a textnbook chapter . I thought about skipping the Scratch because we are behind the pacing guide, but scolded myself about covering distance vs. teaching so kids get it. I did simplify the projct. It added three days to the unit, and now they understand coordinates and scale factors a whole lot better.
Karen R