There are many excerpts in this documentary that were thought provoking and evocative. It touched on many issues concerning the potential of the human mind, with the central focus on learning. Too often in the past, children with great potential are left to flounder because of traditional learning strategies. It is clear from some poignant examples in this film that everyone has the ability to learn regardless of there race, gender, color, origin and/or disabilities. We all can learn from each other, which in turn, enrich everyone, by broadening his/her horizons across a vast demographic landscape to better serve society.
There is one excerpt in this film that had a profound effect on me. This was the segment which involved a school whereby the children’s scores didn’t meet the standards of assessment. The school implemented new learning methodologies, supported by research that was both motivating and exciting. As a result it became and accelerated school within three years.
This has compelled me to think about the many children that are left behind because of the institutions’ inability to facilitate the kinds of learning practices depicted in this school. It will be a tragedy to continue to lose children because of these inadequacies.
In my opinion teachers need to continue to educate themselves, to stay informed about updated research related to learning. This will enable them to keep children excited and motivated, which are important ingredients for effective learning.
I think the future teacher should have clear and definitive goals of what he/she wants to accomplish. It should be expected that part of the teachers self fulfillment would be to adopt a strategy of teaching that treat children as equals and not label them. Children tend to work better in such an environment and there is research that supports this.
The traditional methods of teaching should be avoided. The fallacies inherent in some of these methods are intellectually debilitating, unchallenging, and ineffective.
