The whole time I was in K12, I would find myself saying, "I'm preparing them for college and real life". Now, I see that what I was preparing them for, is not in fact Higher Ed. Ok...in some ways yes; critical thinking, independence, making good choices, etc.
However, the way I was teaching...giving choices, allowing for creativity, asking for creation and explanation of thinking. Granted, I didn't have much of a choice because this is how I was directed to teach, but I also agreed with it. With all my heart! I felt like much of that allowed for the critical thinking and independence and making good choices.
I feel like as a child I got REALLY good at following directions and "being a student" so that now, being free and creative is sometimes a challenge for me. I don't want my students to feel that way.
Anyway, back to the point...in Higher Ed, sometimes it still feels like what it used to 15 years ago when I went to undergrad. There's a gap. There's a difference between how we teach in K12 and how we teach in Higher Ed. And if they aren't already feeling it, students will soon figure it out.
How do we close the gap? How do we focus on the best way to reach students? Will students revert to "studenting" when they go to college? Will they want the more interactive way of learning?
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