If I Ruled the World (a random collection of thoughts)

  Practicing mindfulness. Digital natives have great difficulty existing in silence. I would have students start class with a 20 minute mindful activity, no technology involved. Students could journal, decorate a physical calendar to plan their week ahead, crochet, meditate into a nap, work on a perpetual classroom puzzle, or read. Anything that involves stillness and engagement. This would allow them time to adjust to the classroom environment, away from the constant screens.

  Language Learning would engage current events. A prominent exercise would be to have students explain political and cultural events in a country whose primary language is what is being taught. For example, “In Spanish, write an essay describing Cuban citizens’ most recent thoughts on U.S. intervention.” While politics is a touchy subject, and prompts would probably require higher approval, this is a real, current, and engaging way to learn not only about the language but its people. 

    It may seem burdensome to constantly keep up with trends and modify plans, but I think this could be accomplished by being set on the objective but flexible in the content. 

    The gamification of math. Nothing felt more rewarding than beating the clock while answering 20 multiplication problems in 60 seconds. The competition, the repetition, and the challenge most of all. Push students close to failure and watch them grow each time. Remove the fear of embarrassment and loss to remind them their biggest competition is themselves. I think there has been a shift, rather than promoting “healthy competition”, just removing competition altogether. This avoidant behavior promotes anxiety over fearlessness.