What challenges does secondary education in the United States face when it comes to fostering meaningful learning? What are the keys to ensuring that teacher professional development is effective and promotes educational change? How should science be taught in 21st-century schools?
These were some of the questions that Dr. Cory Buxton —an American professor and researcher—answered following his visit to Universidad ORT Uruguay. In July 2018, Buxton taught Doctoral Seminar I for the Doctor of Education program at the Institute of Education and also led the workshop “Research-Based Teaching Strategies in the English Classroom.”
How can we foster meaningful learning?
What challenges does secondary education in the United States face when it comes to fostering meaningful learning? According to Dr. Cory Buxton, there are four.
First and foremost, it is essential to dispel assumptions about students’ knowledge gaps. Although teachers often focus on “what students don’t know,” Buxton explained that all students bring their own knowledge and experiences to the classroom: “The teacher’s job is to make connections between those experiences and the content to be taught.”
Women, white, of European descent. That is what most American teachers are like, according to Buxton. For that reason, and due to the growing diversity of students, monolingual and monocultural teachers represent the second challenge.
Third, “social colorblindness.” When applied to education, this means viewing and treating everyone as equal. For Buxton, it is a “nice” idea, but in reality, it is pointless to “pretend that differences do not exist.”
Finally, he pointed out that there is a lack of two-way communication between teachers and families. Schools often fail to listen to families’ voices, and he believes this is a problem that needs to be addressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkvSJvbobGw
The five components of the LISELL-B project
Language-rich Inquiry Science with English Language Learners through Biotechnology (LISELL-B) is one of the projects led by Dr. Cory Buxton. According to the American educator, the research focused on science and language instruction, with a particular emphasis on students learning English as a second language.
Based on the information they gathered, Buxton and his team created a model incorporating the five most important components of the project.
First, teacher training institutes: a space for analyzing and discussing various topics related to teaching and learning. Practical workshops are the second component, allowing participants to experiment with new teaching methods using real students.
Bilingual family workshops—a setting where teachers, immigrant students, and their families come together—are the third component. Fourth, it is important to organize workshops to explore students’ writing. Finally, support for teachers in planning and developing new strategies to improve instruction.
“Sometimes it’s hard to change practices, but with plenty of support, teachers lose their fear of trying new things,” Buxton concluded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzYKtOGLBNs
Five Keys to Professional Development for Teachers
What are the key factors for effective professional development for teachers that promotes educational change?
According to Dr. Cory Buxton, there are five: treating teachers as professionals, developing workshops that combine theory with practice, fostering long-term working relationships, stepping outside one’s comfort zone, and, finally, encouraging the formation of professional support networks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHfnX9VqKE
Science Education in the 21st Century
In an era of constant technological and scientific advancements—where adults often don’t have all the answers—what should science education in schools look like?
“Not knowing all the answers is a huge advantage for a teacher,” Buxton said. Why? In his words, the reason is that “the best thing about science and technology is the chance to learn new things.”
In the traditional approach to teaching, he noted, science is “a list of words and definitions that must be memorized.” “But that’s not science,” Buxton declared. “It’s a way of thinking, of investigating, and that’s why we have to teach science for what it is: a thought process,” he added.
“We don’t need every student to want to become a scientist or an engineer, but we do need everyone to have scientific knowledge and an understanding of science and technology so they can improve the lives of others,” he concluded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTmtmzOHZ_0
Dr. Cory Buxton visited Universidad ORT Uruguay in Universidad ORT Uruguay part of the Fulbright Specialist Program. As explained on the Fulbright Uruguay website, this initiative brings together a highly qualified scholar who “shares their expertise and helps strengthen ties between U.S. and host institutions abroad.”