Connecting Experience to Classroom Learning

One thing that the University of Wisconsin - Parkside Education Department does differently than many other school's education departments, is that they place you in a classroom in your very first semester.  This enables the student to be able to see everything they are being taught in a real-life classroom setting, rather than just reading about it, straight from the get go.  Within weeks of starting my academic career at Parkside, I was put in a 7th grade classroom at John Bullen Middle School in Kenosha, WI.  Ever since then, I have been placed in a different classroom each semester, anywhere from Kenosha to Oak Creek, each offering different challenges and experiences.  My time spent in these classrooms was essential to my understanding and learning of what was gone over in class, and without these experiences I would not have learned anywhere near as much as I have.

​

In one particular education course, we spoke heavily about the importance of the community in which the children are learning, and how it can really make or break one's education.  It was during this same semester that I was given the opportunity to volunteer in a 6th grade classroom at Harborside Academy in Kenosha, WI, and was able to see just how much the community made this classes education.  The class was learning about watersheds, and I was able to help the students conduct research on the given topic, and as the project progressed, I was able to help with their final project itself.

​

The final project was an interactive 'book' that would showcase the students' knowledge to the community.  Each student was given a different topic to cover for this book and had to create one 'page' for their topic.  How they chose to create their page was completely up to them and their interests.  The pages students created ranged from homemade puzzles that once put together displayed information, presentations, speeches, and more.  Once the book was complete, they 'published' the book by hosting a book release at the Parkside library.

​

This shows an attempt to not only encourage collaboration with the students inside the classroom, but it also brought learning outside of the classroom into the community.  Students collectively wrote and actually published an interactive book on watersheds which they presented to family, friends, and community members.  While students focused on the historical aspect of watersheds and their importance towards life and civilization in the classroom, the actual event was a means for students to share their newfound knowledge and teach their own community.

​

The students absolutely loved being able to teach their community a topic that not many knew about, and it really made such a positive impact on not only the individual students, but on their education.  This particular event really connected what I was actively learning in class with my experience in the community, and after this event, I plan to incorporate many community events into my curriculum to really interest students and hopefully provide many more positive impacts on students and their communities.