One of the things that I struggle with on an almost daily basis is that, as an English teacher, nearly all the activities and exercises we do should be based in the real world. We are teaching students a communication skill that will benefit them in every way no matter what paths they take in their life, yet I find myself setting tasks, activities and milestones that have little, if any, practical application outside of school.

Why write a persuasive leaflet about drugs when they could be doing something important them, in a context that actually means something? In ENGB1 the students who get the best marks are those who write something that could be published in the real world, but is also something that really gets them fired on all cylinders.

I was just in the process of updating my blogroll when I stumbled across The Innovative Educator via Doug Belshaw and an entry caught my eye: Finding Authenticity: Publishing with Wikipedia. What a fantastic idea. Relevant to the students, relevant to the school and relevant to the curriculum. A great example of project based learning (PBL) that are trying hard to develop in school.

(Sorry this wasn’t about technology, but it kinda is)