TEACHER TO TEACHER
WHAT IS PROJECT X?
Just as the Moon rotates around our world, so does the student around their teacher. I believe that my role as an educator is not to simply impart facts, but assist the student in developing their own personal conception of what their world is all about and where they as citizens of Earth fit in. As an educator, I have been looking for a way to stimulate thinking in my students about issues that don't necessarily affect their daily lives. I want my students to develop a level of cognition that challenges them to be more active in a world that changes almost daily. I have used the text of "A Step Back" by Pb Fisher in an Advanced English Class that I teach to students over the summer at a Community College. The students responded strongly to the issues presented and generated a wealth of writing activities that challenged the students to express their inner most feeling about their own lives. I have found that through this interactive Internet site, I am able to generate student thinking on a wide range of interdisciplinary issues in a new and exciting medium. Where I have found it difficult for students to discuss these types of issues, I have found "A Step Back" to be the bridge that students can relate to and find common ground. Students of varying backgrounds are more apt to freely discuss issues such as "The American Dream", Race, Community Values, and The Vietnam War. Along with the issues discussed in "A Step Back", Pb Fisher has studied the culture of the different countries he has visited and has provided links to further study of these diverse cultures in our world. Fisher shows us that these cultures while different have one important similarity: THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. As an English teacher, I have found that you can teach a multitude of lessons using "A Step Back". However, this site is for every educator. From English teacher to World Cultures teachers to teachers of Philosophy and Ethics and Government, there is something for everyone. PROJECT "X" is first and foremost a vehicle for changing the way students view education. This is a chance for students to express their feelings about our world and learn from other students around the world in a non-threatening independent way. PROJECT "X" will take students on a journey of self-discovery by using the technology of the Internet, the future of the education.
How To Get Involved
I want to stress to all educators that are viewing and using PROJECT "X" that we are a work in progress and that we encourage and need your input on how to expand the PROJECT "X" curriculum. In the student link, we have listed projects, assignments and other activities that our students are currently engaged in. If you have an idea that you are going to use in your classes, please go to the "A Step Back" Bulletin Board link marked "Teaching Ideas" and simply write down the lesson or idea so that other educators can entertain your suggestion. Sharing teaching ideas is the cornerstone of PROJECT "X". One prominent goal of PROJECT "X" is to develop a global classroom where students from around the planet can interact and discuss the problems and issues confronting their community as well as the world. If you are interested in obtaining your own "Class Folder," feel free to contact PbFisher at flesh2dust@astepback.com. A folder can be customized for your class and used in any way you see fit for activities and projects. Your students can go to their own class folder and obtain activities, assignments, links to other sites, and other valuable information, all without taking up valuable class time. PROJECT "X" is a great way for students to do independent learning activities at their own pace, probe their own personal development, all while using the educational tool that will undoubtedly lead us into the 21st Century.