Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer

Differentiated instruction, Dewey Pedagogy in Action

I highly commend to you Bob Sprankle’s podcast from August 4, 2005, “Podcasting with Purpose.” Bob exemplifies what all parents should desire for their own elementary students in a teacher: he is focused on helping students connect authentically with their learning, differentiating instruction to meet the diverse interests and needs of students, and helping each acquire the ability to communicate effectively in our 21st century world.

Bob is using podcasts as well as blogs as instructional tools to accomplish these learning goals.

Bob’s story about his student last year who got the idea of doing a classroom podcast program about animals that need to be adopted in a local animal shelter is priceless. Don’t we want all our students to understand how their words and their actions can lead to meaningful change in the world? The pet adoptions which have resulted in their Maine community as a result of these student podcasts is certainly motivational.

John Dewey wrote extensively about the need to connect with the interests of students, and use those connections as ways to motivate them as well as extend their learning. Bob is clearly operationalizing Dewey’s pedagogy in the 21st century!

Give this “Bit by Bit” podcast a listen!

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On this day..


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