Mr. Mellott’s Weblog

I am a big believer in allowing students to express their opinions.  This is a tool that they will take with them for all of their future endeavors.  However, opinions without backing and organization are often considered moot when young people express them to parents, professors, or bosses.  Since I believe that, I feel it incumbent upon me to teach these students not only the social studies subject matter for which they are responsible, but also how to express their opinions about that subject matter in a thoughtful, intelligent manner.  The concept mapping tools that I looked at this week appear to offer some organization of thoughts as well as some degree of flexibility in their use.  In this way, any student can shape their use to his or her needs.  These tools may also be useful to teachers in that they may provide some insight into the thought processes of their students.  This insight may allow us the opportunity to direct their thoughts or their expression to more accurately reflect their final opinions.  If we are really trying to prepare them for their future, isn’t this the direction that we should be looking in?