Innovation in Education
Posted: October 24th, 2011 in Innovation
by Megan Portanova
Recently, I joined a friend at a fundraiser for an education organization called HEART (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers). HEART uses interactive instructional programs to promote Human Rights, Environmental Ethics, and Animal Protection at no cost to participating schools. This organization is a great example of how new teaching techniques can be used to broaden the worldview of students and improve learning.
One example of their techniques comes from an instructor I spoke with. He had recently conducted a lesson on Human Rights with elementary school students in an effort to increase their compassion, which is one of HEART’s key principles. The instructor placed a line of dried beans on the floor and had the students pick them up one at a time for one minute. When the exercise was complete the students were asked how they felt – some said their back hurt, while others complained it wasn’t much fun. The instructor then explained that this is what migrant workers do in hot fields for many hours every day, and for very little money. The children were shocked, as the exercise helped them to truly understand what it means to work under those conditions and why it is problematic that many people are in this situation. A line in a textbook could not elicit that same reaction.
Importantly, teachers have noted that students are able to use the lessons from HEART in regular curriculum. Human Rights lessons often have a direct relation to social issues in classes, such as bullying. The environmental and animal-related lessons pique student’s interest in science classes. HEART is not only opening students’ eyes to the problems in the world around them but it is also making topics discussed in school more tangible, a worthwhile and innovative approach to education.