Close Reading - Project Classroom Makeover

Close Reading Assignment: Project Classroom Makeover

The author of the essay, Cathy Davidson, describes the iPod project as an investment: "The iPod experiment was not an investment in technology. It was an investment in a new form of attention, one that didn't requires students to always face forward...at our most ambitious, we hoped to change the one-directional model of attention that has formed the twentieth century classroom" (Davidson 54). In this passage, Davidson explains Duke's goals for the project and what they, or more so she, hoped to achieve by putting the money and effort into it. What stood out most to me within the passage, as well as the whole essay, was the repetition of the word "attention." Davidson believes that one of the major issues with the American education system is the lack of attention, or interest, students have with the material, and emphasizes this idea by using the word often throughout the piece. Additionally, the author describes twentieth century teaching methods as having students "accept knowledge as something predetermined or passively absorbed," which she provides juxtaposing solutions for within the passage, but also within the entire piece, including "crowdsourcing, customizing, and inquiry-driven problem solving." Her solutions to the issues with traditional teaching involve collaboration of unique perspectives, which are necessary for success in the twenty first century, as our world becomes smaller and closer-knit due to technological advances. Lastly, Davidson writes that the iPod project was an investment in "student-led curiosity," a reoccurring theme in the essay, as seen through not only the Duke students, but also the seventh-graders who developed technology to stay informed about the earthquake in Haiti, as well as through Mrs. Davidson's competitive students. The stress of curiosity also goes hand in hand with the author's disdain for standardization, and shows her encouragement of distinct learning paths based on interest. The passion and care that Davidson has not only for the iPod project, but for reforming education to fit twenty first century needs, is extremely apparent within this passage, and the essay in its entirety.