These words were said a few weeks back at a forum I attended that focused upon 21st Century Skills and what we can do as community members and educators to prepare students for success beyond graduation. The young man who made this statement was being honest, a quality I appreciate. This short statement though sent a message to the educators in the room...our students see the difference between what learning is and what school is. I believe many of us left wondering if we as individuals or our colleagues knew the difference.
Breaking the traditional role of teacher is hard for many of us. Above all, it takes courage to try something new whether it is an attempt to increase cooperative learning experiences or trying to teach for learner differences as much as possible. I have heard teachers who say teaching to the middle, while they know it is wrong, probably helps more kids than it hurts. Really? When I go to a restaurant and order a steak, there is a certain expectation. If the steak is bland and the service is only fair...I'm most likely not going to eat there again. So when we serve up flavorless lessons that plateau with the first bite...why are we surprised when our students stop coming to the table. Don't hold back on your seasoning. Try something new. Get the kids out of their seats, use technology that they use, give them the opportunity to create something that demonstrates understanding beyond filling in bubbles on a test sheet, push them...all of them...to soar. I never claimed to have revolutionary ideas...but I might at some point.
Tomorrow...continuation of previous posts on Effective Leadership in Professional Learning Communities. These are from my literature review for an educational research course I completed for my MA in Education Administration. Let's get to collaborating.
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