Monday, January 26, 2015

Challenging Myself to Teach Well

After Educon 2.7, I continue to think about my short conversation with Zack Brisson, President of Reboot. The conversation further challenged me to teach children well by applying research, experience, and craft as well as charting the journey for later share and analysis.

Today was one of those challenging days when the learning didn't match the "It's going to be a snow day tomorrow" mood of the class. In hindsight, I know how I could have tweaked the day for greater engagement and result. The next day at school will be better; it always is after a day that's not the best.

So what does it mean for a classroom teacher to teach better.

First, it will take a lot of attention to detail and classroom effort, and less whole-school activity. It's attention to every child, lots of observation and response, and continued learning design with and for students.

This kind of teaching has a shared goal of meeting the standards while also teaching in ways that engage, empower, and educate every child.

It's not necessarily glamorous or a stand-out because when it comes to teaching, the best work is a quiet, caring endeavor that comes from the heart, mind, and diligence of the educator. Onward.