#13 Teach the child in the seat

Recently a friend of mine and I were talking about teaching and how things should work in our world.  

She said
 "we should be teaching the child that is in that seat."  

I know, I know - it sounds so simple, but it is pretty profound - we should NOT be teaching a curriculum, we should NOT be teaching a system - we should be teaching that child!

Yes - of course we have curricula, and we have state guidelines, and we have different systems and different philosophies - but when it comes down to it - we are teaching our students.  

That student it what matters - learning is our goal!

I know that our jobs depends on the scores (I have a love/hate relationship with Kirkpatrick) and our annual reviews come down to how well students can take a test - UGH - but if we can focus on that child and what he or she needs - then we WILL get better test scores and they WILL pass the test.  

Yes of course it is hard to focus on one child when you have a room of 36 screaming bags of hormones (yes, I am flashing back to my middle school teacher days) . . . but the answer is not to become a robot teacher that repeats the same message despite the students in front of you.  It is also not an option to just "teach to the test" or "follow the curriculum" - if the students don't get it - or if they just aren't learning - then it is time to reevaluate the curriculum or make a change to the system.

There is a place for "best practices" and "tried and true" methods - but remember just because it is best for 75% of your class - you are still missing 25% and what they need.  You might be getting a "C" in your class teaching, but what is the "grade" for that 25% - what happens to them?


Teachers - What do you do to make sure you are teaching to each and every student in your class?


Thank you Mary Sue for your words of wisdom - hopefully we can help many people find a way to teach that student in that seat!

#12 Be a Champion

I don't really need to say much about this one - Rita Pierson says it better herself:

#11 Redistribute Resources

This one may seem simple or way too complex at the same time!

Recently I was in a small charter school, unaffiliated with a district - and was pleasantly surprised that they had some specialists (full time even) that would be a direct benefit to the students.  I wondered how a small, independent school could afford these staff members.  Then I realized that the money the charter school received per student is the same that a public school would receive, yet they didn't have the salaries, rent, or maintenance for a district office.  HMMMMM - resources per student being spent MUCH closer to the students themselves.  Interesting concept!

So then I started to wonder - how can we actually apply this in a smaller instance - maybe just a single classroom?

I got sidetracked by an article about a troubled school that diverted its path to "doom" by getting rid of its security detail and then hiring art teachers . . . maybe it wasn't something in a small classroom setting - but for sure in a single school setting.  Impact being made by reallocating resources.  NOT ONLY were the students more positive and they were seeing a reduction in disciplinary cases - the school actually saw test scores improve.  Now anyone reading this knows that I am not very excited about measures being taken to improve test scores, however I also acknowledge that it does have to happen.  But in this instance - where something can be done to benefit the students and it helps the schools - that is a win-win in my book.

Okay - back to a smaller implementation - how can this idea be put to use in a single classroom?

So that is my question - how can a teacher, in his or her own classroom, redistribute resources to provide a better education to the students?  PLEASE let's share some ideas!

#10 - Keep PLAY as part of learning

The title of this TEDtalk is "when education goes wrong" - and there are many people (myself included) that spend a lot of time talking about how "education is broken" and "what is wrong with education today" - but the simple fact is human beings do learn naturally - its something that is pretty cool about us.

So - sometimes we do need to guide/coach/and even teach . . . but don't forget about play as a valid "learning environment."  Are kids going to automatically figure out advanced engineering without help? (Or fractals as mentioned in the previous post")  NO - probably not - BUT, as educators we can use different techniques to help the students figure it out and understand the concepts - rather than just "drill and grill."

On the younger end of the spectrum, my son is very good at understanding concepts and actually being able to apply intangible thought processes to different problems, however he struggles with learning the symbols.  But he is tested on the symbols - and  - well, let's just say that the American public educational system doesn't think he is performing that well.  But talk to some other educators, they say he should be skipping grades because he gets the concepts (luckily he does have a few advocates on his side that are helping him).

As educators and parents and administrators and executives, everybody - HOW do we all work together to make sure that we don't kill that part of the human brain that really makes us learn? How do we keep PLAY as part of education?

# 9 - Mix it up!

I was happy to get a Facebook email from a friend (from school no less) that is a teacher on the international circuit . . . I am jealous of her international travel adventures sometimes - but I really LOVE hearing about her experiences in the classroom - it reminds me that being an educator is still being an educator anywhere in the world!  The age of the class and the topic being discussed can change, but sometimes things just "make sense" and it all comes together.

I love this lesson plan idea - not a new topic to teach for her, but doing something different and incorporating several different techniques - no wonder the students were engaged and interested in what they were doing!  Great job Paola!!!

This is what she writes about her lesson:

"I introduced kids to fractals* in different forms and had them do some activities and also asked them to research something new about them and share with the class. They BLEW me away. And it was soooo fun to see them take something and run with it, especially in a new area of math! Great use of technology too."

FRACTALS?!?!?!  Not necessarily a topic that I have ever found myself standing in front of a class working on . . . and I have done some seriously weird classes!

BUT - let's break this down . . .

     1. introduced different forms with some activities (okay standard, but its a       new concept so GREAT place to start)

     2. research - the kids did the research - PERFECT - motivation from something other than "you have to" - good idea!

     3. share with the class - ooooh - give the kids the opportunity to be experts and to share what they have learned. Increased motivation AND giving them the opportunity to really shine!  GREAT!!!!

     4. Excitement!!! - they blew the teacher away - how awesome is that?!?!?!  And you know that if she was excited then so were the kids!

     5. New area of math - BONUS

     6. Use of technology - BONUS

This is fantastic - I love hearing about these stories and learning how people are working to make education better!!! (If you have any - please send them along!)



*Fractal:

Noun A curve or geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole.

 
Photo Credit: geoftheref via Compfight cc

#8 Take it Outside

This may seem pretty simplistic, and maybe it is.  But what if some of our teaching actually takes place outside?  I know, I know we have specially designed classrooms and hermetically sealed windows to keep us safe.  But I know MANY a child that opens his or her mind when simply sitting outside!

Working with adults - yep - it is a little bit more of a challenge to actually get adults to go outside, but sometimes a change of pace works.

But there is also something just about being out in nature - even if you are in a city - the air is different.

And I bet it is pretty easy to find analogies for many educational situation using nature - let's all give it a try.

So - for one aspect of teaching - all I can say is "Take it Outside!"

Photo Credit: marfis75 via Compfight cc

#7 Physical Space should match the learning space

This one is probably pretty obvious - but it all kind of depends on what you are teaching.  And contrary to what many people think - it isn't about the age at all.

Another thing to think about is how to make it more "personal" to the learner or what some people call intimate.  Most LEARNING takes place internal to each student, so how can they interact with the ideas that are being taught and really make sense of them.

If they are working with small groups, then banquet style is fantastic - but if there is considerable lecture then banquet is one of the worst set-ups to do!  And don't think that theater style is bad news - I know a lot of educators think this is the most horrible death for a learning environment.  But really - think back to a great presentation, a public speaker that could motivate an entire audience and they were so enthralled that sitting and absorbing was exactly what they did - in that case theater is exactly what you want.

I could probably go on and on here about each one of these set-ups - what would work and what wouldn't work.  I think they each have a purpose - and of course each educator has different preferences. (although I would say my least favorite is the classroom style, but that is just me).

If anyone is reading this - let me know what is your preference for set-up when it comes to creating a strong learning environment - and why it works for you!

Thank you for comments!

#6 Isolation doesn't really work

Okay - I was going to say Isolation doesn't really exist - but that isn't right - but really when talking about topics to learn . . . does teaching something in isolation really work?  It isn't ever used that way. As an adult I don't think that I have ever had a math problem that doesn't have some sort of "story" with it . . . now I am not a mathematician or even a scientists that relies on mathematical equations,  but I am a working adult and I do use math.

For a while I was an actor, and you might think "oh well that person uses one skill" - but no, I had to memorize lines, move around a stage, follow direction, analyze my character and a few (hundred) other things - so why would I be taught all of those things separately.

I can see maybe saying that the foundations of each topic might need special, individualized attention - before you can really get into "figuring" in math you do need the basics of addition and subtraction.  But really, most kids can work this into their regular learning, they really do figure out addition and subtraction as concepts.  (And really we test on that idea of can you do so many math problems in a minute - really this is a test that we do to our kids?!?!?!)

As adult - working adult - do we ever sit down and just do math problems?

Now, maybe I am being a little harsh on math, but let's think about history - don't worry - I am not going to say that we should just ignore history - I do actually think it is valuable to learn about!  However, by stripping away all context and even the stories with it, and having to teach it independent of anything else - we make it SO BORING - and really, kinda useless.  Other than historians, and people who want to go into that field - who really liked history classes in college???  But think - if we had a class that was called "problem solving" and the discussion would be about different methods of creating change.  The class structure would then be to read a specific time in history, a big event, and then the class time would be spent discussing what could have been done differently to change the outcomes.  MAN - think about it, not only would students be reading history, but they would also be identifying ways that they could make changes. . .  what a great lesson that would be!!!

So - my big thought for today is - DON'T teach subjects in isolation - put them in context, teach with real world lessons, even to kids - but really, REALLY work towards putting it altogether for the people that are learning.

#4 Apply design principles

For sure this applies to adult ed - but really even preschool needs some thought that goes into the layout of materials. And when you are talking about materials - you have to hand over a book . . . it can be the way something is set out on a table to grab the kids' attention. And really that is a perfect example - just like preschool kids need to be focused on what they will be working with - adults need to be focused towards the most important information. 

Middle grades and High school aged kids can be the most "fun" group to design for - they are usually not as calloused against the use of bold colors and they will actually appreciate risk being taken on design. As long as the main purpose is still there - and that is to make learning happen! 

There are many, MANY books and courses out there on design, and educational design specifically. There are even degree programs (and career tracks) on educational design. But if nothing else - start with the basics - here is a quick slide show that has some of the topics that you will find in many other places.

(Thank you Diane Tchakrides - using Robin Williams book "The Non Designer's Design Book" - I don't know either one of these individuals, but I appreciate their sharing the information!)

#3 Let the students teach

I know, most people think "what are you crazy" - but really it does work - and on some level most teachers know this.  That is why we always have to work in groups.  Even though sometimes I hated group-work classes, and sometimes I really just wanted to sit back and listen (passive "learning") - it really isn't as effective.

This is an example of taking it to even more extremes - basically Sugata Mitra is suggesting here to provide the environment and let the kids take over.  VERY LITTLE teaching from adults, or experts, but really letting the kids become the experts. This particular format of learning works with kids that already know how to read, but haven't been indoctrinated yet by society to fall into certain roles - they find their own working group and really step up.  It is fantastic to hear about some of the successes that he has had with this model of learning.



What is exciting is to think about how this can be applied in larger and smaller setting and of course different age groups.  I can easily see this in a work place environment (and am actually changing some of the courses I am currently working on) but also how to really set the education world on edge to try to change how we facilitate!!!

#2 Try Something Different

Okay - so this may seem obvious . . .  But from experience I know it bears repeating . . . If your students aren't "getting it" try something different!

I don't know how many times I will see a teacher get frustrated because the students just don't learn . . . but the teacher just repeats the lesson pretty much verbatim, maybe a little slower, but still the same.  And if the teacher is frustrated think how the student feels?!?!?!!!

Take a step back, and think of a different way to get the message across l . . This is also where creativity and fun comes in, as a teacher sometimes it can be boring to teach the same thing over and over agin.  But here you have a new class, and they want to learn . . . So give them something they can use.

Working with an educator of over 20 years, she came to me and said "I just can't relate to my students any more - they don't pay attention like they used to.  I can't teach them."  She was so close to identifying the real problem . . . She is right, she wasn't relating to her students anymore . . She was teaching her same lesson plans just like she always taught them.  Not only had she become bored, but so had her students! After talking for a while - we brainstormed different ways to "change up" her lesson plans - including a lot more activities - and guess what . . . The dynamics in her classroom changed!  She was more excited to be teaching and her class was more interested in working with her . . . It was almost as if her saying "let's try something different" was enough to engage her students and get back to learning!