I didn’t write this song, but I wish I did!
Tag Archives: teaching skills
Hammers and Nails
“I don’t want to be a COVID cop,” wrote a substitute teacher. She envisioned the job of a sub this fall as focused on enforcing facemask wearing and social distancing, taking temperatures, and a host of other activities which she saw as unrelated to teaching and perhaps a bit degrading.
In my reply, I observed that we’ve always had several challenges, many of which we (subs) share with regular teachers. One of them is the myriad and range of what we are required to teach. Add the reality that we do not have a lot of choice in the what and sometimes in the how and it is easy to conclude this is not an easy job.
My teaching philosophy is that I teach students, not topics or curriculum. The curriculum is a tool–not some holy grail worthy of unquestionable worship. After many years of teaching, I’ve also figured out that sometimes teaching (or learning) is unintentional–both in a good and not so good way. I’ve had students occasionally tell me, “I’ll never forget what you taught me,” and when they describe it, I honestly don’t remember teaching it.
One of my favorite “cage rattlers” years ago asked me if it wasn’t a bit arrogant to assume I had the right to decide what students will learn under my direction.
There’s also the challenge of enforcing school policy–particularly in an environment where students do not see the policy as important. “Mrs. Regular Teacher lets us…” puts the sub in the position of deciding whether or not we will reinforce the lesson that the rules don’t matter.
Beyond the obsession and hysteria, I’m not–at the moment–seeing COVID-19 as being much different. Given the uncertainties, I suspect there will be some unrealistic expectations of teachers and subs–but that’s also not anything new. I also suspect the students are going to need a lot of support in learning new policies and practices.
I wouldn’t be thrilled with being a “COVID cop” if it meant just standing in the hall and making sure everyone was wearing a mask. Although it would be an excellent opportunity to interact with students. One of my best days subbing was the day we had a bit of a school crisis. I was told to roam the halls and be available to teachers who needed a break or students who seemed upset. I did a lot of teaching that day without a curriculum or plan.
Yet another challenge I’m finding is that many see online teaching as a panacea. Management (admin) is attracted to it because they see it as an opportunity to reduce costs and risks. The old “nothing is difficult for the person who doesn’t have to do it” thing rears its head again. Even most of the public adult ed programs I work with are on the verge of insisting I teach online.
I recently had an adult class of about 12 running online using Zoom. One student was a public school teacher. We ran into some problems with everyone trying to talk at the same time, then no one wanting to speak for fear of stepping on somebody else. I joked that if 12 adults were finding it difficult, could he well-imagine how difficult it was going to be with 25 seven-year-olds?
Some of the private training companies are using 2-3 people for online training sessions. The roles vary, but one “teaches,” a second manages material and production, bringing things in as the instructor needs them. A third manages student participation using the chat feature and feeds comments and questions to the instructor. That allows for reasonably large groups, but those same challenges exist with smaller groups. Online teaching is a production. Creating engagement and interaction requires planning and effort.
My colleague may not look forward to being a COVID cop. I would hate to see us oversimplify online teaching and learning. Like a curriculum, it’s a tool. We can use it, and we can abuse it.
Lowering the risk from COVID is an admirable goal, but we need to guard against one-dimensional thinking. Or, as Maslow said, “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.”
About Learning Engagement and being cute
I wish I could tell you it was intentional… I recently spent some time “catching up” on some reading of blog posts and e-newsletters. I found that several of the items were very connected even though they came from widely diverse sources.
Dearborn Real Estate Education’s “Strategies for Creating Unforgettable Student Experiences in the Classroom” did a reassuringly good job of “selling” the fact that classroom education has some distinct advantages and will provide an edge over low-cost on-line only education.
Edutopia’s Students Think Lectures Are Best, But Research Suggests They’re Wrong isn’t new news, but it does raise an interesting point: “…students don’t invest in high-effort strategies they think are ineffective.” At first, that sounds like a keen grasp of the obvious until you read and realize “It can be difficult for students to gauge their own understanding of a topic.”
Last but not least (human nature likes three’s) Seth Godin’s Break the Lecture completed this package. He makes an interesting comparison of listening to music versus listening to lectures. Spoiler alert: His last sentence nails it. “If we’re going to do it (lecture) live, then let’s actually do it live.” Reminds me a bit of the Harvard Review article that suggested the point of most lectures in the college setting is to “get the material from the instructor’s notes into the student’s notebook without passing through the brains of either.”
If you are teaching (and who isn’t really?), I commend these articles to you. When the very logical Kahn University model took off, lecturing as a teaching method again came under attack. So we’re caught in a zero-sum game. Any teaching method used poorly or exclusively becomes ineffective.
I have participated in (and I’d like to think given) some very effective lectures. The discussion might just be about how to lecture effectively and, most importantly, engage the students in learning. How do we engage our learners?
I spent some time at school this week and a second-grader tugged on my sleeve because she wanted to tell me a secret. After I leaned down, she whispered the name of one of her classmates who “wants to read with you because she thinks you’re really cute.” Hey, if it makes her excited about reading, I can live with it!
Back to School Rules
One day last year I arrived at school a little early to read with second graders. I slipped into the classroom quietly and sat on the edge of a desk, appreciating the opportunity to eavesdrop on the group who were gathered around the teacher considering guidelines for a project they were about to begin. One of the girls slipped away from the group to whisper in my ear. “Mr. Boomsma, you’re not supposed to sit on the desks.”
I thanked her profusely and immediately changed my seating arrangement. I’m always a little embarassed when I unintentionally break a classroom rule but I enjoy how the kids try to help me stay out of trouble.
Rules are good things. I recently happened to read “Ten Rules for Students, Teachers, and Life.” These rules have a somewhat uncertain beginning that appears to involve John Cage, Sister Corita Kent, and may even Bertram Russell. We do know that Sister Kent used them in for an art class she taught and they became the official art department rules for the college of LA’s Immaculate Heart Convent–her alma mater. Since I know how difficult it can be to know and remember lots of rules, let me share just three.
- The duty of a student is to pull everything out of your teacher and your fellow students.
- The duty of a teacher is to pull everything out of your students.
- Nothing is a mistake. There is no win and no fail. There is only make.
Imagine how much our classrooms and schools could change if we could follow them. We perhaps need to expound a bit on rule number three. Here we are talking about the learning environment and process. The ability to make mistakes is an important part of learning and we need to learn and allow that ability. The rule is, I think, leading us to the understanding that a mistake doesn’t equal a failure.
Of course I’m not proposing we allow students (or adults) to sit on desks. But a good place to start education in any form is to define the role of the teacher and students–and the fundamental way we will “make” learning.