What makes for a highly effective team or group?
As my father always says, “Communication is the Key!” A highly effective team or group practices effective communication. Each member of the group is just as much of a listener as they are a contributor. Work done by each group member is transparent, and each member of the group does his or her fair share of the work. Remember the old clique, “There is no I in team.”
How is collaboration different than group work or cooperative learning?
Collaboration is different than group work or cooperative learning. I do not know if that statement is particularly true. However, this is my understanding of the differences in a school setting. Collaboration is what the teachers do. They combine expertise in order to form not only a more extensive and well-rounded curriculum, but to expand the amount of subject matter that each teacher is an expert of. In a group work or cooperative learning scenario, each group member is typically a student and is not characteristically an expert in anyone subject area of knowledge. Often students at different ability levels are grouped together. The work of the group is typically to expand comprehensible knowledge one subject area. This is opposed to teacher collaboration where each group member has at least a different area of emphasis in their expertise or even a whole new subject area all together. Despite all this, in the real world, I think collaboration and group work/cooperative learning are closely related in the sense that they compose of a group of individuals that want to (or at least should want to) develop a better understanding of something or to make something better.
I will take a quick opportunity to say that I feel teacher collaboration is a must, at least within departments. However, it should be noted that interdepartmental collaboration also carries benefits to student learning. Either way, collaboration is a necessary factor in providing students with a stronger, better-rounded education. To use another trite and overused expression in the same blog: when it comes to collaboration, “two heads are better than one.”
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Humility
When was the last time you were wrong?
As with every human being, I too am human. One of the characteristics of being a human is that we all make mistakes from time to time. More importantly, however, is that fact that mistakes are not necessarily bad, as they can be sources of great learning. Scientists discover new things (i.e. learn) all the time through trial and error or, basically, making mistakes until something works. Regardless, I think the important question to be addressed for this blog is “How does a teacher strike the balance between confidence and genuine humility?”
The answer to this question is actually quite simple. First, a teacher should be confident in everything they present. This is the simple part. The hard part is admitting mistakes or admitting that one may not know the answer to a question posed by a student. In the first case, if a teacher is corrected by a student and the teacher realizes s/he made a mistake, s/he should just say something to the effect of, “You’re right, my mistake,” and move on. If a teacher is not sure the student’s correction is actually correct, but is now not sure that the answer that they originally provided is correct, they can do one of two things. First, a teacher can say, “Alright then, I’m not sure that’s correct, but let’s move on, and I will look up the answer and get back to you tomorrow.” If a teacher wants a more confident approach they can handle the situation with dialogue like, “I don’t think that’s correct, let’s use the answer I provided for now and I will research the authenticity of my answer.” In either circumstance, the important part is that the teacher researches the correct answer and yet, maintains control of the situation. Moving on to the last example, if a student asks a question that the teacher does not know the answer to, the teacher should either say, “I don’t know, but I will look it up and get back to you,” or empower the student to look up the answer him or herself and provide it for the entire class. Once again, the important point is that a teacher accepts that they do not know everything, but that they know how to find the correct answer, maintaining their expertise in their field.
As with every human being, I too am human. One of the characteristics of being a human is that we all make mistakes from time to time. More importantly, however, is that fact that mistakes are not necessarily bad, as they can be sources of great learning. Scientists discover new things (i.e. learn) all the time through trial and error or, basically, making mistakes until something works. Regardless, I think the important question to be addressed for this blog is “How does a teacher strike the balance between confidence and genuine humility?”
The answer to this question is actually quite simple. First, a teacher should be confident in everything they present. This is the simple part. The hard part is admitting mistakes or admitting that one may not know the answer to a question posed by a student. In the first case, if a teacher is corrected by a student and the teacher realizes s/he made a mistake, s/he should just say something to the effect of, “You’re right, my mistake,” and move on. If a teacher is not sure the student’s correction is actually correct, but is now not sure that the answer that they originally provided is correct, they can do one of two things. First, a teacher can say, “Alright then, I’m not sure that’s correct, but let’s move on, and I will look up the answer and get back to you tomorrow.” If a teacher wants a more confident approach they can handle the situation with dialogue like, “I don’t think that’s correct, let’s use the answer I provided for now and I will research the authenticity of my answer.” In either circumstance, the important part is that the teacher researches the correct answer and yet, maintains control of the situation. Moving on to the last example, if a student asks a question that the teacher does not know the answer to, the teacher should either say, “I don’t know, but I will look it up and get back to you,” or empower the student to look up the answer him or herself and provide it for the entire class. Once again, the important point is that a teacher accepts that they do not know everything, but that they know how to find the correct answer, maintaining their expertise in their field.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Efficacy: The "can-do" attitude!
Being self-aware, possessing confidence and persistence, having a strong work ethic, and believing in one’s own abilities are essential traits of the effective teacher.
Teachers need to be aware of who they are as a person. They need to be in tune with themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally and accept and be confident about who they are. Besides being confident about themselves, teacher need to be confident in their abilities and about their knowledge of their subject matter. Yes, no one person knows or can do everything, but teachers need to present themselves as humble experts of their field. Experts in the sense that they teach and answer questions with confidence and humble in the sense that if they do not know an answer or how to do something, they admit it and either tell the students they will find the answer or provide the students with the resources to discover the answer on their own.
Persistence is important too. Teachers cannot give up on their classes or on individual students. Not every student or class will progress at the same rate as the others. Teachers need to be persistent in finding new teaching techniques that best reach all of their students and classes.
In addition to this already long list of excellent qualifications of effective teachers, it is extremely important to have a strong work ethic. In life, talent alone will only get a person so far, but combine talent with hard work and motivation and there is no telling what a person can accomplish. A mentor of mine always told me, “If you want to be good at something, work hard at it; if you want to be great at something, work hard at it and like it.” So to this list of effective teacher credentials I would like to add enthusiasm. I think it is so important to be excited about what one is teaching. Enthusiasm is truly contagious. If the teacher is truly excited about something, it will be very hard for students not to be. The opposite is also very true. If a teacher is not excited about something, why should the students be? This alone justifies the need for teachers to be enthusiastic and have a desire to continue to learn and grow.
How are these attributes best developed. In all humility, I do not know. I think some are innate qualities, I think some can be learned, but I believe all of them can be developed through experience and practice, regardless of whether they are innate or learned. Teachers need to practice all these attributes. Teachers must work towards being self-aware, confident, persistent, developing a strong work ethic, and believing on one’s own abilities. It will not necessarily be easy but that is where persistence and having a great work ethic come into play.
Teachers need to be aware of who they are as a person. They need to be in tune with themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally and accept and be confident about who they are. Besides being confident about themselves, teacher need to be confident in their abilities and about their knowledge of their subject matter. Yes, no one person knows or can do everything, but teachers need to present themselves as humble experts of their field. Experts in the sense that they teach and answer questions with confidence and humble in the sense that if they do not know an answer or how to do something, they admit it and either tell the students they will find the answer or provide the students with the resources to discover the answer on their own.
Persistence is important too. Teachers cannot give up on their classes or on individual students. Not every student or class will progress at the same rate as the others. Teachers need to be persistent in finding new teaching techniques that best reach all of their students and classes.
In addition to this already long list of excellent qualifications of effective teachers, it is extremely important to have a strong work ethic. In life, talent alone will only get a person so far, but combine talent with hard work and motivation and there is no telling what a person can accomplish. A mentor of mine always told me, “If you want to be good at something, work hard at it; if you want to be great at something, work hard at it and like it.” So to this list of effective teacher credentials I would like to add enthusiasm. I think it is so important to be excited about what one is teaching. Enthusiasm is truly contagious. If the teacher is truly excited about something, it will be very hard for students not to be. The opposite is also very true. If a teacher is not excited about something, why should the students be? This alone justifies the need for teachers to be enthusiastic and have a desire to continue to learn and grow.
How are these attributes best developed. In all humility, I do not know. I think some are innate qualities, I think some can be learned, but I believe all of them can be developed through experience and practice, regardless of whether they are innate or learned. Teachers need to practice all these attributes. Teachers must work towards being self-aware, confident, persistent, developing a strong work ethic, and believing on one’s own abilities. It will not necessarily be easy but that is where persistence and having a great work ethic come into play.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Inventiveness
How do we encourage, teach and reward creativity and imagination in our schools?
I would like to preface my answer to this question with the statement that I believe schools do not universally encourage, teach and reward creativity, however such activities do exist. As far as encouraging creativity is concerned, I think this is quite prevalent in schools. I can remember so many instances with teachers of math, social studies, English, and science after presenting directions for an assignment, project, or paper say, "and be creative" or "make it look nice," "use your imagination" or even "make it interesting." These are all examples of a teacher asking for/encouraging creativity. This is not to say that all teachers do this. There are teachers that have strict guidelines and expectations that did not include room for creativity.
The above point lends itself well to being related to schools rewarding creativity. Rewarding creativity is just as consistent in schools if not more so than encouraging it. Many different rubrics for projects, papers, contests, speeches, and assignments have a category for presentation, creativity, interpretation, etc. All of the noted categories require creative energy in order to be successful or to receive high marks. Furthermore, I both feel and have found that teachers seem to reward creativity, even when the content is not perfect.
What schools lack the most is instruction in the art of creativity. Since creativity manifests in so many different ways, it is hard to teach a particular school of thought about what it means and how to be creative. Despite this, music, art, drama, and creative writing classes can be places where students are given techniques and strategies for fostering their creativity. Still, some fine art and creative writing courses require a large amount of copying a technique given by an instructor. Though this could be easily argued as a way of harnessing creative energy or channelling a student's creativity, however, I, personally, feel that in order for a project to be truly creative, a student must work to develop their own creative techniques to be implemented into the project. Instructors in such circumstances should identify more with the role of guide then of director.
How important is creativity as a skill for the 21st Century?
Creativity is so important in the 21st Century. Employers are always looking for someone that stands out from the crowd. As my father always tells me, "You know, presentation and first impressions aren't everything, but they sure do count for a lot." Both giving a good presentation and making a good first impression take creative energy, and a little professionalism, but even that has its creative side. Moreover, being creative, indicates innovation, which tends to do two important things. One, it keeps things interesting and two, it assists in problem solving. This is no secret, good problem solving skills are sought after by employers. These points just skim the surface of why creativity and innovation are essential skills of the 21st Century.
I would like to preface my answer to this question with the statement that I believe schools do not universally encourage, teach and reward creativity, however such activities do exist. As far as encouraging creativity is concerned, I think this is quite prevalent in schools. I can remember so many instances with teachers of math, social studies, English, and science after presenting directions for an assignment, project, or paper say, "and be creative" or "make it look nice," "use your imagination" or even "make it interesting." These are all examples of a teacher asking for/encouraging creativity. This is not to say that all teachers do this. There are teachers that have strict guidelines and expectations that did not include room for creativity.
The above point lends itself well to being related to schools rewarding creativity. Rewarding creativity is just as consistent in schools if not more so than encouraging it. Many different rubrics for projects, papers, contests, speeches, and assignments have a category for presentation, creativity, interpretation, etc. All of the noted categories require creative energy in order to be successful or to receive high marks. Furthermore, I both feel and have found that teachers seem to reward creativity, even when the content is not perfect.
What schools lack the most is instruction in the art of creativity. Since creativity manifests in so many different ways, it is hard to teach a particular school of thought about what it means and how to be creative. Despite this, music, art, drama, and creative writing classes can be places where students are given techniques and strategies for fostering their creativity. Still, some fine art and creative writing courses require a large amount of copying a technique given by an instructor. Though this could be easily argued as a way of harnessing creative energy or channelling a student's creativity, however, I, personally, feel that in order for a project to be truly creative, a student must work to develop their own creative techniques to be implemented into the project. Instructors in such circumstances should identify more with the role of guide then of director.
How important is creativity as a skill for the 21st Century?
Creativity is so important in the 21st Century. Employers are always looking for someone that stands out from the crowd. As my father always tells me, "You know, presentation and first impressions aren't everything, but they sure do count for a lot." Both giving a good presentation and making a good first impression take creative energy, and a little professionalism, but even that has its creative side. Moreover, being creative, indicates innovation, which tends to do two important things. One, it keeps things interesting and two, it assists in problem solving. This is no secret, good problem solving skills are sought after by employers. These points just skim the surface of why creativity and innovation are essential skills of the 21st Century.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Some Other Useful Educational Blogs
The Best Tell-It-Like-It-Is Blog:
http://itsnotallflowersandsausages.blogspot.com/
The Best Superintendent Straight Talk:
http://www.principalspage.com/theblog/
The Best Student Teacher Blog:
http://docereestdiscere.wordpress.com/
http://itsnotallflowersandsausages.blogspot.com/
The Best Superintendent Straight Talk:
http://www.principalspage.com/theblog/
The Best Student Teacher Blog:
http://docereestdiscere.wordpress.com/
Role-Playing
* Is this method of role-playing a legitimate way to learn what are some
of the important issues related to student learning and accountability?
I feel that role-playing is an excellent teaching strategy. The only issue is that before the role-playing takes place, the students participating must have, at least, a foundational background of information pertaining to the subject that is being role-played.
* What would have been the advantages/disadvantages of using a more
direct/lecture approach related to teaching and learning and school
improvement efforts?
In this situation, I do not believe a direct lecture would have been much more effective. However, one advantage that is present in a direct lecture format is the guarantee that a lecturer can present all the details they feel need to be presented. All these "necessary" details are not guaranteed to come up in a role playing scenario.
* What is your reaction to the common belief that before students are
asked to engage in complex learning tasks they need to have a solid grasp
of basic skills (i.e. they need to have a careful look at the information
about No Child Left Behind legislation)?
I believe this is completely true. Understanding the topic being role-played is essential and this knowledge enhances learning exponentially. Students are applying what they have learned, and are building from a foundation, not learning as they go.
* How important is some level of emotional engagement in the learning
process?
I believe that a level of emotional engagement is a must. It can be as simple as being "interested" in the topic at hand or as complicated as feeling "frustration".
* Do we tend to pay closer attention and to listen to higher achieving
students, their parents, and to other influential people in the community
before others?
Absolutely, excuse the clique but, "Money Talks!" Yes, this is the whole idea of lobbyists, interest groups, and PAC's. Our society tends to favor the "successful", "powerful", and "influential" long before it considers others, often times even the "intelligent".
As a side note, I thought the role-playing activity was quite interesting. It was fascinating to see how fast emotions raised in just a role-playing scenario when one group was passed over because of who they represented withing a community. It was fun to both watch the events as well as participate.
of the important issues related to student learning and accountability?
I feel that role-playing is an excellent teaching strategy. The only issue is that before the role-playing takes place, the students participating must have, at least, a foundational background of information pertaining to the subject that is being role-played.
* What would have been the advantages/disadvantages of using a more
direct/lecture approach related to teaching and learning and school
improvement efforts?
In this situation, I do not believe a direct lecture would have been much more effective. However, one advantage that is present in a direct lecture format is the guarantee that a lecturer can present all the details they feel need to be presented. All these "necessary" details are not guaranteed to come up in a role playing scenario.
* What is your reaction to the common belief that before students are
asked to engage in complex learning tasks they need to have a solid grasp
of basic skills (i.e. they need to have a careful look at the information
about No Child Left Behind legislation)?
I believe this is completely true. Understanding the topic being role-played is essential and this knowledge enhances learning exponentially. Students are applying what they have learned, and are building from a foundation, not learning as they go.
* How important is some level of emotional engagement in the learning
process?
I believe that a level of emotional engagement is a must. It can be as simple as being "interested" in the topic at hand or as complicated as feeling "frustration".
* Do we tend to pay closer attention and to listen to higher achieving
students, their parents, and to other influential people in the community
before others?
Absolutely, excuse the clique but, "Money Talks!" Yes, this is the whole idea of lobbyists, interest groups, and PAC's. Our society tends to favor the "successful", "powerful", and "influential" long before it considers others, often times even the "intelligent".
As a side note, I thought the role-playing activity was quite interesting. It was fascinating to see how fast emotions raised in just a role-playing scenario when one group was passed over because of who they represented withing a community. It was fun to both watch the events as well as participate.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Passion
This one is easy!
I will never forget my high school biology teacher and her passion and drive for her subject.
I will admit that at the beginning of the year I was not at all looking forward to taking a biology class. In fact, I was dreading it as something that would be terribly boring and dull and have ridiculous assignments. I had picked up this bias from middle school where I had a terrible teacher for "Life Sciences" (i.e. Biology).
Well the school year began as any other did, with the first day of biology spent going over the rules and expectations, and let me tell you this lady was strict and demanding. I began to fear the worst. Fortunately, during the following weeks I noticed two things: 1. My biology teacher was as strict and as demanding as I had feared, and 2. She so passionate and excited about biology (especially in her lecturing) that I began getting excited about biology too. In fact, I began to look forward to the class.
Anyway, over the course of the year, I had a fantastic experience in Biology, I was actually interested in the labs and the research projects, and I consistently participated in lectures and review games. Needless to say, I have to accredit my own excitement and learning in high school biology to my teacher. Had she been a boring lecturer and taken little care in trying to make the class interesting, I imagine that I would have been very turned off by the course and probably would not have learned, or at least retained, much biological information. Instead the opposite occurred, and I felt I learned not only about biology, but I learned to appreciate the science itself. To this, I, once again, have one very strict, demanding, and passionate high school biology teacher to thank.
I will never forget my high school biology teacher and her passion and drive for her subject.
I will admit that at the beginning of the year I was not at all looking forward to taking a biology class. In fact, I was dreading it as something that would be terribly boring and dull and have ridiculous assignments. I had picked up this bias from middle school where I had a terrible teacher for "Life Sciences" (i.e. Biology).
Well the school year began as any other did, with the first day of biology spent going over the rules and expectations, and let me tell you this lady was strict and demanding. I began to fear the worst. Fortunately, during the following weeks I noticed two things: 1. My biology teacher was as strict and as demanding as I had feared, and 2. She so passionate and excited about biology (especially in her lecturing) that I began getting excited about biology too. In fact, I began to look forward to the class.
Anyway, over the course of the year, I had a fantastic experience in Biology, I was actually interested in the labs and the research projects, and I consistently participated in lectures and review games. Needless to say, I have to accredit my own excitement and learning in high school biology to my teacher. Had she been a boring lecturer and taken little care in trying to make the class interesting, I imagine that I would have been very turned off by the course and probably would not have learned, or at least retained, much biological information. Instead the opposite occurred, and I felt I learned not only about biology, but I learned to appreciate the science itself. To this, I, once again, have one very strict, demanding, and passionate high school biology teacher to thank.
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