I'm ashamed to admit that it strokes my ego when my students laugh at my lame jokes. (And I'm sure most of the time the giggles and chuckles are polite and obligatory. After all, I do assign grades.) So over the weekend when I read this article about a teacher, Alexis Wiggins, who a shadowed students for two days, I began to think about my own classroom. One of the author's big takeaways was that students spend most of their days sitting and listening. I've discussed this with my College Comp students before when we watch and discuss Sir Ken Robinson's RSA Animate lecture on "Changing Education Paradigms." At that time I asked them how much of their day was spent listening to a teacher talk, and they estimated more than 90%. That matches Wiggins's findings as well. Of course I couldn't be part of the problem, could I? Except I am. Whether it's explaining an assignment, leading a discussion, or going over a mini-lesson, the reflective part of me has discovered that I LOVE to hear my own voice. Laugh at my lame jokes? I'll blather on even more. Nod and smile like you're actually paying attention? I'll gladly go on until the bell rings. I have a captive audience, albeit forcefully captive, but still... This is something I want to change. I want to be a true student-centered teacher, not a me-centered teacher who drones on like the teacher in the Peanuts cartoons. I'm trying recycled small changes that are implementable to get my students up and talking more. This isn't new, but it is a conscious choice to reorient my teaching consistently to my students. Today it was a simple Post-it activity in English 2. Before we read Emily Dickinson's "I dwell in Possibility," I had students create a Post-it collage of what they would do it failure wasn't a possibility. They got out of their seats briefly to add to our collage, and they talked while I listened. (I'm going to leave their Post-its up for awhile so we can be inspired by their dreams to become famous singers and live in California and break World Records.) Tomorrow for #WWWW, I'm not even talking at all. Well, okay, I'll say, "Good morning! So glad you're here. It's Write Whatcha Want Wednesday, so get writing!" But that's it. Then I will be quiet and let the writers take over. And I know more changes can be made. Instead of orally reading through an assignment sheet, I can share it on Google Classroom and then ask for discussion after students have read it themselves. I can coach students to lead their own mini-lessons. And I can check my ego at the door and remember that really, my jokes aren't that funny anyway.
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September 2020
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