Change isn’t easy for most people, is it? It scares us as we step into the unknown and give up the regularity in our lives. Even when we know that the change that we are making is necessary and really positive in the long run, sometimes the fear that we are giving up something important that we can never get back can haunt us a bit and make us a little scared to take that step. Better the devil you know, as the saying goes.
In educational circles, we see a great deal of reluctance on the part of teachers as we look at transforming our schools to places of engagement and choice of programming and away from the traditional environments of teacher fed learning and straight rows. I get that reluctance, I really do. I recall with great pride, some amazing lessons where I fed my students some great stories and interesting facts that I know grabbed them and captivated their thinking. I could see it in their eyes! Not only that, I have actually had students contact me and say they have remembered my class and how intriguing some of what we did was. This is not intended to be a “look at how great I am” entry. Far from it. We’ve all had those moments as teachers. It’s part of the career. Those connections mattered and may have pushed some learners to go further in their lives. I have no doubt of that.
In looking at those lessons, I still see them as valuable, but perhaps I look at them through a different lens now. They mattered, just as a great story affects your life. It grabs you and you remember it because it connects with you in the moment. It make your life a little richer, a little deeper. These stories mattered but they are NOT the end all and be all. They are a spice in the recipe of learning. They add flavor and invite you to try more but I would suggest there may be less sustenance in them then learners require. You’d starve with just the spice.
The real “meat ” of learning has to come from the students own hard work. The meat comes from students critically looking at a topic, weighing it and playing with it to come to a real deeper understanding, an understanding that is fluid and open to rethinking should new factors affect the conclusions. This is the learning that students need to take with them and the environment teachers need to provide for learners in today’s classrooms. Having students debate and struggle with their thinking and be open to different perspectives has the potential to sustain a child in today’s world, giving them the sustenance that they require in living in today’s ever changing environment.
So, keep the spice in your classes, teachers. Add a dash, flavor the meat but really remember the point of the meal is not simply the taste, but also to provide the sustenance for living, the skills students need to apply in their lives.
Keep on learning . . . . and thinking.
Dave
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