I came to education late in my career, but I came with unbounded passion. On the first day of my Master's of Teaching and Learning class at DePaul University, the professor read aloud the syllabus and then dismissed us. "Please don't cut the class short," I begged her. "I know so little about teaching and I want to know so much." After assuring me that we would cover a mountain of material over the next 10 weeks, she sent me home. She kept her word about the material, but I never felt like I could learn enough fast enough. I didn't have an entire career ahead of me, and I wanted to make a difference.
Eleven years later, my desire to learn as much as possible about teaching and learning is even greater than when I started. On what do I focus the majority of my new learning? Student-centered learning, of course. I believe the best way for children to learn is by interacting with others in an experiential way.
I believe that children must be given the opportunity to observe the world around them. Take them outside, have them write and present books to younger children, let them follow the principal around for a day, take them to maker faires and poetry slams, give them time to wonder. The world is big, and the possibilities are endless. Give them time to write about their discoveries, and be sure they have an audience so they can share.
I believe that mindfulness is the path to a clear and focused mind. Schools need to slow down and allow children to process and ponder. For years I have wanted to see every adult (working in a middle or high school) follow a student around for one day. Let them feel what it’s like to sit in a hard chair all day. Let them try and make sense of eight different teachers teaching in eight different ways. Let them try and remember the expectations of each individual teacher. Let them go home and fit two to three hours of homework into a busy evening of making dinner and getting the kids ready for bed. Let’s put ourselves into the shoes of the students we teach.
I believe that teachers should encourage risk taking and allow for failure without consequences. As Steven Kotler wrote in Forbes, “There is a deep and meaningful connection between risk taking and creativity and it’s one that’s often overlooked.” Read Kotler's article and find out that Einstein was an avid, and sometimes reckless, sailor even though he couldn't swim. I speak from experience. When I was trying to decide if I really wanted to leave a successful career in graphic design to go into teaching, I went skydiving. Click here to see what I learned.
I work in a high-achieving school, and the student’s fear of making a mistake and the stress it causes is heartbreaking. During my first year of teaching sixth grade, a parent called to say that her child was prone to migraines when she got stressed out. I was flabbergasted—school should never cause a child to feel that much stress. For that reason, I don’t believe in giving middle school students mountains of meaningless homework. I believe that students should complete most of their work in a workshop environment while the teacher is present to help and encourage deeper thinking in a safe environment. Students should work hard in school, go home tired, and spend their evenings being refreshed by participating in sports, practicing an instrument, reading for fun, interacting with their families, or just plain playing.
I believe that if we want students to be intrinsically motivated, they need permission to follow their passions in school. In their book The Handbook of Creativity, authors M.A. Collins and T.M. Amabile write, “Eminent creators choose and become passionately involved in challenging, risky problems that provide a powerful sense of power from the ability to use their talents.” Students need the opportunity to make their own choices about what they learn, how they learn it, and how they show their learning. Some teachers have a hard time letting go of that control, but when they do, they learn as much (or more) as their students. I have created a project that does just that. It is called C.R.A.F.T.S. (context, role, audience, format, theme, structure) and a description of it can be found here.
Just as I was late in coming to education, I am late in coming to social media. Thanks to Nicole Zumpano at Dominican University for pushing me out of my comfort zone and into the digital world. I have made a commitment to continue learning about education in this new format and then to write about what I learn. Please follow my blog as I explore the world wide web—and don’t forget to comment.
Collins, M. A., and T. M. Amabile. "Motivation and Creativity." In Handbook of Creativity, edited by
R. J. Sternberg. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Kotler, S. "Einstein at the Beach: The Hidden Relationship between Risk and Creativity." Forbes.
11 Oct. 2012.
Gregoire, G. "18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently." HuffingtonPost.com. 4 March 2014.
Eleven years later, my desire to learn as much as possible about teaching and learning is even greater than when I started. On what do I focus the majority of my new learning? Student-centered learning, of course. I believe the best way for children to learn is by interacting with others in an experiential way.
I believe that children must be given the opportunity to observe the world around them. Take them outside, have them write and present books to younger children, let them follow the principal around for a day, take them to maker faires and poetry slams, give them time to wonder. The world is big, and the possibilities are endless. Give them time to write about their discoveries, and be sure they have an audience so they can share.
I believe that mindfulness is the path to a clear and focused mind. Schools need to slow down and allow children to process and ponder. For years I have wanted to see every adult (working in a middle or high school) follow a student around for one day. Let them feel what it’s like to sit in a hard chair all day. Let them try and make sense of eight different teachers teaching in eight different ways. Let them try and remember the expectations of each individual teacher. Let them go home and fit two to three hours of homework into a busy evening of making dinner and getting the kids ready for bed. Let’s put ourselves into the shoes of the students we teach.
I believe that teachers should encourage risk taking and allow for failure without consequences. As Steven Kotler wrote in Forbes, “There is a deep and meaningful connection between risk taking and creativity and it’s one that’s often overlooked.” Read Kotler's article and find out that Einstein was an avid, and sometimes reckless, sailor even though he couldn't swim. I speak from experience. When I was trying to decide if I really wanted to leave a successful career in graphic design to go into teaching, I went skydiving. Click here to see what I learned.
I work in a high-achieving school, and the student’s fear of making a mistake and the stress it causes is heartbreaking. During my first year of teaching sixth grade, a parent called to say that her child was prone to migraines when she got stressed out. I was flabbergasted—school should never cause a child to feel that much stress. For that reason, I don’t believe in giving middle school students mountains of meaningless homework. I believe that students should complete most of their work in a workshop environment while the teacher is present to help and encourage deeper thinking in a safe environment. Students should work hard in school, go home tired, and spend their evenings being refreshed by participating in sports, practicing an instrument, reading for fun, interacting with their families, or just plain playing.
I believe that if we want students to be intrinsically motivated, they need permission to follow their passions in school. In their book The Handbook of Creativity, authors M.A. Collins and T.M. Amabile write, “Eminent creators choose and become passionately involved in challenging, risky problems that provide a powerful sense of power from the ability to use their talents.” Students need the opportunity to make their own choices about what they learn, how they learn it, and how they show their learning. Some teachers have a hard time letting go of that control, but when they do, they learn as much (or more) as their students. I have created a project that does just that. It is called C.R.A.F.T.S. (context, role, audience, format, theme, structure) and a description of it can be found here.
Just as I was late in coming to education, I am late in coming to social media. Thanks to Nicole Zumpano at Dominican University for pushing me out of my comfort zone and into the digital world. I have made a commitment to continue learning about education in this new format and then to write about what I learn. Please follow my blog as I explore the world wide web—and don’t forget to comment.
Collins, M. A., and T. M. Amabile. "Motivation and Creativity." In Handbook of Creativity, edited by
R. J. Sternberg. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Kotler, S. "Einstein at the Beach: The Hidden Relationship between Risk and Creativity." Forbes.
11 Oct. 2012.
Gregoire, G. "18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently." HuffingtonPost.com. 4 March 2014.