UNESCO published a book entitled "What makes a Good
Teacher?" (1996). Over 500 children from some 50 countries aged 8-12
contributed their opinions. The results vary from personal characteristics that
teachers posses; things like dedication, passion, knowledge, and communication
skills, to ways that good teachers makes students feel; cared for and making
kids excited for school.
Over the four years that I have been a student at Brock
University and have studied education, I have been thinking about the best ways
to engage my future students, to make learning fun, practical and lasting, to
leave students with enduring understandings and to hopefully help spark an
interest or a passion in students, regardless of what area that might be in.
But there are also fears that I have about teaching, and it seems the more I
learn about education, the more comprehensive the process seems.
Here are just a few of the questions that often come up for
me:
1) How
will I balance classroom management techniques with innovative, fun learning?
2) How
will I solidify a methodological routine in my new classroom, while also
adjusting to the 'newness' of the job?
3) How
will I make my students be enthralled and excited to come to school, and have a
voice in the direction of my lesson planning? And by extension, how do I plan
for the long terms, and maintain a sense of flexibility and adeptness?
At the risk of
sounding absolutely and utterly corny, I will say that I think learning occurs
always, from everyday interactions to large, personal endeavors. I am enamoured
with the idea that learning can occur seamlessly with student's personal
interest, whilst also aligning with curriculum expectations. Overall, I think
the following quote is beautiful in its simplicity:
MindShift is one source of some thought provoking
educational practices. The website has recently
written a very though provoking article about perpetuating learning though what
is called "The Maker Movement" through which schools create "an
unconventional learning community of 'makers'". This revolutionary idea is
fascinating grass-roots approach to bringing student interest into the
classroom. Through this program, students examine problems in the 'real-world';
concrete issues that they have witnessed, experienced or have become interested
with, and work to generate solutions. The
benefits of this program are vast and encompass many of the critical 21st
century skills: hands-on, practical learning; critical thinking and evaluation;
problem solving; collaboration, teamwork and leadership. This process of learning
through adventure allows kids to experiment, makes mistakes and learn in very
real situations. The following quote sums it up eloquently:
"I think
kids are more in tune with this outside world that cares about what they think
and what their passions and talents are, and they know school doesn’t have it,”
Martinez said. That’s why a child programming a robot one minute is crying and
fighting over having to do worksheets later the same night. So far, education
has treated the kind of tinkering valued in maker communities as a goofy
activity before the serious learning, not as the core lesson itself."
(Schwartz, 2014).
The challenge then
becomes to dent the mold a little bit, and to step away from being a
'conventional teacher', to take authentic learning to the next level: one where
it is attainable, and very real in the lives of young people. Drake et al.
(2014) beautifully describe interactive thinking as synthesizing the
"either/or dichotomy" as a necessary skill to being global 21st
century citizens. One method of bridging the dichotomy, and teaching students
to inquire and research topics that are important to them is through
project-based learning (Drake et al., 2014). Again, this is an obvious link to the "The
Maker Movement" project. The very same constructivist learning principle
is employed. Perhaps the 'traditional' education should be turned on its head,
and be influenced by purposeful education. Perhaps then, we must move into the direction of learning
while doing in a system where instruction and application are seamlessly interwoven.
Classrooms where student interest should be the lead with "driving
questions" guided by genuine interest to fully engage students in the
learning process may foster this purposeful education model.
And after all of this, I return to my three
questions/concerns as a new future teacher:
1) How
will I balance classroom management techniques with innovative, fun learning?
2) How
will I solidify a methodological routine in my new classroom, while also
adjusting to the 'newness' of the job?
3) How
will I make my students be enthralled and excited to come to school, and have a
voice in the direction of my lesson planning? And by extension, how do I plan
for the long terms, and maintain a sense of flexibility and adeptness?
There certainly is a lot to consider, and the learning curve
will surely be steep, but I am looking forward to implementing all of this knowledge
in my own, future classroom, and including myself in the process of learning
while doing.
Until next time,
Ana
References:
Drake, S. M.,
Reid, J. L., Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving
Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don
Mills, ON.: Oxford University Press.
