So...I have been thinking about a few things this past week.
One is how to make blogging work in the classroom and how to give teachers a sense of what the tool is useful for. The other is that I have all of these amazing professional books to read that seem to be doing nothing these days but piling up. I suppose I have come the realization that I need a little motivation to read them. Nothing crazy like reading a book a night but rather I was thinking of starting with a chapter a week.
I was thinking of writing a little blog post about the readings. Any one who is interested could be part of it and we could make a commitment to reading one chapter and writing a short response on a blog each week (a sort of online book club).
You can either write your own musings about the chapter or respond to others. To respond to others simply leave a comment on their blog post.
Lets start with "Never Work Harder Than Your Students & Other Principles" by Robyn R. Jackson. If you would like to read another book that would be fine also. Simply reference the book when you leave a blog post.
Please feel free to invite others to join as well!!
Does anyone have a copy of this book that I could borrow? This is exciting. Thanks for getting this going Carmen :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alexis. I am looking forward to learning in a multidimensional collaborative manner - about what Robyn has to say and about blogs - how to, why and actually doing them and with a whole bunch of people connected digitally through this collaborative forum. For someone who is as verbose as me this may just be my outlet (sorry everyone).
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be exciting! I am looking forward to collaborating with all of you on professional reading. I am trying to figure out how to manage the coaching blog I have been working on and this blog, but I will try to figure it out:) I have enjoyed the blogging journey and the more I do it the more I like it. Happy blogging!
ReplyDeleteI am also excited about this opportunity to not only blog for the first time (gasp!) but to also have a way to keep focused, as well a chance to reflect and discuss what I read. I haven't even got to chapter 1 yet - I just finished the Intro and am giving myself the survey on the 7 prinicples to see where I stand. Anyone else doing this?
ReplyDeleteMichelle congratulations on your first blogging experience. I haven't done the survey (eek I skipped the intro). The accountability has been great already. Although I haven't completed the chapter yet, I have this voice in the back of my mind that it needs to get done. I hope to blog about it tonight. Oh the pressure of the first blog post.
ReplyDeleteI was reading and came across this quote "People love to learn but hate to be taught." Diane Dietz
ReplyDeleteI find this interesting having spent a large portion of my life as a "teacher". I wonder if it is about being a guide or coach for someone's learning rather than being a lecturer or holder of the knowledge.
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteI've started blogs, but sometimes they go to the way side. A good place to express some interesting thoughts though. Thought I had a copy of this book but I know we have copies in our prof. library. Will try to catch up and contribute something worthwhile. Just going over my notes from leading and learning I remember the discussion about "What is You Currency? that was interesting.
Examining our own beliefs as teachers as to what makes a good student and what constitutes learning.
ReplyDeleteWe have been having lots of discussion lately around assessment and how important it is to be sure we are only assessing the outcomes set out by Alberta learning and not focusing on behaviour / neatness / attitude.
The challenge I think, lies in motivating students to be learners...in order that we can teach without focusing on behaviours - or is that engagement?
As a teacher it is important to know what currencies your students value in order to build relationships with them. Motivation of students is in their currencies that you support as a teacher facilitating learning to reach the outcomes of the curriculum. The question I have is how are we differentiating to meet all the needs of today's learners?
ReplyDeleteI would like to think as teachers, we are always cognizant of of the different needs of our students. Teaching needs to stay relational. If we do not strive to know our students then we can not know their currencies, as Robyn Jackson calls it, nor can we meet the needs of today's learners.
ReplyDeleteKim:
ReplyDeleteFor me the question is not how are we differentiating to meet all the needs of today's learners but how are we understanding differentiating to meet all the needs of today's learners to be?
Good point, Danielle. Understanding differentiation is essential to facilitating the best learning for all of our students. This may happen in various ways and stages for people. Knowing your students' needs would help guide this for teachers to develop a deeper understanding of differentiation.
ReplyDeleteWell thank you Kimpossible.
ReplyDeleteThought you all might like to check out this blog, where Ben Johnson (not the runner!) discusses the seven principles of a master teacher from the book "Never work harder than your students."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/master-teacher-definition-ben-johnson
My thoughts:
I would have to agree with Ben's statement that the master teacher has to work harder than their students. It takes alot of vision, time effort and expertise to plan powerful lessons and even to become a master teacher and fortunately we have the "Vision of Exemplary Teaching Construct" to help us on our way.
Johnson also states that "master teachers understand that it has to be the student's unwritten goal to keep up with the master teacher, primarily because the master teacher has effectively become the role model for all of the students in the classroom." This is just it, isn't it? Master teachers make a difference in individual lives and are even role models for others beyond the walls of the classroom.
Those two words, "master teacher" are so easily tossed around in education circles and I feel that master teachers are very rare. I think it is a goal, an aim, a hope to become a master teacher and with patience, time, effort and expertise this goal might be obtained. It is important to have the right vision of what a master teacher is though.
How do you all define the "master teacher"?