"Learning is what you do to yourself. Education is what people do to you."
I heard and saw this phrase in a number of places over the last week. It really hit home again. Some friends of mine wrote a book series called the Joy of PL. You should really check it out (https://www.joyofprofessionallearning.org). They have the same approach with the name. "Professional Development" is something done to the teacher. "Professional Learning" is something a teacher chooses for themself. As teachers we should be striving to inspire students to want to be learners. Our classes should be more than just a hurdle to overcome or a challenge to endure. They should be excited to come in each day. They should be excited as they leave. Not excited because the bell rang, but excited because it was time well spent. Friend of mine I teach with, was at dinner with her husband the other day. They ran into a past student of her's at the restaurant. The student was going on and on about how much she loved her class and that she was the best teacher ever. This wasn't because her class was a blow off but because it was challenging and engaging. That should be our goal. When students want to be in a room they're choosing to learn. When they're forced to be in our room they're being educated.
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"When teaching is dominated by specific goals, the educational process becomes static, and there is an unnatural separation between the activity the student engages in to reach the goal and the goal itself."
in other words, if we are focused on a single goal and not the learning, then students will not really get to the thing we want them to learn. All they focus on is the test... at all costs. You can see this effect in people cheating on AP, SAT, and ACT tests. When the test is the entire focus, then reaching that goal at any cost is the way people tend to act. Ironically, the quote above was made over 80 years ago. It seems we haven't learned that being authentic in our outcomes is so much more engaging and motivating. I had a conversation with my curriculum director today. We were talking about our state CTE requirements. The state is putting a major emphasis on certification exams. They are putting this emphasis over the bigger goal of preparing students for future careers. The message coming from the state is that the certification is what makes the career. How sad. Employers don't want people who can pass tests. They want people who can think. People who can be counted on. People who can work with others. Check it out online. Company after company has publicly stated that "soft skills" are more important than technical skills. It makes me wonder if our legislators and state leaders really want all students to be successful.
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About me & this blogThis blog is for things related to my class, PL, coaching, or just teaching in general. You can follow me on Twitter @myakSTEM Archives
June 2021
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