I know. That’s an inflammatory title, but hear me out and I think you will agree.
Educating children isn’t an easy task. They are wiggly, noisy, messy little balls of energy who would rather do just about anything other than sit still.
Capturing their attention requires dedication and a fair amount of hard work. Because of that, it is easy to get our priorities mixed up. We can’t control the energy or the mess so we focus instead on the lesson plan – the thing we can control. We plan what we will say, when we will say it, and predict how often we will need to repeat ourselves before the lesson is learned.
Did you notice the focus? It is all on the teacher and how they will impart wisdom.
The best educators are not good teachers but good listeners. Rather than focusing on their lesson plans and working to impart specific knowledge on a specific day, they focus on their students and adjust their plans to meet the needs of those individuals.
Pay attention to your students
- Notice what they are naturally curious about and seize those opportunities
- Take breaks when the distractions are too high
- Get outside when you notice the enthusiasm drop
- Answer their questions in depth, not just with a cursory nod before returning to your plans
- Embrace the mess and delve into your topic with hands-on projects that go beyond cut & paste posters
- Wiggle with them. Discussions while walking or bouncing are often very insightful
- Notice when it is time to camp out on a topic because they don’t fully understand it
- Ask your students what their biggest struggles are and brainstorm solutions with them
Leading from a point of cooperation is always easier than dictating.
Stop teaching. Start listening. What changes need to be made?
Great reminders! I’m constantly redirecting myself toward these thoughts b/c I am a natural plan-maker/follower :)
(starting the slow clap!) Amen! Teachers should facilitate learning, they should instill a thirst for knowledge in their pupils and teach them how to acquire the knowledge. It isn’t about making sure they know a, b, and c for a test, but rather do they know how to continue to educate themselves throughout their lives (for me, anyway!)
Oh Yes! Thank you. This is wonderful :-)
This is true not just in the classroom, but even in homeschooling. As moms, we get focused on the teacher manual (or lesson plans) and fail to see what our child(ren) are really interested in learning. My son, especially, will be very focused if its topic that interests him -weather! But try to teach him something with less interest and he is very fidgety.
Absolutely Trena! That freedom is truly the beauty of homeschooling.
I totally agree. If we would pay more attention to our children we would know the best way to teach for we would know what they need.