Here are two scenarios we can all probably relate to: In both cases, the speaker is confused about the difference between learning and familiarity. If something is learned, it can be produced (or, in the case of skill, executed) by the learner, without any aid. Learning means, “I can do it myself.” Familiarity, on the […]
Instruction
Learning for Life
In the March 2016 issue of Educational Leadership, Editor in Chief Marge Sherer poses a provocative question: “What about [our students’] learning today will they consider ‘Learning for Life’?” I have two answers to this question. First, teaching toward my students one day considering the learning in my class “Learning for Life” is not my objective. […]
Relationships: Not a Separate Goal, but a Fruit of and a Means to *the* Goal
If you’re trying to decide whether you should spend class time developing relationships with and amongst your students or working on the curriculum toward the longest-term objectives, I think you’re asking the wrong question. When people set off on a Mount Everest trek (says the guy who has, of course, done this many times), they […]
When Teachers Go on Autopilot: How to Recharge the Fundamentals of Instruction
Note from Dave: Gerard Dawson does good work, and I respect the fact that he seems to rightly prioritize his work: husband, father, teacher, writer. In that lattermost area, I have a lot of respect for what Gerard has been doing recently, consistently publishing helpful, actionable, thought-provoking articles based on what he’s learning in his teaching practice. Without further […]
Improving Pop-Up Debates: Tracking the Argument
Here are some problems that have cropped up in my pop-up debates this year: Students give their mandatory speech and then sit down and disengage from the ongoing discussion — so, poor listening; Students repeat one another — which is both a cause and an effect of poor listening; Students make effective arguments that are […]
