STRATEGY
"I Taught My Dog How to Whistle"
David Langford tells the story, "I taught my dog how to
whistle.
I did a really good job of teaching. But my dog cannot whistle."
In education we are measuring the wrong thing.
We measure teaching and not learning.
Supervisors observe teachers and say things like:
"Good lesson plan."
"Good pivotal questions."
"The students were all attentive."
"The classroom was well-decorated."
"Good final summary."
The real question to ask is: "Were the students learning?"
We need to measure the performance of a teacher by measuring the success of the students they teach.
When teaching a lesson, remember it is not only a question of how well you are teaching, but also a question of how well the students are learning.
In addition, we need to wean students from what I call "dependent learning" where the learning is based on the teacher's input rather than the student's output.
Students need to move beyond passive or dependent education.
In dependent learning, students are dependent on the instructor.
The business world is increasingly becoming dependent on teamwork.
But in classrooms across America we are still insisting on dependent, passive learning.
The following diagram depicts the three levels of student learning.
By using passive learning the responsibility for learning is formulated on the success of the teacher.
The
student has little or no responsibility.
Go into the teachers'
lounge or faculty cafeteria of many middle and high schools and you will hear the teachers say:
"Boy, did I work hard today.
They didn't do their homework."
Or, "they didn't study for their test."
We have taken away the responsibility for learning from the students.
152 Ways to Keep Kids in School: Effective, Easy-to-Implement Tips for Teachers by Franklin P. Schargel,
©2008 by Eye On Education.
All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission from Eye On Education.
Co-Marketed with Eye On Education and EverythingAboutLearning.com.
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152 Ways to Keep Students in School
Product ID: 97815966708773
by Franklin P. Schargel
Price: $29.95
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Speaking from years of experience, author Franklin Schargel provides 152 field-tested ideas about working with at-risk students.
Designed to be read and implemented quickly, these are concise snapshots of what educators can do to keep students from dropping out.
You can apply these practical tips in your classroom today.
Order by September 1, 2008 and get 20% off. Use promo code "LEARN" at checkout.
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