Pedagogy for the 21st Century
How often do you say, when a semester or school year is over, “that was the best class I ever had.” I find I’m saying that more and more as my career progresses. I don’t say “best class ever” after every semester like some teachers I know. But I’ve said it quite a few times [...]
What do you do with your best class? What makes them your best class?
Trying to figure that out boggles the mind. I have a great class that I teach on Saturday mornings, interestingly enough. They’re thoughtful, alert, eager to learn, keep me on my toes, keep each other on their toes, curious. [...]
I love it when teachers say to their classes, especially after error or ignorance has been exposed by an apt pupil, “I’m not perfect. I’m a human being. Teachers make mistakes too. I don’t have all the answers.”
Students had all that figured out the minute they walked through the door. They [...]
Perhaps the most underated of classroom dynamics is returning assignments. You’re probably thinking there’s not much to it, just give them back. Not that simple. The way in which a teacher returns something to a student can build or break the teacher/student relationship.
We often make assumptions about a person based on their handshake and how they look at us, whether they are trustworthy or [...]
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Yesterday I wrote about how boring my class was, how bored my students were and how bored I was teaching. This had a distinct impact on two dynamics in my classes that day. I felt the impact most strongly in the students’ behavior and my frustration. The two are correlated, as many of you that teach are aware of. [...]
Today I came to the realization that my class was boring. Why? Because neither students nor I used technology. I did however have them copy notes from a flashy PowerPoint I created, but that’s not technology integration. The difference in the way students behaved and the enthusiasm they showed for learning today vs. days when technology [...]
One of the most fascinating things I experience as a teacher is classroom dynamics. It never fails to amaze me how the spirit of the classroom changes from class to class and year to year.
You’ve experienced it before: you teach the same lesson to two different classes. In one class it’s the best lesson you’ve ever taught. In the next class the lesson bombs. Have you ever sought to discover the reason behind this mystery?
