According to many definitions of good teaching, I don’t qualify:
- I don’t clearly state objectives
- If I do state them, they are as fuzzy as all get out
- I have a hard time measuring student progress
- My course syllabus changes almost daily
- I never use tests
- I constantly stray off topic
There are likely a multitude of sins I have not listed.
Here’s what best summarizes my teaching approach:
Me can be swapped for students. Thanks D’arcy for the graphic.
This is what I want for my students. While I have many shortcomings, I’m good at finding smart people who are willing to spend time with my students and share what they know. I’m also blessed to have a number of people in my network that willingly comment on my student’s blogs and encourage them to reflect and learn.
As I work with teachers in K-12, I’m bound to work within a structure that values grades, systematic growth, accountability, and to certain degree uniformity. Without going into all the details of the implications of these values, I don’t discount them all and work to extract the aspects of these ideals that are most beneficial to students. Some days that’s hard. … Read the rest