Of course, we don't use chalk or "blackboards" any more.
We use whiteboards, marker pens, laptops, smartphones...
Google!
Do all these things help us to teach "better"?
No!
When all is said and done, the key to teaching success is connecting with the students, sparking their curiosity, and helping them to develop learning skills (tests and exams and certificates are markers of learning success, although limited and blunt instruments, and therefore not necessarily accurate holistic measurement tools, all right, Mrs Tolley?).
One of the things that created a buzz for me today was creating a democratic republic of 10T.
10T are my tutor group, and I had half or slightly more of them in my tutor group last year.
They are an accelerate class, and I wanted to take them this year to continue to build relationship with and between them (unfortunately half of them got shifted over to 10M, the other accelerate class).
Today we got 4 nominations for class chairperson, and on Monday these 4 lucky candidates will treat us to their election speeches (2 girls, 2 boys, 2 from 9T, 2 from 9M - just the way it went).
I am hoping that this process will generate some stimulating discussion, and shake the kids out of being passive/complacent occupants of my classroom (or it'll be sustained silent reading for them!!).
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I can remember the days when a classroom was necessarily a dictatorship (hopefully a benevolent one). I can also remember your mate T Wilson with chalk on his fingers.
ReplyDeleteBenevolent dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteWell, in a sense those days are still with us.
I like to think that the focus has altered a little in order to facilitate all students' learning - and sometimes this still requires the teacher to instil a studious attitude in all.
G.