Comments on: What Teachers Do Best http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/2009/06/02/what-teachers-do-best/ Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:41:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tom http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/2009/06/02/what-teachers-do-best/comment-page-1/#comment-2754 Tom Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:17:57 +0000 http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/?p=27#comment-2754 One other thought on this -- I think we need to be doing serious work on erasing the definition between "formal" and "informal" education and learning. Why on earth would we want to draw such an insurmountable line between the two? So many organizations and institutions have done a tremendous job and made a huge commitment to "informal" learning (because that's all the "System" will allow), but we don't give it the value it deserves. This needs to change. We now have ways that we can assess the value add for other experiences. One other thought on this — I think we need to be doing serious work on erasing the definition between “formal” and “informal” education and learning. Why on earth would we want to draw such an insurmountable line between the two? So many organizations and institutions have done a tremendous job and made a huge commitment to “informal” learning (because that’s all the “System” will allow), but we don’t give it the value it deserves. This needs to change. We now have ways that we can assess the value add for other experiences.

]]> By: Tom http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/2009/06/02/what-teachers-do-best/comment-page-1/#comment-2753 Tom Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:15:40 +0000 http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/?p=27#comment-2753 Yes, J, you are correct. It's got to be about the learners and not the content that the teacher or the text decides is important. I like the idea of the cognition trainers who improve kids' mental fitness. I think there are things that "need" to be known and understood as part of the schooling/learning process but there are so many ways to do that today. I get frustrated because we hold kids back so effectively from what they could be learning if we would coach them (as you put it) in a more effective way. Did you happen to catch the link to the "Media Change" article that I posted yesterday (Sept 6) on Facebook. It also drives home the same point, though from a different perspective. Yes, J, you are correct. It’s got to be about the learners and not the content that the teacher or the text decides is important. I like the idea of the cognition trainers who improve kids’ mental fitness. I think there are things that “need” to be known and understood as part of the schooling/learning process but there are so many ways to do that today. I get frustrated because we hold kids back so effectively from what they could be learning if we would coach them (as you put it) in a more effective way.

Did you happen to catch the link to the “Media Change” article that I posted yesterday (Sept 6) on Facebook. It also drives home the same point, though from a different perspective.

]]> By: JBVH http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/2009/06/02/what-teachers-do-best/comment-page-1/#comment-2752 JBVH Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:51:38 +0000 http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/?p=27#comment-2752 • Small class size. Okay, of course that helps because it gives kids more of a chance to express themselves, get personalized attention, receive differentiated instruction. • Great teachers, effective teaching strategies, best practice. Yeah, yeah, that helps, too, because when teachers know how to present content in interesting, enjoyable ways and provide opportunities for meaningful, engaging discovery and application of learning kids will respond. ••BUT-- what about the learners, themselves? Instead of teaching content, what about helping learners discover how to learn, how to maximize their cognitive instincts and powers, how to set goals??? (Oh, please get that LinguaFolio research out to the public soon, Ali Moeller!!) The content will eventually, if it hasn't already, mushroom to the point where we can't stuff it all into kids heads in the usual systematic manner, so let's not try to do that. Let's try a different approach, let's not have teachers instructing about content. Instead, let's have cognition trainers working to improve kids' mental fitness through personalized coaching and mentoring. Let's go to Better Brains and work out. • Small class size. Okay, of course that helps because it gives kids more of a chance to express themselves, get personalized attention, receive differentiated instruction.
• Great teachers, effective teaching strategies, best practice. Yeah, yeah, that helps, too, because when teachers know how to present content in interesting, enjoyable ways and provide opportunities for meaningful, engaging discovery and application of learning kids will respond.
••BUT– what about the learners, themselves? Instead of teaching content, what about helping learners discover how to learn, how to maximize their cognitive instincts and powers, how to set goals??? (Oh, please get that LinguaFolio research out to the public soon, Ali Moeller!!) The content will eventually, if it hasn’t already, mushroom to the point where we can’t stuff it all into kids heads in the usual systematic manner, so let’s not try to do that. Let’s try a different approach, let’s not have teachers instructing about content. Instead, let’s have cognition trainers working to improve kids’ mental fitness through personalized coaching and mentoring. Let’s go to Better Brains and work out.

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