I did NOT Google it.

This summer I am working to create a storage space in our attic. Much to my surprise when I opened the descending ladder hatch door we had paid a handyman to install there was an electrical cable right across the opening, making the opening useless.

Well, I always have wanted to get better at doing work around the house and I've always wanted to tackle some electrical work, so I figured I could learn to do the work myself.

So I started learning.

But I didn't Google it, or Youtube it.

Now if you know me that might seem strange. I am a big proponent of the idea that between Google and Youtube you can learn just about anything.

So why did I head to my local hardware store and ask questions there? Why did I go to my Dad and ask his advice from the many projects he's done over the years? Why did I go to my friend who is an electrician for advice?

The problem was, I didn't know enough. I knew so little about doing electrical work that I didn't even know what questions to ask. I had no background upon which to draw from. Without that background I couldn't formulate questions that Google or Youtube could answer.

The same holds true of how we educate our children. They must still be taught a solid background knowledge that will give them enough information to begin asking the right questions. There is still a place for us to be teaching content in our schools. Our children need a broad knowledge base upon which to build.

The bigger challenge is exactly what content is critical?


Oh, and my electrical work. Well, I had to rip out everything I did and do it over because I made so many mistakes the first time. But that is content for another blog post.

Responsive Classroom Part 3

In my last two posts I've been writing about my experience in a 4 day workshop by Responsive Classroom. Part 1 and Part 2.

I loved it but struggled with two key topics. I covered the first topic in Part 2.

I think that Responsive Classroom's ideas can create some of the very best classrooms.

But there is an underlying assumption about what a classroom is in their work. Or at least I heard an underlying assumption.

I heard that a classroom is a unit of students that is together for most, if not all, of the day. Led by one or two teachers for the most part.

I also found that their ideas about learning did not apply to my learning as an adult. I don't spend my time in a classroom and so I don't spend 70% of my learning time engaged in conversation with others. Mind you, interaction with others is still critical to my learning process, which is one of the reasons I blog. It just doesn't get anywhere near 70% and I wouldn't want it to.

So I come out of the workshop with some questions:

What if our schools weren't built around classrooms? What would that look like? I happen to think that Responsive Classroom's ideas about Morning Meeting would actually be even more important in an educational setting like that!

What if all this practice at learning well in classrooms doesn't prepare our kids for life outside of school?

Responsive Classroom Part 2

In an early post I wrote about my very positive reaction to Responsive Classroom and the ideas and training they provide.

For the most part I loved it, but there was one part I really struggled with.

Underlying their work is a key idea I'm not sure I can agree with. The idea that I heard (Of course what I heard and what they meant may be different!) was that 70% of a student's learning experiences should be interactive, and 30% solitary. That's 70% of their learning experiences talking with partners, groups, etc...

Our workshop leader did an excellent job of leading her workshop in the style she was talking about as any good workshop leader should do.

At the end of the first day I staggered home, collapsed into my comfy lazyboy and disappeared into a videogame, much to my wife's dismay.

The second day I didn't even make it to the end of the day. After lunch I was worn out.

The third and the fourth days were a brutal slog for me. I almost didn't show up on the fourth day at all. But I pushed on to the end. Let's not talk about what my wife had to deal with at home.

All that talking and engaging and discussing was too much for me.

I know that in my own classroom I am too far on the other end of the pendulum. This last year was particularly weak. I'd probably say that I had 10-20% interactive and the rest solitary. I recognize that I need to move that in the other direction.

The workshop leader also stated that they had research data to back up the 70/30 number. I don't doubt that they do. I would love to have the time to dig in to that research to see their research methods and structures, because this number does not ring true for me. I could neither learn well, or teach well in such a classroom. I know that my own bias is colouring my reaction, but I can't go along with this. I wonder if this is yet another pendulum swing in education. I'd like to see us take a middle ground.

I wonder if our society's need to celebrate the extrovert is at play here. Too often our society ignores the power of introverts. (Good TED talk here about that!)

I also wonder if these numbers are based on classroom learning. Is that what is best for classrooms? But what about the learning that we want our students to do when they are no longer in a classroom? What does lifelong learning look like?

More about that in Part 3.

Responsive Classroom Part 1

I just finished taking a 4 day workshop for Elementary teachers put on by Responsive Classroom.

I would say that this is some of the best and most practical professional development I have ever had in my career as a teacher. I would also like to express that we had an excellent workshop leader in Amy Wade. I would challenge every teacher to take it and get her if possible. (A plug for her Husband's blog.)

One of the struggles we've seen growing in our schools is a lack of social skills amongst our students. It's reached the point that we have been asking for some sort of curriculum, lesson plans, or structure to teach social skills. Responsive Classroom will help provide that. 

We often talk about how important relationship is in teaching, but we don't often talk about how to build it. Responsive Classroom will help with that.

As a Christian I found Responsive Classroom to fit incredibly well with my worldview. They aren't a Christian organization, but I think this is an example of General Revelation. I felt very comfortable with the underlying ideas about who kids are and how people operate that drove the workshop.

I, and many other Christian teachers, will be thinking differently about many structures in our classroom in this next year and the years that follow.

I think that Responsive Classroom will help create excellent classrooms. Perhaps even the very best classrooms.

If you like classrooms that is.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you can guess that I do have an alternate opinion as well. More on this in part 2 and part 3.