@TeachThought Day 30: What I Would Do (As A Teacher) If I Wasn't Afraid

My last Reflective Teacher TeachThought post for the month of September asks me what I would do (as a teacher) if I weren't afraid. The answer would normally be that I'm too afraid to allow students to be self-directed learners.

I'm able to cross that off of my list, however: my Effective Teens students are just beginning Genius Hour!

I've been teaching Effective Teens for six years now. I think it is an amazing character education program and I've added a lot (including a service-learning component) to enhance it. The need arose last winter, however, to revamp the curriculum this school year and that thought filled me with some anxious moments. I was worried about what I could do to (meaningfully) change the curriculum but keep the most essential elements of the class intact. After researching and thinking (and thinking) the idea hit me--the gift of time that this change precipitated allowed me to implement Genius Hour. 

I am so excited by the possibilities this undertaking offers but I realize that my students' projects could go in many directions. (What if they need engineering or science help, two areas I don't have ANY experience in??) 

I need to step back from the idea that I should be in control of this project, remember to take deep breaths and realize that the answers will come because I am resourceful and I will show my students how to be resourceful, as well. Telling my students that I don't have all of the answers but that we will find them together is scary and thrilling. The life lessons that Genius Hour will provide ALL of us this semester will be something I will fondly look back on. #reflectiveteacher


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Historical Perspective and Peel the Fruit Thinking Routine

Image
Practicing historical perspective is an essential social studies skill. Historical perspective is being able to step into a historic situation and examine the motivations, biases, and beliefs of a person or group of people. Students have to revert to the beliefs of a group of people even if those beliefs completely contradict the views we have today. They must weigh decisions based on the situation of the time, not necessarily how situations are viewed today. The C3 Framework for Social Studies states that "Historical understanding requires recognizing this multiplicity of points of view in the past, which makes it important to seek out a range of sources on any historical question rather than simply use those that are easiest to find. It also requires recognizing that perspectives change over time, so that historical understanding requires developing a sense of empathy with people in the past whose perspectives might be very different from those of today." http://www.so
Read more

Industrial Revolution Haiku

Students have been learning about the Industrial Revolution in the mid1800s and how it changed life in New England. Today students processed their learning by creating haiku poems on the subject. They were challenged to think about and evaluate this topic within the structure of a haiku, a 3 line poem with 17 total syllables--5 in the 1st and 3rd lines and 7 in the second line. The poems have been impressive and some will be posted here soon.
Read more

Name That Executive Role!

Image
Students today learned about the many roles of the head of the Executive Branch, the President of the United States. I found several images of former Presidents in these roles--can you guess which is which? Post your answers below or email them to me. Choices: Commander-In-Chief Chief Executive Political Party Head Chief Diplomat 1.  President Eisenhower 2. President George HW Bush (on the right side of the picture) 3. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt  4. President Reagan meeting with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (this one's a bit of a giveaway!)
Read more