This year has been a year of growth... a year of learning... and most importantly, a year of reflection. Countless conversations have taken place and many of those conversations have ended with a common but yet necessary statement, "let's figure out what we need to do that is going to be best for our students."
Too often we get caught up in what we as educators are doing; too often we talk about how great something was that we did, but for some reason our students just didn't respond how we expected them to; too often we end up passing the blame for something that we can ultimately control and influence...
Problem:
As educators, we tend to focus on what we are doing when we need to focus more on how our students respond to what we are doing...
Potential solutions:
- When students perform poorly on either a formative or summative assessment, consider how the information was presented and potential reasons for the poor performance.
- When students are not engaged and not paying attention, consider the reasons for this behavior and think about strategies to re-engage them rather than just thinking of ways to punish them into compliance.
- When students seem disconnected to the content and purpose of education, take time to share with them why they need to know this and how this information will affect them in their lives.
- When students are acting in a certain way, either positively or negatively, they are telling you something about you and your class, as well as their current life situation; use this information wisely and always be aware of it.
- Encourage your students to do a survey about your teaching and instructional practices; you can acquire a ton of valuable information when you give your students a voice. (here is one I used)
Additional thoughts:
- If a student exhibits the same undesirable behavior on a daily basis and you respond the same way each time without success, you need to change what you are doing; doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is tiring and a waste of your time...
- If what you did in the past worked but for some reason it's now not working, remember that all students are different and as society changes so do our students; maintain your adaptability and never do something just because it's the way you've always done it before...
- If you find yourself blaming your students for any reason, it's time to step back and look in the mirror and truly be honest about your actions as an educator...
Challenge:
Take your performance as an educator to the next level by shifting your focus. Your focus needs to be on how your students respond and act as a result of your actions. If you are not getting the desired results for your students to succeed, the answer lies with them. When you find that answer (which may be different for many students), apply it to your instructional practices and you will begin to see results. Accept the awesome responsibility of educating our future leaders, and remember that it is about their success and growth, not your predetermined expectations...
Too often we get caught up in what we as educators are doing; too often we talk about how great something was that we did, but for some reason our students just didn't respond how we expected them to; too often we end up passing the blame for something that we can ultimately control and influence...
Problem:
As educators, we tend to focus on what we are doing when we need to focus more on how our students respond to what we are doing...
- When students perform poorly on either a formative or summative assessment, consider how the information was presented and potential reasons for the poor performance.
- When students are not engaged and not paying attention, consider the reasons for this behavior and think about strategies to re-engage them rather than just thinking of ways to punish them into compliance.
- When students seem disconnected to the content and purpose of education, take time to share with them why they need to know this and how this information will affect them in their lives.
- When students are acting in a certain way, either positively or negatively, they are telling you something about you and your class, as well as their current life situation; use this information wisely and always be aware of it.
- Encourage your students to do a survey about your teaching and instructional practices; you can acquire a ton of valuable information when you give your students a voice. (here is one I used)
Additional thoughts:
- If a student exhibits the same undesirable behavior on a daily basis and you respond the same way each time without success, you need to change what you are doing; doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is tiring and a waste of your time...
- If what you did in the past worked but for some reason it's now not working, remember that all students are different and as society changes so do our students; maintain your adaptability and never do something just because it's the way you've always done it before...
- If you find yourself blaming your students for any reason, it's time to step back and look in the mirror and truly be honest about your actions as an educator...
Challenge:
Take your performance as an educator to the next level by shifting your focus. Your focus needs to be on how your students respond and act as a result of your actions. If you are not getting the desired results for your students to succeed, the answer lies with them. When you find that answer (which may be different for many students), apply it to your instructional practices and you will begin to see results. Accept the awesome responsibility of educating our future leaders, and remember that it is about their success and growth, not your predetermined expectations...