We ask a lot of students... perhaps more now than ever.
Our students are in a world that is changing so quickly that as soon as a new trend is established many are already moving on to the next emerging trend.
Likewise, what we know about education, what we know about the brain, and what we know about how learning and instruction are maximized, are increasingly and frequently changing at a rapid pace.
On the positive side, both for students and for educators, there is more information and more of 'the world' available to us than ever before.
The tools and technology we are using now will be the 'worst' tools both we and our students will ever use (assuming that technology advances and improvements continue).
So here's the deal, we all expect our students to have some self-driven intrinsic motivation toward learning.
We expect our students to thrive and embrace autonomy and self-directed freedom when it comes to their learning.
We expect our students to take ownership and responsibility of their learning and their overall academic well-being.
We expect more from our students than we ever have before...
So, why don't we have the same expectations for ourselves?
Why don't we have the same expectations for our colleagues?
Why do we allow, accept, and by being passive, encourage the type of behavior that we won't accept for our students?
We are asking a lot of our kids.
I think it just may be time we ask a lot of our colleagues and ask even more of ourselves.
Our students are in a world that is changing so quickly that as soon as a new trend is established many are already moving on to the next emerging trend.
Likewise, what we know about education, what we know about the brain, and what we know about how learning and instruction are maximized, are increasingly and frequently changing at a rapid pace.
On the positive side, both for students and for educators, there is more information and more of 'the world' available to us than ever before.
So here's the deal, we all expect our students to have some self-driven intrinsic motivation toward learning.
We expect our students to thrive and embrace autonomy and self-directed freedom when it comes to their learning.
We expect our students to take ownership and responsibility of their learning and their overall academic well-being.
We expect more from our students than we ever have before...
So, why don't we have the same expectations for ourselves?
Why don't we have the same expectations for our colleagues?
Why do we allow, accept, and by being passive, encourage the type of behavior that we won't accept for our students?
We are asking a lot of our kids.
Educators are responsible for their own professional development. You can't & shouldn't rely on someone else for YOUR growth. #edchat
— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) December 18, 2013
I think it just may be time we ask a lot of our colleagues and ask even more of ourselves.