When I began blogging I intentionally omitted the words "teaching" and "teacher" from my list of categories. I did so because I think the educational community spends far too much time talking about teaching and too little time thinking about learning.
A discussion about learning must begin with a deep understanding of the developmental stages of learning. There must be a persistent desire to increase clarity about each learner's learning style, interests, strengths and challenges. Most teacher education classes and professional development courses are about instructional methods not about how children learn. Indeed the golden rule of professional development is to give the teachers something they can take back to school and use in their classrooms the next day. Unfortunately most nuggets that can be shared in a 90 minute or all day workshop will not make an authentic difference in learning. Educational communities need to be engaged in continuous study of learning and refinement of instruction based on patient, ongoing observation of the learner. The writings of Howard Gardner and Mel Levine are great resources for learning about learning. Schools Attuned, based on Levine's work, is a 35 hour course that helps teachers look at learners in meaningful ways and gives them tools for reaching "all kinds of minds."
Today I added teaching and teachers to my list of categories. Recent posts by Christian Long at think:lab and Chris Lehmann at Practical Theory inspired me expand my category list and jump into the discussion about the teaching profession. More tomorrow.........
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