Try Something New

As most schools have been in session for a week or so, I would encourage all teachers to do a very simple thing: try something new.  As I have stated before on this blog teachers need to continually enhance/improve/refresh their educational practice. Teaching isn't about finding immutable truth and constantly deploying it.  Teaching is about connecting with kids in a fluid, changing environment. So I'll give you a few things our team has suggested:

• Try some physical movement - even if it is to have the kids touch two walls; their brains will be more receptive with increased oxygen.  The longer the sermon, the less engaged people tend to be.
• Chunk the material and give kids a chance to summarize aloud; humans are verbal so let them talk through the content.  
• Use technology even if you don't know how to use a tool.  This tip comes from Lynne Herr - give kids an outline of what you want regarding content, such as provide three types of governments and give an example of each. Then turn them loose on some tech tools; some kids could create an online comic book, others could create a online video, or they might create a voicethread.  In any event let them use technology even if you don't understand how it works. The kids will figure it out - and if they run into trouble there is always a help menu or a Google search.  Don't try to limit the technology based on what you know; let them run with it.  They won't break the internet!

Good teachers want to improve their practice, but often find it overwhelming to make major changes; so take it slow and just try something new. If teachers do this often enough they can really improve on the good things they already have in place.

Have a great start to the year - do something new!

Toby