I have been thinking about writing this blog post for months, and I finally have the time and energy to do it. I keep ranting to whoever will listen that teaching must change to meet the needs of the future. We are no longer teaching students to become doctors, lawyers, or other traditional professional occupations — if we ever were? I think the way we have been teaching, since the 1900s, is dominated by teacher as content deliverer and students as consumption-regurgitation receptacles. And maybe at one point, this was necessary, but today’s world has changed so much. We have devices in every classroom, we have high-speed internet, we have artificial intelligence… but we’re still teaching like any of the content isn’t available freely on Google or ChatGPT. We have forgotten how to teach our future adults how to think critically, work collaboratively, create new and interesting ideas, and communicate to an entire world that is waiting to hear their voices, outside of the small classroom audience.

Why are some of us teaching like we’re still in the 1900s? I keep asking myself this question, day in and day out. Yes, there are teachers who do try to incorporate future-ready thinking and learning, but many easily burn out when they receive peer pressure and feedback from colleagues or site and district administrators, despite all students thriving and succeeding in achieving more than just what is required on a fill-in-the-bubble test. Is it easier to teach like it is the 1900s? Yes, probably, but we cannot do what’s easy. Some teachers will blame the students, saying they are disrespectful, hate school, and are addicted to being online. Yes, students are different – they have technology at their fingertips and have for most of their lives – but we’re not letting them learn how they like to learn. We’re not even giving them choices, and we’re definitely not acknowledging what worked for us in school (in the 80s, 90s) cannot be utilized as a teaching method for today. It is a different world – one that changes every day – but education does not…

The good news: I watched a teacher in my own district who knows each of her students’ strengths and areas of growth, what they each enjoy, and what motivates each of them. She has built a community of learners that highly respect each other and themselves. She does her own version of a “smart-start” every year and when students return from longer breaks (i.e., winter break), and this basically is relationship-building at its finest. She builds trust, camaraderie, gratitude, and value for each student and their unique abilities. You can walk into her classroom at any given time, and you will see students working collaboratively and creatively. They read the books they enjoy, personalizing their own learning and feeding on their intrinsic motivation to be amazing citizens of the world.

You cannot personalize or individualize learning without knowing the learner. Sure, 80% might be successful in any given middle-class, socio-economically developed neighborhood school, no matter the teaching style or content, but when is that good enough? If you are neglecting the other 20% because they have special education needs, or because they learn differently, or because their single parent is working two to three jobs and can’t be home to help them with homework or help them with developing language and literacy skills…

Today’s world is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA, created by Bennis & Nanus in 1985). We are experiencing such rapid change with technology and media right now, and education does not take into consideration the agility and adaptability that we need to be able to pivot on a dime. I thought that maybe the pandemic would have changed this in education when it required all educators to be able to be online – but that did not actually give us the change we needed – that was simply substituting Zoom for the same old classroom setting and teaching. Online teaching does require a different style of teaching than in-person, but it does not change the fact that you still must know and interact with your learners and create a safe, trusting environment for them to take risks and show their learning abilities.

So, how should we be teaching? Well, we can start with this list:

  • Do NOT be the content delivery machine.
    • Ask kids to tell you what they already know about a topic.
    • Ask kids to tell you what they are curious about with that topic.
    • Let the kids search the web for answers to the wonders and questions.
  • Once they have the content, do NOT ask them to regurgitate it into an essay or worksheet or quiz.
    • Instead, have them apply that knowledge along with your guidance to something else they are passionate about.
    • Ask them to show their learning in unique ways – maybe it’s creating a comic book story about the topic or building a model with modern enhancements. The world is their oyster – give them opportunities to think outside the box.
  • Do NOT limit them to one app or one type of media (i.e., paper). Let them choose how they deliver their learning.
    • Not everyone likes written tests, essays, worksheets, flashcards.
    • Not everyone wants to do everything on their Chromebook.
    • Not everyone likes to do crafts.
    • The ability to choose their own medium is part of their learning.
  • Have students build a portfolio, website, or drive folder with all of their ideas and project products.
    • Perhaps make folders that are standards-based and allow them to choose their best work to put into that folder.
    • Include reflection every time. If students do not evaluate their own learning, they will continue to make the same half-attempts at doing things to please the teacher versus for their own learning journey.
  • Allow collaboration. It’s a skill we need for the future.
    • How many teachers like to work in grade-level meetings to develop lessons together? Sometimes we are better together. Let kids decide!
  • Remember that compliance does not equal learning.
    • Kids sitting in rows, quietly doing worksheets on their own, and wearing the correct attire for school/dress code does not improve learning – nor engagement.
    • Some kids thrive when they stand, when they can walk around…. every student is different, As long as it is safe, let them learn.
  • The person doing all of the work is doing most of the learning.
    • I have seen teachers creating the most beautiful, time-consuming slide decks on Canva. That’s great – but if the student did that, they’d probably gain skills in presenting, speaking, collaborating, creativity…

I could keep going. In fact, that’s what this whole “becausekids” is about… but there is only so much time and energy for this post today. I will share more soon. It’s holiday break, and I have a little more time. I may surprise myself with another post soon. Until then, stay safe, be well, and relax. Your mental health and brain deserve the break.

Leave a comment