"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein
How do you know that what you're doing in your classroom is really effective?
I'm going to be asked this question. School board members are going to want this information presented to them in numbers.
It's the third day of school, and I have a history class engaged in a discussion in anticipation of a book we are about to read together. Students who have me for both history and language arts often scratch their heads and wonder which class is which. We do so much reading and writing in history, it's difficult to distinguish between the two disciplines. Novels in the history classroom help humanize the subject, so we read.
I've asked them to think and write about the quote, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Students are leading the discussion, calling upon one another instead of waiting for me to choose the next speaker, looking at each other as they speak, responding to each others' comments, and thinking deeply about the questions I've posed. It has become a conversation about human nature, how human it is to make a mistake, and how human it is to judge others.
Students are referencing other books they've read and considering how they themselves might be affected by the attainment of power.
No one is interrupting or blurting out answers.
No one is looking at a cell phone.
They are referencing each other by saying, "I like what _______ said because..."
I'm watching and listening in awe. It's a great compliment to use someone's name when you are speaking. You're saying, "Not only have I heard you, but I found your ideas important enough to consider and repeat and add to." These kids are 13 years old. I've had most of them in class in the previous year or two, and I've worked with them on respectful listening skills, but I haven't yet discussed the power "piggy-backing" on the words of others and showing respect by mentioning their names. They've somehow made the leap on their own.
The kids are trying to decide whether or not everyone is susceptible to abusing power. A girl raises her hand, and someone calls on her to speak. I can tell she's still processing what she's going to say, trying to figure out how to put what she's thinking into words. Her brows are furrowed, and her eyes narrow as if this will help bring her thoughts into clearer focus.
She says that while some people get sick all the time, there are others who never seem to catch the viruses that are going around. But if the virus is strong enough, even a person who never gets sick could still catch it. Maybe power is like that. The rest of the class applauds.
I want a whole world full of people who listen and communicate this well.
How do I know when instruction is effective? I know when I'm awestruck. I can't translate that feeling into numbers.
How do you know that what you're doing in your classroom is really effective?
I'm going to be asked this question. School board members are going to want this information presented to them in numbers.
It's the third day of school, and I have a history class engaged in a discussion in anticipation of a book we are about to read together. Students who have me for both history and language arts often scratch their heads and wonder which class is which. We do so much reading and writing in history, it's difficult to distinguish between the two disciplines. Novels in the history classroom help humanize the subject, so we read.
I've asked them to think and write about the quote, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Students are leading the discussion, calling upon one another instead of waiting for me to choose the next speaker, looking at each other as they speak, responding to each others' comments, and thinking deeply about the questions I've posed. It has become a conversation about human nature, how human it is to make a mistake, and how human it is to judge others.
Students are referencing other books they've read and considering how they themselves might be affected by the attainment of power.
No one is interrupting or blurting out answers.
No one is looking at a cell phone.
They are referencing each other by saying, "I like what _______ said because..."
I'm watching and listening in awe. It's a great compliment to use someone's name when you are speaking. You're saying, "Not only have I heard you, but I found your ideas important enough to consider and repeat and add to." These kids are 13 years old. I've had most of them in class in the previous year or two, and I've worked with them on respectful listening skills, but I haven't yet discussed the power "piggy-backing" on the words of others and showing respect by mentioning their names. They've somehow made the leap on their own.
The kids are trying to decide whether or not everyone is susceptible to abusing power. A girl raises her hand, and someone calls on her to speak. I can tell she's still processing what she's going to say, trying to figure out how to put what she's thinking into words. Her brows are furrowed, and her eyes narrow as if this will help bring her thoughts into clearer focus.
She says that while some people get sick all the time, there are others who never seem to catch the viruses that are going around. But if the virus is strong enough, even a person who never gets sick could still catch it. Maybe power is like that. The rest of the class applauds.
I want a whole world full of people who listen and communicate this well.
How do I know when instruction is effective? I know when I'm awestruck. I can't translate that feeling into numbers.
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