by Shelley Wright | Mar 22, 2011 | The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
This is the sixth time I’ve taught a unit on the Holocaust. In the past, my students learned most of the information via lecture, notes and videos. Because I was responsible for distilling the information, I learned much more than they did. This semester they’re doing it all themselves.
This process involved a lot more silence and waiting on my part than I would have thought. Inquiry learning is not a familiar experience for them. Instead, by grade 10, my students have learned that if they wait long enough, they will be rescued. Not anymore.
by Shelley Wright | Mar 7, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Voices
Changing to a student-centered, skill-based, technology embedded classroom is scary business. I think all teachers must have times when they’re faced with the decision to continue on the safe road that they know, or radically depart on a way that they believe to be better, but the specific route and outcomes are unknown. In all honesty, sometimes I’ve chosen the former, and sometimes the latter. For the last five months, I’ve consistently chosen the latter, and they have been the most challenging and fulfilling five months of my career.
