In almost every mission statement that I have read for High Schools, there is always something that revolves around preparing students for life after high school. With that, it is important for schools to not only determine which curriculums are going to accomplish that task, but how they are going additionally teach things such as: generosity, politeness, integrity, effort, courage, resilience, gratitude, faith, and kindness.
In filming a teacher with a set of disengaged students, observers began to study as to why the students were disconnected from the content. What they gathered from their observations was that "there is no value in what she is doing" (106). Gladwell brings up a convicting statement in reflecting upon that case study. It gives me, as an educator, an opportunity to examine my own teaching? Is there value in it?
In order to truly prepare my students for life after High School, I do not have a choice but to bring value in to my teaching. Only then will students be ready to succeed in their career or college choices in order to actively participate in a global society. By making my lessons value, I am making their learning value and hopefully that translates into a valuable lifestyle for each of my students.
In saying all of this, I have to daily ask myself, how am I going to implement valuable lessons? We learn so many strategies on how to make lessons accessible to increase student understanding, but how do I move into that beyond point in my lessons where students are consistently connecting their learning to their personal life or to the outside world, conceptualizing the content. In fostering and cultivating the umbrella of critical thinking, there are a variety of skills that benefit as well. Critical thinking gives students an opportunity to develop skilled reading, writing, listening, and speaking, skilled problem-solving, skilled relationship building, skilled questioning, and skilled emotional literacy. These are all things that will truly prepare students to be self-sustained in the competitive world post-High School.
These are the things that count. These are the things that make teaching valuable.
In filming a teacher with a set of disengaged students, observers began to study as to why the students were disconnected from the content. What they gathered from their observations was that "there is no value in what she is doing" (106). Gladwell brings up a convicting statement in reflecting upon that case study. It gives me, as an educator, an opportunity to examine my own teaching? Is there value in it?
In order to truly prepare my students for life after High School, I do not have a choice but to bring value in to my teaching. Only then will students be ready to succeed in their career or college choices in order to actively participate in a global society. By making my lessons value, I am making their learning value and hopefully that translates into a valuable lifestyle for each of my students.
In saying all of this, I have to daily ask myself, how am I going to implement valuable lessons? We learn so many strategies on how to make lessons accessible to increase student understanding, but how do I move into that beyond point in my lessons where students are consistently connecting their learning to their personal life or to the outside world, conceptualizing the content. In fostering and cultivating the umbrella of critical thinking, there are a variety of skills that benefit as well. Critical thinking gives students an opportunity to develop skilled reading, writing, listening, and speaking, skilled problem-solving, skilled relationship building, skilled questioning, and skilled emotional literacy. These are all things that will truly prepare students to be self-sustained in the competitive world post-High School.
These are the things that count. These are the things that make teaching valuable.