Think Like a Modern Educator

Introduction

    It's not secret that we are in a technological revolution. As Apple comes out with another iPhone and ChatGPT offers alternative learning for students with and without Special Education services, we are seeing quick-paced changes in digital literacy and are students are quickly surpassing us in their abilities. As we move forward into the 21st Century, as the future becomes the present, we need to meet our students on their level. With that, comes the ability to guide them and send them into the real world with the ability to make informed choices and communicate effectively.  

Co-Author a Class Mission Statement

    In any class you teach, it is important to establish some ground rules and figure out what is the most important to you. But what about the students? What is important to them for their education? Regardless of age, taking the time to chat with your students and ask them what matters to them can go a long way. By collaborating together, work with your students of developing a "class mission statement". You can guide the conversation by including topics like "academic honesty" or "integrity" but also allow your students to communicate their needs as well. Each class will be different and it is your job as an educator to meet your students on their level to help them succeed.

Build Better Questions Together

    As the school year drones on and the routines get repetitive, it is easy to get stuck in the rut of "does anyone have any questions?". These close-ended questions don't require much thinking or even acknowledgment. So how do we get out of this rut? ShiftingSchools provides us with a fun little pamphlet we can give our students to encourage thoughtful thinking.

Avoid using questions that only require a simple "yes" or "no" answer. Think of questions that require your student (or peers if you're a student asking your classmates questions) to think critically and develop a solid opinion. This template could easily be printed out and provided to your students to keep on their desk or in a notebook to reference later. 

Make the Learning Process as Transparent as Possible

    Be honest with your students! Lay out what assignments are due and when. Discuss (loosely) what topics you will be covering and what the academic year will look like. It may seem overwhelming at first but it will be so beneficial in the end. Meghan McInerny provides an entire article on how she became a homeschool teacher overnight. Needless to say, 2020 took most parents by force. Most people weren't prepared for schools to shut down to suddenly know how to teach their children. 

    Meghan organizes several posterboards to sort out what needed to be done (assignments or tasks). She also breaks it down into tasks that are currently being done, tasks that are complete, and tasks they need to circle back to. Since every class will have different needs and comprehend each lesson at different paces, this model could not only help your students communicate their needs with you, but also set the pace for your lessons. Even if you have the same structure and pace for all your lessons, this level of transparency can help your students know what to expect in their class; hopefully alleviating some anxiety.

Sources:

McInerny, M. (2020, March 17). Kanban for kids (or "how I used agile to become a homeschool ... - linkedin. linkedin.com. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kanban-kids-how-i-used-agile-become-homeschool-parent-meghan-mcinerny/

Start of a Lesson Question Asking: Tic-Tac-Toe. (n.d.). Shifting Schools. photograph. Retrieved from shiftingschools.com.