Educon 2.0... & More

What a weekend... and a cool way to spend my first time in Philly! I attended Educon 2.0 and had the opportunity to sit in on some awesome conversations. It was also a treat to finally get to meet up with my friends from the Keystone Summit and many new people from my Twitter network that I had never met f2f. This conference definitely made me rethink the way I teach and realize the importance of learning networks! It showed me how important communication is between students-teachers, students-students, and teachers-teachers.
One particular session I attended was by Arthus, entitled "We're All Student Teachers". Arthus' session really made me realize how important it is to listen to our students and care & value what they say. So often we don't let students have a say in the learning process. I need to change how I teach and make sure that I'm giving my students a "voice". Active listening is important and the following acronym helps with this... (Thinking back from an old college class)
H alt
E ngage
A nticipate
R espect
Paraphrasing back also gives clear indication that you are listening. It is something that I have started having my students do when I give directions.
A lot of discussion this weekend was that learning must be meaningful, engaging, and fun! We need to move from the known to the unknown... to FACILITATE more! EMPOWER. We need to guide the process of learning, encourage open communication, share ideas and be flexible. I think for some teachers, facilitating is difficult because they don't like giving up control. Students must learn from themselves and each other and in the process, teachers learn from students!
Basically, there is a ton to be taught... way more information today, so much to learn. Can teachers keep teaching the same way as in the past? NO. Students are naturally curious and want to learn so we need to give them some room and the freedom to do it, and they will learn at their own pace... with their teacher as a guide to meaningful instruction. Through facilitating, students will become enthusiastic learners! As the saying goes... be a "guide on the side" rather than a "sage on the stage".

On another note:
Each time I do a writing with my students I am constantly reminding them of "First Grade Sentences". (Capitals & Periods) What amazes me is that I never get them! Until one day... I switch up the writing a little bit and I incorporate a theme into the week. Using United Streaming to show an informative video clip on frogs, I give each student a sheet of paper and tell them to write down some things that they think are interesting from the video. I watched the students as they completed this task. Everyone was engaged, pencils moving, eyes watching, ears listening. A few students even came to me midway through wanting another sheet of paper. They were interested in the topic and motivated. When the video clip finished, the students each shared what they had written... and were excited about it! I collected the papers and looked over them that evening. I couldn't believe my eyes! Every student had used "First Grade Sentences"! I'd love to say that this lovely event occurred because my students FINALLY remembered to write "First Grade Sentences", but I don't buy that. I believe that they were motivated, engaged and focused on a topic that many could relate to (from discussion earlier in the day) and it was something they wanted to learn more about. These experiences are what remind me of why I love teaching.