April 20, 2012
Articulation by Linda A.J. Johnson
As a teacher/mentor my personal
mandate is to introduce my students to the best of the great ideas, to lead
them to the discovery of their own questions and to provide resources where
they might begin to answer those questions.
Personal teaching goals:
1. Change compliant ‘tell me what to
think, say, do’, behavior, back to: ‘Here are great ideas; what do you know
about them; what questions would you like answered? Stop imposing learning,
start extracting ideas together. Acknowledge and respect the needs of each
learner and provide them with access to accurate information.’ Curriculum is
resource NOT end in itself.
2. Re-introduce time and opportunity
to develop thinking skills: replace the ‘here’s all the information you need,
and here’s your homework assignment’ with the time to ponder ‘great ideas’ on
purpose; notice personal feelings, thoughts (questions) and ideas
(possibilities) and write/draw them down.
3. Provide time to re-experience multiple
ways of examining ideas: Be re-allowed the time to “Play” with ‘catching’ ideas
by writing, drawing, labeling, talking, touching, tasting, constructing,
composing, demonstrating, etc. etc. Realize that curriculum is not the end in
itself but provides resources to choose among and play with. Be encouraged to
use imagination in creating connections between ideas; be in charge of
self-development - of ‘voice’; articulate understanding by sharing in media of
choice.
4. Build on confident voice; continually searching out the
great ideas in all disciplines; continually strengthening personal thinking
skills; continually refining creative connections into product: writing, art,
constructions, models, recipes, compositions etc. that can be published to
audience and make the world a better place.
