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From: "Woods" <woods@ncia.net>
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Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:902] RE: Managing Teaching to the test &
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Michele Craig wrote:
> I really see my job as showing them how to learn, so I spend a lot of
time,
> not talking so much about subject matter as how to analyze mistakes, see
> patterns of mistakes in your own work, how to correct your own mistakes
> and how to think critically about whatever you are doing.
This may well be the most important thing a teacher can do: modeling the
habits of a curious productive learner. But I am torn between the idea that
it is necessary to show people "how to learn" and my long held belief that
learning is a natural consequence of doing (i.e. we learn from everything we
do.)
> If people don't see the application of the skills they study with us, they
> tend to drift away.
Or put another way, they LEARN that it is not important or relevant to them.
They LEARN it's a waste of time.
> I would debate that GED preparation isn''t really the
> best way for people to learn anything. It is just an incentive to learn.
> While we have them, then, we have to motivate them, teach them to teach
> themselves, and hopefully to get them hooked on learning
That is exactly my approach too. Many of our students come wanting a GED
because it seems easier and more tangible than a long involved program of
study. So we help them get what they want. But it's a hook. If I can show
them that learning is easy and fun, that they do it all the time and just
don't realize it, that it's a reward in itself, then I feel like I've
accomplished something. Many times, we'll meet a student wanting a GED and
later he'll go for a diploma. You can't force it though. Thank you for
writing, Michele.
Along the same lines as George Demetrion's principles, I'd like to offer my
philosophical perspectives on learning and teaching.
* Learning is growth.
* Learning should be easy. Learning should be fun. If it is not, something
is wrong.
* We learn from everything we DO.
* WHAT we learn from any experience depends on who we are,
where we have been, and where we want to go
* Two people sharing the same experience may learn very different things.
* Teachers teach best when they are helpers.
* Teachers teach best when they can accept and value the learning of a
student,
no matter what it may be.
* Teacher expectations for student learning poison the benefits of the
previous statement.
We need to change EXpect into REspect.
Tom Woods
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