Why We Teach

Article

....successful teacher is one who places a high value on students' culture, race, language, gender, experiences, families and sense of self. These teachers sustain high expectations of all students, especially for those whom others may have given up on. They stay committed in spite of predictable obstacles and create a safe classroom haven for their students. By being resilient, by challenging the status quo of educational bureaucracy, and by viewing themselves as life-long learners, they come to care about, respect and love their students. 

“To understand your own motivation to teach, you explore your own history of learning.”

Why Pre School Shouldn't Be Like School

Article


Interesting studies: reinforce the value student-led inquiry & the impact of teacher language

New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire.

Does direct teaching also make children less likely to draw new conclusions—or, put another way, does it make them less creative?

Adults often assume that most learning is the result of teaching and that exploratory, spontaneous learning is unusual. But actually, spontaneous learning is more fundamental. 

it's more important than ever to give children's remarkable, spontaneous learning abilities free rein. That means a rich, stable, and safe world, with affectionate and supportive grown-ups, and lots of opportunities for exploration and play. Not school for babies.

Reflections and Resolutions- Claire Amos

Reflections and Resolutions


Like the concept of enabling constraints.

Sustainable agility- very cool to be working towards for us at TKAS as well.

Celebrating Success- What We Value Sally Hart

Blogpost


So many similarities to us.  Very affirming. Some things we could look at adapting too.

Would like to see how we could adapt the ambassador idea into our student leadership plan.

8 Educational Technology Books Every Leader Should Read

The Link

Why Curiosity Enhances Learning

The Link

On the Edge of Chaos

On the Edge of Chaos Article


“Creativity is not an option, it’s an absolute necessity." Ken Robinson


“The truly creative changes and the big shifts occur right at the edge of chaos,” Bilder said.

“It was that freedom to explore that led them to be increasingly engaged and allowed them to forge connections that allowed them to be more creative.”


“In the school environment, creativity can be considered pathological behavior as opposed to the compliant traits of being reliable, sincere, good-natured, responsible, tolerant, and peaceable — the qualities associated with the lowest levels of creativity,”


“You have to cultivate these behaviors by introducing them to children and recognizing that the more you do it, the better you are at doing it,” Limb said.


Some teachers are moving in that direction, loosening the rules, giving students choice, celebrating ideas and behaviors that challenge the status quo, but without a drastic reimagining of the structures within which educators work, true creativity could be hard to find in school.