The Teacher I Never HadI went teaching to be the teacher I never had. I was all of 11 when I daydreamed what my classroom should really look like, as Mr Principal of good intent made 'middle evil' studies (as I thought it was...a la 'medieval') exciting as best he could. Years later I turned classrooms into castles, caves, jungles, oceans, pirate ships, goldmine sites, tribal villages and profitable business centres. I became the teacher I never had... My idol as such, was the teacher in the Magic School Bus series... I maintained the child-like vision and the kids loved it. Many in their 20's on FB now reminisce with a great sense of humour and assure me they're not taking the mickey out of it all :). Yet, it was all within the days of the now 'don't-go-there' industrialised teaching even so...at least my paper work reflected it, despite the defiance when with kids affront.
Industralised Teaching - Still Here...Sadly So.
Today, teachers still have the beauty of designing that pirate ship, goldmine or business centre as their classroom, combining it with Web 2.0 tools - the likes of what Learn-Now's also using. Put the Web 2.0 tools into the mix on their own or via other providers and how enviable their teaching situation is now! Yet, over the weekend, I sadly heard of one NZ school in a town I'd taught in, teaching a very industrialised model, despite their Mimo, data projectors and DVDs. This school, I had understood, was a cutting edge school... The town would put a plum a mouth in their mouth as they'd claim "Ah yes... Xyz School - that's a good school". Alas, it's more about power games, preferential staff treatment and paper work than about what the kids love. Hoping to pull a colleague of mine who works there on board with the Learn-Now teams - it was quickly established as impossible. The kids simply didn't have computer access - and were 'last in line/on the roster (if at all)' for anything remotely IT orientated - a scary thought considering we're talking about Y7-8's here. The teacher herself, simply wouldn't be allowed. Asked if the terms elearning, blended learning, co-construction or even collaborative learning were apparent around the school - the answer was 'no'. This teacher has been through the ICT PD programme, so does know in even general terms what this represents.
So What Do The Kids Love?
I can't fix the impossible, but am very into being available, with a team behind me, for who ever would like learning to be fun, to be kid-centred - if not even engineered, daring and different! Having just seen tonight's TV2's Extreme Makeover - Home Edition with the McCully family, 10 year old 'Job' (as in the biblical 'Job') gets what he loves - everything from a camp site, to pirate room and a starry role in his own video game. Joe Public gets it - they go out of their way to project what kids love. I'm not f2f anymore, but as a teacher online, I still focus on what's at the heart of today's kids. Magic, creativity, reality, friends, money, adventure, helping out or 'being the boss' - taking control, how things work, the world and 'a point to it all'. They're into colour, sound, invitations, movement, mapping out their own pathways...
As A Teacher, What Do I Do?
I experiment, I listen and I merge what I can - even if at my financial expense, and help other teachers along the same route, through the students (known largely as reverse mentoring). I desperately want to get into video game work, but that desperately needs a 48 hour day! Instead, other kid projects get due justice and in the fine print at all times, is the skill building/key competency component. Kids are taught how to take charge, source services, maintain drive and create the wow-factor impact - not just for themselves, but others as much as possible. Strangely enough, this appeals to the under-achieving student through to the happy camper and gifted and talented student. Particularly the under achiever, who very soon give the G&T kids a run for their 'money'!
You're Kidding!?The funny thing is - my skill building agenda is as much mine as the kids. The first student wow-factor is 'You're kidding!? We can do that? You'll let us?' One student once asked 'How come you can do that and none of my other teachers do that'? Tackling that required another act of diplomacy! Much of it is being allowed to...for the students as much as for the teacher. I was lucky in all bar 1 of my 15 years 'under a principal' - I had the freedom to do what I liked with the kids, how and almost when - to even buying anything from wire mesh by the rolls instead of homework books. I had teacher autonomy. I'm even luckier now as an online teacher and elearning service provider - I have a wealth more tools to use!
The Tools That Foster What Kids Love...For me (the kids and AEO staff I work with in particular), much boils down to just a few, once the core mission as been designed. The last thing we do, is choose the tool, then figure out the rest (as we see happens so very often elsewhere). In no particular order, we'll ensure that there's:
- A project (it too is a tool) with an impacting mission
- A team (another tool - a means to do something)
- Individualised and peer-tutoring components
- A central online hub (eg: moodle) to satellite spaces/tools
- Ability to create their own online environment
- Spaces to discuss, announce and debate - esp forums
- A space to 'waffle' (as one group called it) - a blog
- Support services e.g: websites, news clips, cyberpals
- The ability to create a community and invite others
- The ability to post pics and video
- Freedom to 'YouTube' and 'Flickr' it
- Scope to invite experts and guests
- Scope to be social, think, inquire, do, re-do and be.
A Contented Bunny Am I...As a teacher today, I have the best of several worlds. The love of building life into projects; the world to loop in more easily than the class next door; kids who jump into elearning like ducks to water; the ability to reach more kids in a year than ever possible f2f: and dare I say...one very special MOE 'elearning' department who single handedly encourages, edifies, supports and dreams 'for the kids' with gob-smacking passion. I get to share with this dept, the buzz of winners who adopt the cool edge to learning and help path the way for next step potential. Ahead now, is the dream that every teacher and school desires to be on the same page. For years now, Learn-Now would hear the 'come back in 5 years time when we're ready for you' line...and still many wouldn't be ready 'in 5 years time'. I read dozens of teacher blogs a week now and thankfully though, it's heartening to see the positive, anti-industralised journey some are on... Way2Go to the winners - or at least to those who are allowed to be - many thanks to their leadership team who in turn allow it.
At the heart of the matter - is what kids love.
If they love it, they'll do well...
* Don't underestimate the kid
* Don't stifle their future
* Ask them what they'd like to incorporate
* Ask them how they'd like to adopt a focus
* Ask them who they'd like to involve
* Ask them why and where it should happen
* Help them with their learners' 'drivers license' to apply independence in time.
xx
