Years ago I heard an Jenne Gossard, who was at that time California State Teacher of the Year, if I remember correctly. I think it was maybe in my second or third year of teaching.
At some point, she talked about how transformative it was to become a teacher-researcher: it just made everything in your class data. Not quite the way we use that word today, or at least not in that spirit.
She said if you were studying your class to get better, and things went horribly wrong, it was so much easier to step back and grin and think to yourself, "Well, isn't that interesting. If I do x then why happens."
So when I look at the work my senior class did on the Camus assignment, the one where I provided the example, went over it, gave them a tool to use to do it, and 50% of the kids did it---well, that's just really interesting data, right?
I don't know what went wrong. Or what went right, even. I need to think about it. And I need to ask them. Kids want to learn; everyone wants to learn. Sometimes we forget that. But when I remember to ask them, they always help me.
And in the process, they sometimes give me data about myself, which I try to step back and see as interesting.
Yes.
A few years ago I started debriefing lessons with students and recording that feedback on the lesson plan for next time. Not only is it bloody useful, but I think it has also changed our relationship, making them more partners in learning.
Posted by: Marknkilmer | January 17, 2011 at 11:04 PM