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In a Pinch - I Teach Poetry
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If you have hours to fill and you haven't planned as you might have liked in advance, consider this inspired lesson from Julie Sweetland...
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BECOME A FAN OF INSPIRED TEACHING
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Check out our Facebook page and become a fan of the organization.
Inspired Teaching is now on Twitter as InspireTeach. Follow us to get regular updates! These are new ways you can stay connected to Inspired Teaching and, even better, a way we can stay connected to you!
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Check out our Executive Director!
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Aleta Margolis is featured in this video by Ashoka about how teachers can be changemakers.
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Center for Inspired Teaching is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to ensure schools make the most of children's innate desire to learn. We do this by investing in teachers. Please visit our website to learn more about our philosophy, programs, and results.
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Can I make more time for the world of children?
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On an empty playground a week before school starts, four
children come barreling onto the blacktop. There are no adults supervising
them. They are all screaming out: "I'm first!" "No, I'm first!" as they race to
a line to begin a game of their own creation. Without anyone there to tell them
who is actually first, they continue to battle it out with raised voices.
Suddenly, one of the children has an idea. "Let's all be
first," she says. The group instantly agrees to this plan. Each claims his or
her role as first-first, second-first, third-first, and fourth-first, and
peacefully they commence to play.
Imagine the same scenario a week later, at recess time. In
the confines of a school day, could these same children come to the same
conclusions? If they were even allowed to get past the verbal disagreement
phase, would some grownup point out that "second-first" is really just second?
Through the lens of adulthood we see that the logic of
children is often "flawed" and their perception of reality clouded by a naïve
imagination. But what if as teachers we worked a little harder this year to
suspend our own disbelief - undoubtedly we would be privy to a view of the
world far more beautiful, magical, and full of possibility than the one in
which "grown-ups" tend to dwell.
Ideal as that sounds, it's a hard thing to put into practice.
After all, we've sacrificed big time to earn the right to claim a more accurate
world-view over that of children. At the least painful level, our own grasp of
reality meant we had to accept the truth about the tooth fairy, confront the
reality of taxes, and realize that in a democracy our chosen candidate doesn't
always win. For most adults the road past childhood was paved with realities
far more serious.
Perhaps that is all the more reason to relish your role as a
teacher. No matter the path you've taken out of childhood, you have the daily
gift of remembering its wonders each time you step into your classroom. We lose
our ability to imagine gold at the end of rainbows so quickly. Instead of
rushing to correct children when their creativity generates ideas we wouldn't
entertain, what if this year we held our tongues a little more?
After all, wouldn't it be nice if everyone really could be
first?
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Do standards created by adults
make room for children's thoughts?
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With hundreds of
standards to teach and only 9 months in which to teach them, it's easy to make
excuses for why student voice, curiosity, creativity, and imagination aren't
priorities in the classroom. But classroom management always becomes the focus of instruction when student
interest is not part of the curriculum.
When we look over the
standards we're supposed to teach, the language in those dry directives does
not exactly look like fertile ground for capturing a child's fascination. Be
that as it may, with a little creativity of your own you can make anything
relevant to the lives of your students. Tap into your inner child! It just
takes some imagination!
Here are some child-centered approaches to teaching standards from grades PreK - 12. Notice how each example
actually draws upon many different disciplines and can pull in the teaching of
several standards at once. Notice also how most of the activities are at a higher level on Bloom's Taxonomy because they require students to create, synthesize,
and evaluate as they create things rather than simply demonstrating
comprehension of a concept.
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What resources can help me see a child's view of the world?
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For early childhood
- check out Bev Bos!
Bev Bos is director and teacher at
the Roseville Community Preschool in Roseville, CA where she has worked for
over 40 years. Browsing through her website gives a
pretty good impression of what her approach to children and school is all
about. Her blog is a wonderful exploration of the wonder of children and after
reading it you'll want to get on the next plane to California to see her
school in action! You can register on her blog to be able to leave
comments and get updates when new items are posted.
For middle and high school
- check out What Kids Can Do!
What Kids Can Do (WKCD) is a national nonprofit founded by an educator and journalist with more than 40 years' combined
experience supporting adolescent learning in and out of school. "Together, they
felt an urgent need to promote perceptions of young people as valued resources,
not problems, and to advocate for learning that engages students as knowledge
creators and not simply test takers. Just as urgent, they believed, was the
need to bring youth voices to policy debates about school, society, and world
affairs."
For a different view of relevant content
- check out Humane Education!
Humane Education is an approach to teaching that focuses
on the following four elements:
- Providing accurate information about the issues of
our time so that people have the information they need to understand the
consequences of their decisions as citizens.
- Fostering curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, so that people can
evaluate information and solve problems.
- Instilling reverence, respect, and responsibility, so that people have the
motivation to face challenges and to act with integrity.
- Offering positive choices that benefit oneself, other people, the animals, and
the Earth, so that people are empowered to create a more humane world.
The Humane Education website
offers a thorough list of lesson plan ideas for elementary through high school
in areas including the environment, human rights, and culture and change.
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