Thoughtful Teaching

For my next couple of posts, I thought it would be really nice to reflect on teaching quotes that have stood out to me. A former teacher of mine read this quote to the class one day,

“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.”

During our program, we have talked about the importance of relevance in our lessons. We have often found that students will become more interested in the subject matter if they feel it pertains to their lives. I love the above quote because it touches such a good point. Unfortunately, students are often given homework assignments which they complete in very ‘robot-ish’ ways. In other words, they go home, do the assignment because it is what they were told to do, and continue on with their lives. Is this really learning, or just going through the motions? I understand teachers have to give assignments for the sake of repetition (so the child becomes confident with the subject matter). However, this shouldn’t always be the basis of the assignment. I am happy to say that there have been many occasions when I have left UWB thinking about lectures and/or class discussions. I think about them while walking to my car, driving home, discuss it with my husband during dinner, and even reflect on it before going to bed. To me, this is learning. Reflection is a great part of the education world. How do we feel about a particular subject? How is it affecting our lives? Is there something we can do about it? Are we allowing something to continue happening?

Now, this shouldn’t be something that occurs only in our college years. This has to be done in all grade levels. I am not a parent, but I imagine it makes for great conversation –along with being very satisfying—to pick up your child after school and have an enriching discussion about something that was talked about in your child’s class. What can teachers do to make this happen more often? Well, let’s be honest. Sometimes there are conversations that occur in our classrooms that weren’t planned for (or even part of the original lecture) but that we see our students really thinking about, or feeling passionate about. While I understand the teacher has to bring the kids back to the original lecture, this ‘special conversation’ shouldn’t be forgotten. If anything, continue it another day, or assign the students a writing assignment about it. This will do many things. Firstly, it will show the kids that their interests are valued in school. Second, it would allow students to write about something they feel passionate about, while at the same time having the kids practice their writing skills. Have the students go home and talk to their families about the subject, and then have the kids journal about it. The point is, homework should never be busy work. It needs to be much more than that. It should of course provide the child with more practice for the lessons being taught in school, but it should also bring about great reflection and relevance in the students’ lives. This is thoughtful teaching.