Using The Force(s)
Teaching and learning are complicated concepts. I say concepts because while tests, homework, assignments, etc. are concrete examples of what teaching and learning looks like to most people, teaching and learning, as entities by themselves, are not concrete. You cannot touch teaching. You cannot fell learning. You can touch a textbook. You can feel the lab equipment. However, texts and labs are not teaching and learning. They are concrete tools used to teach and learn.
So, to examine teaching and learning, you could only look at the tools and improve them. We see this all the time with emerging technology and techniques. You have probably heard of some of them: project-based, inquiry-based, flipped classroom, Google classroom, etc.
On the other hand, you can examine teaching and learning as concepts by diving deeper into the many forces that affect teaching and learning. By doing so, your evaluation of concrete resources is more likely to reveal what aspects involved in teaching and learning are being supported and which are not.
The question then becomes, "What are these concepts, or forces, that affect teaching and learning?"
As I reflect on my 2+ decades as an educator, I believe the following forces directly impact the ability of teachers to teach and students to learn.
So, what is the take-away?
If you want to improve teaching and learning, you need to examine the processes involved in each. While evaluating techniques and resources is an important part of such a review, an examination of how your school addresses (or even recognizes) the forces involved is equally important.
With gratitude,
Troy
So, to examine teaching and learning, you could only look at the tools and improve them. We see this all the time with emerging technology and techniques. You have probably heard of some of them: project-based, inquiry-based, flipped classroom, Google classroom, etc.
On the other hand, you can examine teaching and learning as concepts by diving deeper into the many forces that affect teaching and learning. By doing so, your evaluation of concrete resources is more likely to reveal what aspects involved in teaching and learning are being supported and which are not.
The question then becomes, "What are these concepts, or forces, that affect teaching and learning?"
As I reflect on my 2+ decades as an educator, I believe the following forces directly impact the ability of teachers to teach and students to learn.
Intellectual/Academic forces: those usually associated with school (curriculum)
Physical forces: one's physical health
Emotional forces: consciously experiencing various degrees of mental activity associated with pleasure or displeasure
Cultural/Social forces: how well we are able to relate to other people's opinions/traditions/thought processes, often ones that are different than our own
Psychological forces: relates to the various states of mind and how those both consciously and subconsciously affect our ability to teach and learn
Spiritual forces: term I use to account for influences on teaching and learning that cannot be easily or cleanly explained by the other factors, usually associated with an identified higher power or order to the universeThese forces are worthy of deeper exploration. I believe they not only impact teaching and learning, but also create the space where true innovative learning takes place - which is the subject of a future post.
So, what is the take-away?
If you want to improve teaching and learning, you need to examine the processes involved in each. While evaluating techniques and resources is an important part of such a review, an examination of how your school addresses (or even recognizes) the forces involved is equally important.
With gratitude,
Troy
