Teaching

Teaching

It is true that on a basic level, that we are all teachers of something. To define teaching is to make sure that the definition is broad enough to capture what it was, what it is, and what it should be in the information age. There is too much to know, so teaching needs to unpack curriculum in a way that yields skills beyond the content. Martin (1996) proposes is his work that the teacher is the guide who must decide what is important to impart and then move forward. I’ve always admired the work to Wiggins and McTighe in the way that they describe teaching. They categorize teaching in three ways:

1. Didactic/direction instruction that is explicit (lectures, textbook supplementation and demonstrations),

2. Facilitation of understanding- construction of meaning through the guidance of teachers probing into problems, cases, projects. (very little direct instruction)

3. Coaching performance- “The teacher/coach establishes clear performance goals and then supervises the development of skills and habits through ongoing opportunities to perform, accompanied by specific feedback and modeling.”

Right now, I see teaching as a necessary mix of all three of the above descriptions. When trying to meet learners where they are at, we must use the tools that fit the job. If we have learners that are developmentally ready to move through material and make successful meaning with it, then we need to stand back and guide them. The same can be said for the beginning learner. It really depends on the situation and student. Good teaching is choosing to practice with differentiation based on the student’s needs and desires to learn.

Martin, J.R. (1996). There’s too much to teach: Cultural wealth in an age of scarcity. Educational Researcher, 25(2), 4–16. doi: 10.3102/0013189X025002004

Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (2007). Schooling by Design: What is the Teacher’s Job When Teaching. Located at http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107018/chapters/What-Is-the-Teacher's-Job-When-Teaching%C2%A2.aspx