Things We Steal From Children

Mrs Meya sent this little story about teaching. Remember the IT presentations that you had to do? They are to give you some control over what you and your classmates learn. I hoped you had put in effort to do them. Similarly, the group work, presenting answers on the whiteboard are not to give headaches or embarrass you but to help you learn. Instead of me droning on and on and on, I truly hope that you will learn to take charge of your own learning. 2 more weeks to go. Gambate~~

Things We Steal From Children

One evening on returning from lecturing to my students, my wife asked me:

“And what did you steal from your students today?”

The question rocked me, and as I examined my practice under her skilful questioning, I

Realized how much of the processes I kept for myself.

So we sat down and together we wrote the following:

If I am always the one to think where to go next,

If where we go is always the decision of the curriculum or my curiosity and not theirs.

If motivation is mine,

If I always decide on the topic to be studied, the title of the story, the problem to be worked on

If I am always the one who has reviewed their work and decided what they need,

How will they ever know how to begin?

If I am the one who is always monitoring progress.

If I set the pace of all working discussions.

If I always look ahead, foresee problems and endeavour to eliminate them.

If I swoop in and save them from cognitive conflict.

If I never allow them to feel and use the energy from confusion and frustration.

If things are always broken into short working periods.

If myself and others are allowed to break into their concentration.

If bells and I are always in control of the pace and flow of work

How will they learn to continue their own work?

If all the marking and editing is done by me.

If the selection of which work is to be published or evaluated is made by me.

If what is valued and valuable is always decided by external sources or by me.

If there is no forum to discuss what delights them in their task, what is working, what is not working, what they plan to do about it.

If they have not learned a language to discuss their work in ways that are intrinsically growth enhancing.

If they do not have language of self-assessment

If ways of communicating their work are always controlled by me.

If our assessments are mainly summative rather than formative,

If they do not plan their way forward to further action

How will they find ownership , direction and delight in what they do?

If I speak of individuals but present learning as if they are all the same.

If I am never seen to reflect and reflecting time is never provided.

If we never speak together about reflection and thinking and never develop a vocabulary for such discussion.

If we do not take opportunities to think about our thinking.

If I constantly set them exercises that do not intellectually challenge them

If I set up learning environments that interfere with their learning from their own actions.

If I give them recipes to follow.

If I only expect the one right conclusion.

If I signify that there are always right and wrong answers.

If I never openly respect their thoughts.

If I never let them persevere with something really difficult which they cannot master.

If I make all work serious work and discourage playfulness.

If there is no time to explore.

If I lock them into adult time constraints too early.

How with they get to know themselves as a thinker?

If we force them to always work and play with children of the same age.

If I do not teach them the skills of working co-operatively.

If collaboration can be seen as cheating

If all classroom activities are based in competitiveness.

If everything is seen to be for marks.

How will they learn to work with others?

For if they

have never experienced being challenged in a safe environment.

have had all of their creative thoughts explained away.

are unaware what catches their interest and how then to have confidence in that interest

have never followed something they are passionate about to a satisfying conclusion

have not clarified the way they sabotage their own learning

are afraid to seek help and do not know who or how to ask

have not experienced overcoming their own inertia

are paralyzed by the need to know everything before writing or acting

have never got bogged down

have never failed

have always played it safe.

How will they ever know who they are?