We discussed in an earlier post that both the teacher and student have responsibility in the learning process. The teacher, as the successful climber at the top of (or at least higher up) the mountain knows what the student must learn. Therefore, Timeless Teaching must have a double focus. 1) Just what is it that the student must know? 2) How best to teach these skills? Just what is it that the student must know? I have grouped the items into 4 categories Self-discipline What allows for …
In the last post (see here https://www.timeless-teaching.com/learning-its-a-communication-thing/ )we were discussing what the responsibility of the teacher as a communicator is. But as we said, you can only facilitate learning, you cannot force anything. On the learner-listener’s part there has to be a willingness to listen and a desire to get it right. As a listener there are certain steps you want to take to try to improve successful communication. All these steps hold true for the learner-listener. They include: Being prepared – this may include readings, homework, etc. Be rested – listening is hard work, if you are tired you can’t listen …
First I think we need an understanding of what actually is occurring during teaching. Learning is a communicative event. As any speech therapist can tell you, this means there is a speaker, a listener, and a message. The presumption is that the teacher is the speaker, the student is the listener (we hope 😉 ) and the teaching you are trying to convey is the message. In truth it must be a reciprocal relationship, hence the two arrows in the graphic. The teacher must minimally spend enough time listening to effectively check for understanding, but I am getting ahead of …
“Fidget spinners are going to enable ADHD students to focus” “Fidget spinners are creating ADHD and must be banned from school” At the time of this writing the owning of a fidget spinner has gone viral, and with hundreds of schools banning fidget spinners, it looks like the spinner ban will go viral soon too. I must be missing a key piece of information because I do not understand the ban. What is notably absent is the scientific research demonstrating either claim. But even more importantly the educational opportunity is being missed. Is there a physical danger to fidget spinners? …