December 3, 2012
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hijacked…
My writing kids had other plans for our hour together today. I went with my plans developed and at some point it became obvious that we weren’t going to do what I had planned at all today. As we focused on the pre-planning process for their next project- a collaborative story book for toddlers- I was able to teach the skills I wanted and reinforce the things I’d planned on revisiting during the lesson time.
When we crossed off the things we didn’t accomplish this week (I tend to over plan), the middle child noticed that we had managed to cover almost all the topics… just not the way I had planned.
Thinking on my feet when I’m teaching comes from years of experience. It’s like knowing twenty ways to get across town because you’ve lived there all your life so when one way is blocked, you take a short-cut. Part of that ability comes from the prep time I put in. I go in knowing exactly what needs to be covered, but I’m willing to let the kids take me a different direction than what I’ve planned because in the end we’ll end up in the same place.
Usually, the student-directed activity is more meaningful and on target for where they need to be than what I have planned. Mine may be more creative but I don’t have to plan for engagement when I follow the kids lead. And guess which one they’ll remember longer? It’s hard to give the kids that much freedom in a classroom, but it’s a critical part of their learning. My objective is for them to become better writers. Luckily there are thousands and thousands of ways to accomplish that task!
Comments (2)
That sounds pretty awesome! I am sure they learned a lot, and enjoyed it, too.
Yup, preparation and truly understanding (well, as much as you can, because I know teaching is a learning experience, too) what your goals are and not just your methods seem to be great ways of getting things done, especially when things change. Sometimes going with the flow is good. I do it at work as often as not; why not yet children do the same thing? Rigidity for its own sake has limited value.