Improving Teaching: Finding Your Inner 3-Year Old

 

When my nephew was three years old he would pick up my sister-in-law’s Ipod Touch and just start playing with it.  He would open apps, try to find his favorite Glee songs, and play games.  It was so impressive how he didn’t care that he didn’t know how to use it – he just figured it out.  He would maybe ask a question once in awhile, but he got a lot of satisfaction from “getting it” himself.

As teachers and administrators, we do everything that we can to help our students keep that curiosity, and we get frustrated when students “just want the answer.”  We expect that our students will want to “figure it out” themselves.  So, we work with them and help them struggle and push them to gain that same satisfaction that they have when they are really young.   We work to create an environment without fear or disapproval so that we don’t stifle that curiosity in our classrooms.

So why is it, when we expect our students to be curious, that we don’t always have that curiosity that we want so badly from them?  On our “Welcome Back Day” at school we were lucky enough to hear Will Richardson speak.  Will spoke about a child very similar to my three year old nephew.  The question he posed to the group was, “Does that child ever say, ‘Great!  When is my Professional Development day so I can learn how to use it?”  Of course that would be ridiculous.  So why, when you hand an Ipad to a teacher to use, some are unwilling to use it without Professional Development (PD)?? 

In the article, Six Traits of Successful Teachers, Beth Lewis states “The teachers I admire most are those who remain intellectually curious and professionally vital both inside and outside the classroom for decades.  They avoid stagnation at all costs and maintain an enviable passion for children and the learning process. They remain vivid in the students’ memories forever because of their creativity, sense of fun, and compassion.”  Curiosity is just as important for ourselves as it is for our students.

“Meaningful change ain’t gonna happen for our kids if we’re not willing to invest in it for ourselves first. At the heart, it’s not about schools…it’s about us.” – Will Richardson

A couple of years ago I decided I was not going to eat animal products anymore.  It completely changed the way that I lived my life!  I had to start cooking nearly every one of my meals because it was difficult to find food at restaurants.  So, rather than giving up and waiting for someone else to tell me what to do, I hit the internet.  I started trying all different foods and changing the way I ate.  I found friends that had similar interests – in addition to people on the internet – and built a network and support system of my own.  I was motivated because it was important to me and I was invested in my own success!  We have all been there, whether it is cooking, home improvement, landscaping, shopping, or any variety of things!

Teachers are passionate people by nature!  I would implore all teachers to find something in technology that inspires them and makes them want to learn.  I totally understand that teachers feel they don’t have time.  What I would ask is that you take FIVE minutes a day.  I think everyone can find that time.  It may be during passing time, first thing when you walk in the building in the morning, last thing you do before you leave, maybe right before you go to bed at night.  Choose something – twitter, an ipad app, evernote, googledocs, or whatever you choose – and play with it.  Find your inner three year old!!  He/she is there and will get excited about learning!