To learn, we must first admit that there is something we do not know, something that we still need to learn. As a teacher, this can be a big ego buster. Teachers often have the impression that they must know everything or at least so much more than their students that they are never caught without a ready answer. I openly admit to my students that I am still learning, that in fact, I will learn for the rest of my life. I also tell them that they have such amazing brains and ideas that they sometimes ask questions that I do not yet have the answer to, but I will be more than happy to learn the answer with them! I think a teacher who is willing to respond, "I don't know, but let's learn together," is a teacher who demonstrates what it means to be a life long learner. When teachers have this orientation, students also feel free to admit that they have a lot to learn. Teachers and students dedicate themselves to continually learning. Each day teaching is a new learning adventure and each class creates a new learning community.
How do you feel about telling students you don't know the answer?
I agree with you 100%!I always tell my students that it's not my job to know everything, and it's not my job to tell them everything I know. But it is my job to teach them how to make discoveries for themselves and find the answers they seek.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I admire what you are doing in Guatemala. I wish that when I was younger I had the same courage you do!Brava!
Darlene
meatballsinthemiddle
Thank you! I am very grateful for this opportunity and all the support I have had that has helped me to be brave.
DeleteYou bring up a good point that it is not our job to tell kids information. Our job is to teach them how to learn and to make them into life long learners.
I tell my students when I don't know something. This comes up quite often in science and I tell them we will learn about it together. I personally think that it is great for students to see that adults/teachers are still learning.
ReplyDelete~Diving Into Learning
As a homeschooling mother, this is the first lesson I learned: that I will be learning right along with my son. Although first grade math is not HARD, learning how to teach the why behind 1+1=2 for example has been a delightful part of the journey. When my son asks me a question and I don't know the answer of "how" he is the first to say "let's go google it." Delightful!
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! It is great that you and your son think so deeply about the content! Technology and brain science are two of my favorite areas of study right now.
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