Sage On The Stage < Guide On The Side < Compass Among Us
Published on November 6, 2019
Here’s one of the things I love about Twitter, short conversations spark longer discussions. Will Richardson posted this on Twitter:
Kids don’t need to be taught how to learn. (No one does.) Our job in schools is to create conditions where they can practice what they already know. To trust their curiosity, creativity, and inherent agency. To get out of the way as much as possible. #justsayin— Will Richardson (@willrich45) November 4, 2019
Great point. We need to get out of the way. And then David Truss posted this:
It’s not explicitly teaching them to learn, but it’s also not just getting out of their way…
Teacher as compass: A compass doesn’t point the way, it points north and guides the student on their own journey. #JustSayin #GoodTeachersMatter https://t.co/wCFF9sD9uI— David Truss (@datruss) November 5, 2019
And then David wrote a great blog post here.
He wrote:
However, ‘Teacher as compass’ works very well with inquiry-based learning. Students will do projects where they become more knowledgeable than the teacher in a specific area of content. If teachers are trying to be the content providers for students who are all on different learning voyages, the teachers will fail. However, if teachers are guiding their students, helping them seek out information, and expertise, and supporting them in creating a learning plan… if they are the compass… then they can support students on their individual learning journeys.
This is powerful thinking. I love it. It brings an idea to my mind that I have had for a long time. We talk about one-size-fits-all curriculum. If we have a curriculum that is geared towards the average student, that is a waste, because we don’t have any average students.
What we need is a framework that adapts to every student. We don’t need curriculum (the materials) that is one size fits all. We need a framework that gives teachers power to support every single student, no matter how strong or weak they may be in particular areas.
David speaks about inquiry-based learning as possibly providing that approach, and I think he’s on the right track.
After reading his post, I posted this on Twitter:
Sage on the stage < guide on the side < compass pointing north | good stuff @datruss https://t.co/zZmV6uXZj9— jethrojones (@jethrojones) November 5, 2019
Now I just need something visual to represent this.
And here it is:
