We live in a world
of constant motion with a continuous stream of information coming at us from
email, cell phones, ipads, and television. We’re checking Twitter and Facebook,
seeing who pinned what on Pinterest, following friends on Instagram, and
instant messaging. I sometimes feel that I spend my entire day just reacting to
the multitude of inputs around me. Sometimes, I just need time to think. I need
the world to quiet, and I need to process and reflect. It’s the same for students.
I think there are
two basic kinds of kids. One is the student who raises his hand before you even
finish giving directions and asks, “Can we work with a partner?” and the other
is the one that quietly walks up to you after hearing directions and says, “Can
we work on our own?” Sure, there are a lot of kids who fall somewhere in
between, but students tend to lean towards one or the other; the social
butterflies or the deep thinkers. Everything I’m reading today talks about
collaboration being an important part of instruction and I’m not disagreeing. I
spend most of my day collaborating with others and it’s a vital piece of how
the world functions. However, I hope that we leave time for our deep thinkers
as well. We learn from each other. The quiet ones need to work with the
outspoken and learn to get their voice in the room. The ones who are quick to
speak need to learn the value of sitting and mulling over their ideas before
going with the first one that pops into their heads. It’s all about balance.
Teachers need to
consider this when planning. We have so much material and knowledge that we
feel we must impart to our students within a given amount of time that
sometimes classrooms are constantly shifting from this to that with barely
time to breath in between. I’ve been there
with my students, and I know we all go home exhausted from the constant pace
and the nonstop need to react quickly and move on to what’s next.
How do we find
balance? Focus on what’s most important. Know your students and assess what
knowledge is needed. Teach your students to ask great questions and coach them
through answering them. Use the teacher’s manuals as a guide and not an
official mandate for what you need to teach that day. Find what matters most
and let go of some of the rest. Give students time for collaboration and time
for individual thought. Help them learn to manage the flow of information and
become better listeners. Let the social ones teach the quiet ones how to speak
out appropriately and let the quiet ones model what it looks like to deep think
through a task. Allow time for reflection and a brain break when transitioning between subjects.
In our fast paced
world, think about helping our students learn to thoughtfully react to the
stream of information around them, leading to quality collaboration. Sometimes
it’s OK to turn off and tune out. We just need time to think.
by Kami Thordarson, Innovative Strategies Coach
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