Buzz Words

Sorry faithful readers (all three of you), but it is now school season and most of these posts will probably be about school and what happens in it. I think as a teacher in high school I have the greatest opportunity to shape and mold tomorrows citizens (scary thought too) and therefore I always have a story to tell about what this student said or what that person did.

Well, as an educator there is always some new "buzz word" that shapes what you do that year. The world of education is always changing and growing and if you don't keep up the buzz words begin to drown you and soon you are standing there saying "what does that word mean and how does it impact how I teach?" The new buzz word in my neck of the woods is Differentiated Instruction. Basically, that means that you have to make your teaching accessible for all learning styles as well as learning levels. We know we all learn differently, but unfortunately, most teachers teach to only one learning style. So, in an effort to get on board I am trying to incorporate a little more cooperative learning which is so far removed from my comfort level. I like order, serenity, and peace in my classroom and cooperative learning has lots of movement, talking, and teamwork (which are all good things that I really want the kids to be comfortable doing). On Thursday I started a cooperative learning project in all five of my classes (talk about biting off more than you can chew). It went above and beyond better than I could have imagined and gave me so much hope that this really can work and the kids really can do it. This should be an interesting year. Change can be uncomfortable but I think it will make me better.