One thing I often hear from "education progressives" is that teachers should lecture less, involve their students more. To use the cheesy rhyme, teachers should be a "guide on the side, not a sage on the stage".
So I turn to page 15 of the February issue of California Educator, and what do I find listed as a "pitfall" of online learning--complete with a "thumbs down" graphic? "Makes the teacher less a lecturer and more a 'guide' helping students navigate online courses."
So the CTA thinks good teachers should lecture more? Who knew?!
But wait, it gets better. Turn to pages 16-17 and read about great teachers who conduct online classes! "Virtual schools still need real teachers and structure". Looks to me like CTA's trying to have it both ways on this issue--it's a bad practice, but with great teachers :-)
I am a second-year social studies teacher in Alabama. While my department is prone to lecturing, we do try to present the material in different ways so that we don't lecture. I've noticed two things...
ReplyDelete1) My admins don't want me to lecture, but have consistently praised other teachers in my department for having a lecture when they came in to observe them...can't figure that one out.
2) Most students still will try to get around actually trying to do anything. I've tried to pull my Economics/Government classes into a more project-oriented classroom, and I still get the "Oh my goodness, this is too much work..." complaining.
I think lecture is good in some cases, in other times, we as teachers should find a way to present the material in a different way.
Keep up the good work on your blog!
Variety *is* the spice of life :)
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the compliment!