As a student in the 90's, my teachers were the sole source of knowledge at school. They knew the dates, background information, and important names associated with the content we were learning. It was almost like they were part of a secret club of knowledge (ok, so really they were probably the only people in the building to have a copy of Cliff Notes with analysis and a teacher's textbook with possible test questions to add to their vast knowledge of a particular topic). Even during my first few years of teaching, this was the case. Students looked to me for answers and insight to the famous stories and poems that we were reading in class. My notes and handouts were the sole source of information for them.
As a new teacher in 2003, my learning was quite similar. I waited for my district to provide me with inservice training to fill the contracted time each year. I was warned about dreaded inservice. I completed the tasks that were asked of me. I sometimes presented ideas that were recommended by my administrators to help improve topics like reading and writing across the curriculum. I am sure that sometimes I sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher. In a sense, the notes and handouts from the district office were my sole source of learning. It was a one-type-fits-all type of learning which allowed many of us to check out, fill the time, complain about how what we were learning had nothing to do with our content, and leave 15 minutes early. It is no wonder why the uphill battle to change professional learning faces such a steep climb. Many teachers were subjected to the kind of teaching that we abhor - there's no way we would ever teach like that, but we were learning like that. Ironically, we also know that the biggest factor to improving student learning is the effectiveness of a classroom teacher. Those two facts just don't seem to correlate.
Whether students and their teachers know it or not, America is in the middle of an education revolution. In my classroom, I am no longer the sole source of knowledge. However, I am the only person who has teaching experience. I am the only person who knows how to create a learning environment that is respectful and student-centered. I am the only person who has completed high school and college. I am the only person who is a mom and a wife. I am all of these things, but I am not the only person responsible for learning in my classroom. Because of 1:1 laptops, my students have access to nearly every site I could possible use to create my lessons. If they don't know how to use a colon correctly to introduce a list, they can look it up. If they aren't sure how to spell a word, they can look that up, too. Heck, they can even Youtube how to create something on Google Docs if I don't have the answer how to do it. You see, in my classroom, we learn together. It is okay for me to say, "I don't know the answer to that" because I have allowed myself to be part of the learning. In class last week, I played Merle Haggard (a type of audio literacy, right?) after he passed away. I went out to the hallway during passing period, and when I returned, a student had written his full name, his birthplace, his birthdate, and his final day on earth. I didn't ask him to do that, but it sure helped in the discussion of who Merle Haggard was, the impact he had on music, and the fact that he has passed away the day before. It was so cool that a student took the initiative to look that information up on his phone before class began because we all learned from it.
As a teacher, Websites like Twitter and apps like Voxer are connecting educators from across the country. Now that I know I can connect with other educators (we call them Ts in the Twitter world), I have an endless amount of resources. For example, the other day, I had a question about a website that allows a group of people to collaboratively create word clouds. I tweeted out my question, and within 5 minutes I had the answer I was looking for tweeted back to me. IT WAS FANTASTIC (and the answer was a website called govote.at) A few years ago, I would not have felt comfortable doing that. I probably would have asked my department, but there is no way I would have posted it on the internet for people to see because even then I felt like I should have those answers somewhere in my playbook. Now that I know better, I no longer have to wait for my district to tell me what I should learn and from whom I should learn it. I have made a choice to continue to better myself and my teaching strategies because that betters the learning that takes place for my students.
This battle between "old learning" vs. "new learning" exists because many students and teachers alike easily approach learning as victim learners. While no definition exists, victim learning sounds like this: "I have to be here. I have to learn this. I have to..." as though there is not a choice. Being a victim of a crime or abuse is a very real and true thing, and victims deserve all the help and support that we can offer. I have no doubt that many students and teachers (myself included) have suffered through mind-numbing classes and presentations; they have been the victims of the clock, filling time until the hour or day is over.
However, the choice now lies within us. Each day we have a choice to try to better ourselves whether we are 15 or 55 years old. It is no one else's choice but our own. Many teachers are working to change this mindset in our classrooms and in our schools. When "have to" becomes "get to" or "might", then we start taking chances and changing those thoughts. Educators are trying to get students to take ownership of their learning and the opportunities that are presented to them by well-educated, compassionate, and driven teachers. We are trying to engage them, inspire them, and introduce them to ideas they never knew existed. We are trying to uncross their arms and open their eyes to the fact that learning is something that no one can ever take from them. We are trying to show them their potential, but more importantly get them to realize themselves that their potential is opening up endless doors for future success.
Many teachers are also trying to change this mindset within their schools and districts. It is okay to be positive. It is okay to love teaching, or as I like to say, "geek out over it"! Teaching, for me, is like being a coach. My classroom is the field or court that I can use to make a difference in my students' reading and writing. So, yeah, I am pretty "geeked out" about what I do each day. It is no different than the passion I see from our band teacher, art teacher, or our head football coach - that kind of passion results in excellence. I have a choice, and I choose not to be a victim of bad learning; it's MY choice. Not every teacher is comfortable sharing what they do online, but the choice to be positive and innovative starts in our classrooms and in our hallways. If you want to know more about Twitter, Voxer, or the other ways that educators are networking, just ask someone who uses it. I guarantee that they will be excited to show you a world that you never knew existed. It is positive. It is learning driven. It is a choice you will never regret.
