2 - The Importance of Being Wrong

03/12/20 • 41 min

In this episode of The Teacher's Desk, we dig into a common, and sometimes frustrating obstacle in school: the fear of being wrong. Students, and even adults, often see wrong answers as being signs of weakness, and it can be difficult to foster that courage to take risks when the fear of being wrong is looming. What can we do to push through that?
This episode features an interview with Ian, a high school English teacher, coach, and all around great guy. We talk about frustrations of teaching, as well as the challenges that make it fun. Ian's approach to his students is refreshing, frankly, and his students love him for it.

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4 - Assuming the Role

Episode 4 marks a slight shift in the focus of The Teacher's Desk, at least for the time being. During this global crisis, I have heard from an abundance of people that are suddenly trying to run some sort of classroom from their home. Not only is this incredibly daunting, it can add to the stress of an already intense situation. The Teacher's Desk, from this episode forward, will offer professional advice and tips for parents, grandparents, and anyone else trying to assume the role of a teacher during these trying times.
It is important for parents and others to understand, they are not expected to suddenly "become" a teacher. Rather, to those that are assuming part of that teacher's role, you are ensuring that the interruption to these students' lives will be as small as we can make it.
This episode also features an interview with Elementary School teacher Rachel. The interview was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is a wonderful look inside the mind of an excellent teacher, and a remarkable human being.
* Rachel references "Visual Learning" by John Hattie. I realize now I have read some of his work previous to this, but didn't remember. It is, however, where a lot of teaching pedagogy is focused these days. www.visiblelearning.com