6b

content-knowledge-prof-growth

content-knowledge-prof-growth 6b

Classrooms have long practiced the theory that students “learn better and recall more when they think they will soon need to teach the material to someone else” (Everding, 2014). This method moves students through the various stages of the Bloom’s Taxomony framework. This approach also works with professional development, teachers teaching other teachers to “deepen [their own] professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). Some of my best learning has taken place when I’ve been teaching others.

Layers of Information

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In late 2015, I was offered the opportunity to participate in a day school conference, as a workshop facilitator. The session I hosted was called, “Layers of Information”:

During this session, participants will learn to teach research; providing students with relevant and trustworthy sites, then moving to the final stage of independent and effective research. This is a hands-on workshop; participants are asked to bring a device (laptop, tablet, phone) and a topic for an upcoming unit (e.g., solar system, fiction versus non-fiction, etc.) for practice during the session. This session is recommended for librarians, classroom teachers in grades 3 and up, and teachers looking to move to an inquiry-based model.

While preparing this workshop, I reflected on the work I do with students and was able to finely articulate my process of teaching effective search strategies. I was able to then take my understanding to the next level by answering questions and explaining how my work could be implemented by other teachers. My work in professional development helped me “to improve [my own] professional practice” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011).

Googling to the Max

In another day school conference, I taught a “Googling to the Max” to workshop fellow educators:

During this session, participants will learn advanced tips for using Google in an educational setting; topics such as synonym searching, using country codes, searching by file type, searching within the URL, and searching specific domains will be explored. Participants will also learn how to use Google Sites to create resource pages for curriculum units. If time permits, a short overview of Google Books and Google Scholar will be provided. This is a hands-on workshop and participants are asked to bring a device (laptop, tablet, phone) to practice on during the session.

 

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While the goal of this ISTE Coaching Standard is to engage “in continuous learning to deepen professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions in organizational change and leadership, project management, and adult learning to improve professional practice,” my work in educating others has had the most impact in deepening my own knowledge (International Society for Technology in Education, 2011). The opportunity to teach others has really been an opportunity to teach myself. From analyzing my processes and procedures to articulating my thought-process and answering thoughtful questions, these experiences are when I’ve grown most as both an educator, and as a student.


References

Everding, G. (2014, August 12). Students learn more if they’ll need to teach others [Blog post].
Retrieved from http://www.futurity.org/learning-students-teaching-741342/

International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). ISTE standards: coaches. Retrieved June 29, 2011, from http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-coaches

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