Most teaching careers last for years; for many of us, a lifetime. With noses to the grindstone, we don’t usually take stock of where we are in light of where we’ve been. We know that we aren’t teaching as we did in the beginning. The changes feel like growth, although we can’t always name what’s different, how the changes came about, or their impact on student learning. Taking a look back sometimes makes the way forward easier to see.
2 Responses
Excellent information! It’s a challenge to continue to
grow in our teaching abilities, to stay excited about
our course information, and to extend that to the
students so that they will love learning!
A major change for my teaching occurred after attending the summer conference for the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. One of the most striking yet simple ideas that stuck with me from that conference was that I had to let go of the idea that students won’t learn something just because I didn’t say it. That I can let go of covering content and work on skills they need to become life-long learners. Thanks as always for the thought-inspiring article summaries!