I loved my fifth-grade teacher. He had a theater background, and so his teaching was punctuated with different voices, random singing, and general hilarity. I thought he was brilliant. He could grab the attention of his class like none other. (A balding, bearded man singing, “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story will do that.)…
Instructional Methods
I Don’t Know!
Do you remember a time when you were in school and you had to answer “I don’t know” to a question? I’m sure I said it many times, but one particular instance stands out. I was in French class my sophomore year of high school, and a guest speaker asked me a question—in French. I…
Are We Getting It Wrong?
I read this article the other day, and it made me ponder the way we teach. To sum up the article, it explains that Chinese schools emphasize direct “chalk and talk” instruction and students do smashingly well on international tests. It goes on to emphasize that teaching to different learning styles and lavish praise have…