Learning as We Go

A DirecTV commercial shows a man on his computer. As he works, you hear, “Stop! You have reached the end of the Internet. You have seen all there is to see. Please go back now.” This commercial makes me consider the unattainability of that task. The amount of information on the Internet makes it impossible to surf every page and reach “the end.” In fact, there are more than 1 billion websites, and that number only continues to grow. There is always something new to see or read on the World Wide Web—much like there is always more to learn about teaching.

No two students are alike, and therefore, we’ll never have a single program or practice that always works. We are not able to finish reading a text and say, “We have reached the end of all there is to know about teaching” because that is simply not possible. There is always something new to learn that will help us better meet the needs of our students. Because of this, we cannot afford to “stop” and become complacent. Instead, we must actively pursue new knowledge that will strengthen our practice. We can do this in many ways:

• Collaborate with colleagues and inquire about what they are doing.
• Read the latest literature and research to uncover new thinking.
• Read the “best” literature. Although it is important to stay up to date with the latest, we must also remember that many great books are not new.
• Ask questions and seek answers that aid in our instructional decision making.
• Challenge practices that are not producing the results our students deserve.
• Attend conferences to reenergize, meet new colleagues, and gain new information.

True growth happens when we step outside our comfort zones and are brave enough to make changes we know we should. It also happens when we seek personal growth and deeper learning in well-known areas. As we open our minds to learn from other teachers, from our students, from our students’ parents, and from the community at large, we grow in our practice. It is advantageous that we will never reach “the end,” because that means that under our instruction, our students won’t either. 

 

News from The Daily CAFE

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Raising Writers . . .

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Courage
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