IN THIS SPACE
As an educator who deeply believes in the power of story, I blend narratives of my own experience with teaching points to share what has cultivated my on-going growth that I hope will support you in your own journey. Grounded in my identity as His beloved daughter, I celebrate God's goodness woven throughout my life as a testimony to the way He creates each of us as unique and unrepeatable. Come along as I share the story of my soul. My prayer is that it encourages you to reflect more deeply on your story and that it inspires you to support others in doing the same.
Teach Like a Learner
"Read like a writer and write like a reader" was a phrase at the forefront of my mind as a middle school language arts teacher. With an understanding that writers can enhance their craft by considering the experience of reading and readers can increase their comprehension by thinking about the craft of writing, I taught my students to notice. I introduced them to the concept of mentor texts and to think deeply about the intentional structure and choices that writers make. I taught them to notice what caught their attention and sustained their engagement as readers.
Eventually, as a teacher educator, I began to see a parallel with teaching and learning. I understood that I could enhance my instruction through considering my own experiences as a learner and listening to my students' voices. Considering the student side could powerfully shape my intentional moves as an instructor as I developed my courses and then supported students as they navigated the academic terms.
The first time I used the term teach like a learner, it was in connection with a summer research project that I did in order to consider what I could learn from reflecting on what I loved so much about the online scrapbooking courses I was taking for fun and ways in which I could then potentially enhance my own instruction.
Since then, I have seen the value in better understanding myself as a learner in a range of contexts - formal learning, casual learning, and independent learning. I have delighted in the process of considering creative ways to implement insights from the experiences and am excited to share different aspects of what I have learned along the way.
Questions for Reflection:
How have you continued learning throughout different seasons of your adult life? Do not just limit your list to traditional professional or academic learning. Consider the range of opportunities to learn something new or enhance the depth of your understanding. Think about professional growth, hobbies, and new interests. Reflect on both guided and independent learning.
What were some of the methods employed in order to learn? What did you love about the experiences?
What did you learn about yourself as a learner through the experiences? What might that mean for your own students, how they learn and how you might better meet their needs and sustain their engagement as a learner?
Within this blog and website, unless otherwise noted, all excerpts from Sacred Scripture and the Lectionary for the Mass are as follows:
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
