Changing our Teacher Mindset

 Changing the Teacher Mind Set

    As educators, we often begin planning our lessons with the activities in mind and not the objectives of studies. Asking ourselves what we are trying to teach our students might help us determine our actions. Listening to our student's interests and concerns will guide us in our teachings but requires a change in our mindset and our thought patterns. I have been reading up again on UbD, Understanding by Design which teaches instructional planning from the lesson objectives to the activities, in other words, backward.

    First, we figure out what we want to teach, our outputs. Then what the students are interested in to gain that understanding and lastly the best activities, inputs for those Outputs. The students are still our focus, but our questions are all student and objectives-based. For instance, I want my Second language learners to become more proficient in reading English; this is my new output or goal, the whole point of my lesson. My second step is to figure out what will engage my students in helping me do this.

    Looking to my students will assist me in answering all my input and questions, letting them have the best possible setup for success in this lesson. My students' current interests are video games, one in particular. Ding light bulb moment, let's gear my activity to replicate this as much as possible in this game. Now the hard part is the why? Why do my students need to know more about reading English? The easy answer is because it is everywhere, and we need it for testing. However, students don't care about this. Returning to the game idea gives it a story intro tie your output to your input; your protagonist needs to defeat the new boss who he can't understand and only speaks with words that must be read. Read the sentences with precision and deal a blow to the big boss more words right the higher the damage dealt. Simple. You have your input activity right there. Get those authentic texts to read, gaming articles, comics, alphabet soup cans, whatever your students want, and read on for English literacy proficiency. 

    Your teacher's mind has also learned a new thing. Our activities aren't ours to make and plan they are our students' own. The more involved the students are, the more they understand and retain. Retention, knowledge, and understanding are the true goal of all lessons.

Snuggle on, Snugglers!