Student-Centered Teaching
In my o so humble opinion, COVID has done us educators a great favor: It has put student-centered teaching
front and center.
When we no longer have school walls and bells or buzzers to corral students, we have to use other resources to keep students focused on learning. Right? That means we have to get creative. We have to get down to the bare bones. We have to figure out what matters about our subject matter and learning objectives and then, somehow,
make it impossible for students not to want to play.
(This assumes, of course, that our students are able to play — that the logistics of learning have been worked out so students can actually participate with a minimum of anxiety and obstruction. Sadly, awfully, that is a tall order for some.)
When I say play, I mean play. It’s a technical term. In education. In psychology. Play is essential not just for children in day care centers. It is essential for all students and — hear me — for teachers, too. If we’re going to survive this first year of COVID teaching, we’d better figure out
how to play.
I do not mean goofing off. (Though I wouldn’t discourage teachers from planning some goofy exercises for themselves and their classes. Goofiness can be very compelling. Laughter and enjoyment are healing.) I mean
modeling curiosity (which means, of course, actually being curious)
asking authentic questions (questions you do not necessarily know the answers to)
being comfortable with not-knowing (in yourself and in your students)
embracing the process (of searching, of discovering, of making and exploring mistakes)
co-creating the Nth
having fun
To do all this, we teachers need to be relaxed. (Which makes me think starting every class with a goofy activity might be a great idea.) We need to let go, perhaps, of the expectations and standards we normally hold ourselves to when we’re teaching within four walls with bells and buzzers marking time.
And, if we’re going to let go of old norms, we teachers need to establish new norms that recognize
the inescapable realities of COVID teaching
and yet embrace the potential of these constraints.
Which brings us back to students. How can COVID constraints liberate students’ creativity? How can COVID constraints liberate yours? How do you define learning? How does that definition allow you to focus on students — what they do (synchronously, asynchronously; in a large zoom group, in small zoom groups, independently), how they play, how they demonstrate the ways they’ve changed?
All of which brings us back to you. To manage these COVID times, to turn anxiety and frustration and fear into optimism and energy and relaxed play,
you need support.
Get it. (Here? Here? Someplace else?)
And here’s your (obvious) mantra: Play. Play play play.