The worst mistake a teacher can make
“The most misleading assumptions are the ones you don’t even know you’re making” - Douglas Adams
Teachers aren’t perfect, we all make mistakes, but our self-awareness and pedagogical insights must be held to the highest standards.
Our assumptions can have far-reaching consequences for child and adolescent development if we get them wrong.
The worst mistake a teacher can make is to blindly follow superficial, trendy or generic ideas about children and teens, without applying critical thinking and attention to detail, especially with respect to each pupil’s personality and circumstances.
Our attitudes and paradigms affect how we teach and therefore the outcomes we measure, which then impacts how we teach, and so on. If we pursue a faulty trajectory, the impact is significant.
We must interrogate trends in teaching and learning: some of them might not be in learners’ best interests. For example, there is pressure to gamify education, but researchers are sounding the alarm about short attention spans, fragmented memory, declining literacy skills, and other skills deficits. We certainly know how to keep learners busy - but are they learning anything?
There are many generalisations in education that warrant analysis. These include ideas about technology, peer group interactions, family dynamics, sports, diet, homework, curricula, assessment, and much more. We need to be sure that the ideologies driving our teaching practices are defensible.
We cannot mistake popular opinion or sensationalist rhetoric for robust information - and discover too late that that these notions don't work well within the classroom, or don’t benefit young people long-term.
It is on us to examine and discuss our beliefs about learners and learning, to ensure that the boys & girls we see every day have the best chance at happiness and independence. Here are some of the questions we should be asking ourselves - and each other:
Where do our ideas come from?
Are they applicable to all learners all of the time?
How do we go about testing whether or not our methods are sound?
Have any of us identified or practised effective techniques that aren’t yet widely known? If so, how do we share these ideas?
What mechanisms of best practice exist to hold us accountable, or to collaborate with other educators?
Are educators sufficiently engaged in debates about learning, and sufficiently aware of a variety of theories, both old and new?
Should we be wary of trends that are counter-intuitive? Are methodologies that have stood the test of time worth revisiting, such as memorisation?
What does the 4IR really mean?
Are we doing our learners a disservice by our own thinking - whatever it may be?
Unpacking assumptions is the starting point for creative, innovative, individualised teaching. Critical thinking elevates us above mediocrity and drives intentional instruction.
Start your journey to classroom excellence by listing what you believe to be true about the subject you teach, the way you teach it, and the pupils you teach. Share these beliefs with a colleague.
Begin the conversation.
If we are more deliberately scientific and philosophical in our practice, we can truly empower the next generation, not only to find their way, but to improve society for all.