Nondirect Instruction

So I know I haven't updated this since I landed in Prague, but mostly because I'd rather be out networking with all the incredible educators I've met and not in my room on my computer. Today we took a tour of the city and visited Prague Castle. Apparently Prague Castle was build in 870 AD which is incredibly old to an American like me whose state of Colorado has only been around for a little more than 120 years. I was amazed as I walked around the cathedral at all the details that went into the stained glass windows, the statues, and the tombs of the deceased saints and royal family members. I started asking myself questions like, "How do you think they were able to take silver and make such accurate and precise statues?" and, "If there are 2,000 people buried here, am I standing on a tomb right here?" We had a tour guide who lectured to us the entire time and never solicited the group for questions since she had a ton of content to cover in a short amount of time. I'll be honest I don't remember most of what she told me, but I do remember the questions that are still bugging me. I wonder what questions other people had in the group and if those questions were answered or not?

Ultimately the tour reminded me of how we treat students in a classroom. Teachers have all the information, and give it to students. Teachers feel overwhelmed with all the information that must be "transfered" to their students so they just continue to spew information out and then a majority of the class leaves without any new knowledge.

I tried to talk to some of my fellow forum attendees about what they thought of the Castle. I was amazed at how much people already knew from either their past research or experiences in Prague. I was fascinated by their perspectives on the culture, the architecture and the religion of the Roman Catholic Church. I wanted to know more from my new friends but I could see the tour guide was getting annoyed that I wasn't doing a very good job listening to her.

Again sound familiar? Next time you're in a classroom (wether your own or another's) listen to who is talking. 9 times out of 10 I'm willing to be its a teacher and I wonder on how much we miss out on because the students are silent. I'm always saddened when I'm in a classroom and I ask a student to share their thoughts about a topic (there's no right or wrong answer) but they look at me in silence, afraid to say something wrong or unsure of what I'm asking since the teacher never solicites the students for information.

My life will not end because I didn't learn everything about St. Vitus Cathedral. I won't be quizzed tomorrow by my boss about the name of the guy who started building St. Vitus Cathedral and what year that happened. Instead I'll probably be asked to lead a group of teachers to reflect on their instruction and help them become better teachers by facilitating them to synthesize information and refine their pedagogy.

It's time for teachers to ask themselves how they're preparing their students for the work-force. Is it by helping them learn to memorize information that you share with them or is it a set of inquiry and organizational skills that will allow them to adapt and change to whatever career they end up pursuing?

Educators, check yourself before you wreck your students.