As an educator I feel it is most important, regardless of my role, to ensure my learners are working towards reaching their full potential and are able to contribute in a positive manner to society and have meaningful lives. This may seem a bit out of the box for simply a “math” or “reading” teacher, but when we think about our true purpose it goes beyond reading and arithmetic. As educators it is incumbent upon us to foster an environment that facilitates connections to the real world that promotes learning for students.
Starting with the end in mind allows the facilitator to have an understanding of the student’s desired goal. With this end point in mind the teacher is then able to coach the student’s learning. While the student should be actively in the driver’s seat of their learning, the teacher can service as a guide when they get off track. Guidance can come in the form of feedback, clarifying activities, questioning techniques, and/or collaboration. Whatever tools are chosen, the teacher has to be clear on the end point.
As students engage in their educational journeys, often in schools the focus is on them collecting dots opposed to connecting dots. I believe this is largely due to specific scope and sequences teachers must adhere to that often accompany timeframes. In Texas teachers are responsible for “teaching “a set amount of TEKS for their subject and grade level. As they go through this check list, unfortunately, students are typically just collecting the dots.
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