100 Posts in 100 Days
I used to have a gingham plush dog toy in my office. It was when I worked as a professional development coordinator in US public school district. The toy was a gift from a colleague that symbolized our work and an idea that had been shared with us by our Associate Superintendent.
The phrase that prompted the dog toy was, “Make ‘em beg” but what it meant to us had nothing to do with begging or with animals. Some better phrases would have been along the lines of, “Help them ask questions”, “Encourage them to explore”, or “Support their inquiries.” The intention of the phrase, and what that dog toy symbolized for me, was all about creating conditions.
Creating conditions means crafting an environment where learning can occur. It means providing resources, materials, time, routines and structures, productive struggle, and nudges to continue learning. It is helping learners work in their zone of proximal development. It’s not about having answers or teaching others all that you know; it’s about arranging the environment and context to help others learn. I think about the Montessori classrooms in my school and the concept of the prepared environment comes to mind.
Tomorrow our full faculty returns to campus. We have a week of learning together and I’m thinking a lot about the conditions we provide for them this week.
- How have we arranged their learning environment so that they can take full advantage and optimize their learning?
- What resources, learning challenges, and supports will nudge them this week that will help them hone their craft as educators?
- How do we engage their curiosity and creativity so that they want to learn (beg for) more?
I’ll be exploring these 3 questions in my next 3 posts.