Professional Documents
Culture Documents
10 Ways My Thinking Has Changed
10 Ways My Thinking Has Changed
10 Ways My Thinking Has Changed
2. I used to think my students learned best sitting facing the front of the classroom.
Now I think they need to sit in groups, in order to collaborate and construct meaning
together.
Now I think noisy lessons where the kids are engaged often reflect learning at its most
vibrant.
4. I used to think silence had to be filled by repeating the question or asking a different
question.
Now I think silence means every student has enough time to think.
5. I used to think differentiation meant setting different tasks for different abilities.
Now I think digital tools often provide natural differentiation for different levels,
abilities and interests.
6. I used to think every student had to put up his hand before he spoke and all
conversation had to go through me.
Now I think the best discussions are ones where the kids are responding to each other
and I’m out of the picture.
8. I used to think exercise books had to be neat, with a margin drawn at the side.
Now I think exercise books are for thinking, reflecting, scribbling ideas and working
things out, so it doesn’t matter what they look like.
9. I used to think finished work should be hung on the wall so the class could see it.
Now I think the best place for samples of learning is on the class blog or wiki where an
authentic audience can read/listen and comment.
10. I used to think that assessment was to find out whether students had mastered a
topic or a skill, and took the form of tests for which I gave grades.
Now I think assessment should inform teaching /learning and can occur through any
learning experience, including listening to what students say.
Now I think some of my best professional learning has been through Twitter and blogs.
12. I used to think the teacher was the teacher and the students were the learners.