In days of old when knight where bold and teachers were the font of all knowledge, monologue was king.
Usurped by the democratisation of media the teacher has been upstaged by those algorithm driven search engines. It's no longer enough to be good you have to be remarkable (Godin) to compete for student attention.In the face of these changes we are empowered to become facilitators of learning rather than distributers of information. Sounds trite? Perhaps but this is the nature of teaching today and in the words of the Borg, " Resistance is futile".
This transition is challenging so much so that that many will find this difficult, perhaps too difficult. After all if the kids are not going to listen to your monologue how will you fill that lesson time? Don't get me wrong. I'm a great believer in telling stories but only to enhance the learning not to replace it. Good teachers have always facilitated learning but the new technologies make this a possibility perhaps a requirement for all teachers. You need to be remarkable.
If you clear the space of your continual monologue the void can be filled with student dialogue. No longer the centre of attraction in the classroom you will have to get over yourself. Sure you will have to prepare more, yes you will have to give up those lines you have repeated for most of your career. You are no longer the centre of attraction, its not about your popularity, its about creating autonomous learners. Embrace the future and become remarkable.
''When teachers stop talking deep learning takes place'' (John Hattie)
''When teachers stop talking deep learning takes place'' (John Hattie)
