My Academic Research - Educational Dialogs:
There is no shortcut for crafting an accurate and useful view of educational exchanges, i.e., one that connects scientific insights on human learning with practical insights on how expert teachers shape others' learning intentionally and effectively in school settings. It took me years -- of (a) being a student, (b) being a teacher, (c) watching expert teachers teach, (d) reading scholarship about others' educational exchanges, and (e) refining my own dialogs with students -- to be able to say this succinctly: Students reliably recall two things when reflecting on the teachers they appreciate - "They are clearly invested in the material they teach"; "They clearly care about their students." While these (subjective, speculative, internal) truths do not, in themselves, guarantee that a teacher will achieve positive and productive exchanges with their students, that sincere investment does provide a foundation which is arguably crucial in developing flexible skill and attuned understanding as an educational leader. |
In watching expert teachers, I have observed a broad range of personalities, teaching philosophies, and classroom practices. But underlying all these diverse surfaces is a common path of personal, practical, and principled development: successful expert teachers spend years shaping and re-shaping their courses, questioning and doubting their approaches, watching and listening to their students with a simple driving motivation -- "I really think these lessons are valuable; I really want to help students incorporate these ideas and skills and habits in their own lives."
The goal of teaching is Analogous Personalization: using one's own learning as a lens for understanding and supporting other people's (individual and unique, but relatable and recognizable) learning processes. The pragmatic path toward this educational goal is Dialog: trading social signals about one another's feelings, thoughts, motives, and intentions (verbally or nonverbally, directly or through less-immediate media) to coordinate the building of shared ideas, approaches, and goals. |
So now, every time I prepare teach, I start by making this clear in my mind:
If only one thing ...
"... What do I want people to feel, think about, and experience doing today?"
"... What do I hope that will do for them, in their lives?"
"... What resources can I draw on - in myself, in this environment - to make that impact
as persuasive and efficient (as deep and soon) as possible?"
... Who are these people, and
what is the shortest line between our minds?"
*
If only one thing ...
"... What do I want people to feel, think about, and experience doing today?"
"... What do I hope that will do for them, in their lives?"
"... What resources can I draw on - in myself, in this environment - to make that impact
as persuasive and efficient (as deep and soon) as possible?"
... Who are these people, and
what is the shortest line between our minds?"
*