Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Pop Quiz for Teachers

My students know that I love the "pop" quiz, which isn't always very much of a surprise :)
Here's one for me from Jenny at Lucacept:

Am I “network literate”? I strive to be.

Am I “Googled well”? Yes. This gets better every year, and I love finding myself on other people's blogs and presentation wikis.

Am I learning with others “out there”? Canada, Australia, and all over the US - YES

Am I a “mobile learner”? No, I don't own a cell phone (maybe that will change soon)

Am I reading and writing differently? As an English teacher, I think NO. Although I try to skim online, it's very difficult for me. I go to catch up on my reader and get stuck on the first two posts I come across. There is SO much great info out there; I just can't skip over it. I'm fascinated by it all.

Am I collaborating, co-constructing and collectively acting with others? My collaborations have improved this year, but I want to do much more with this whole area.

Am I a learner first, teacher second? I don't know that I can put it in this kind of hierarchy. I feel that learning in a continual process running over everything that I do, and teaching is a framework underneath that - the structure and prior knowledge that I need to progress and help my students progress more efficiently.

So, final grade? I'm definitely a work in progress.

3 comments:

Andy said...

Everyone is a work in progress. I'm a mess and I'm constantly picking up the pieces. The last question: "Am I a learner first, teacher second?" doesn't need to be on the list (at least that's my thought). The teacher is the student and the student is the teacher. Ultimately the student must teach themselves otherwise we liken education to animal training - let's call in Cesar Millan, aka The Dog Whisperer.

J. Clark Evans said...

Good point, Andy. I like your analogy.

Peter Yan said...

Perhaps the *Learner and Teacher* dichotomy can be subsumed into the word *searcher*, where the student and teacher are both united in the search for knowledge in which the Subject holds the ultimate authority in the classroom.