There are many amazing practitioners across our state. Think of the wisdom, experience, and curiosity represented therein. While our classrooms and students are unique, we have in common the challenges and wonders that we face.
There are many, many excellent education blogs in existence, but most are for K-12. While they are still relevant to us, wouldn't it be interesting to have a space in which to ponder similar issues through our lens of adult education?
And so, a new blog is born! Reflect & Connect: The Reflective Practitioner will be updated periodically with articles by practitioners on our team and in the field. It follows in the footsteps of the Adult Numeracy Center’s math blog that has existed for three years now. Do go there to read your peers’ views on teaching and learning math.
Explore questions and ideas such as the following, excerpted from current and upcoming posts in the two blogs:
- What does it mean “to think” in various disciplines? The contexts and specific knowledge bases may be different, but are there common ways of thinking across them?
- As teachers, our job is to not rescue our students but rather to help our students struggle productively.
- I couldn’t understand why my students couldn’t understand what they were reading, no matter what I tried. I was frustrated and almost in despair. What was I supposed to do?
- The takeaway here is that when there were six talented educators eager to help improve my assignment, based on the evidence of related student work, it only took about forty-five minutes for me to learn how to do radically better next time.
- How awesome is it that when we provide rich, meaningful learning opportunities in a safe space, our students make connections and constructively converse about their ideas?
- The best part of teaching this math class is that the students do not need to pass a test to succeed. They come to see the many ways math can help in their daily life.
We hope you will respond as you feel moved to do so. You have the option of commenting on a specific post or sending a general comment or question from the “Contact Us” page.
Reflecting on our work helps us grow; sharing helps us connect. Both help us learn and deepen our practice.
by Lakshmi Nayak, Coordinator at the SABES PD Center for ELA
Seek out these stellar sites via links on the SABES ELA and Math homepages, and directly at:
