You Break It, You Bought It!

Effective or Defective?

I had a very interesting experience happen recently.  While jotting a note in my phone for a future blog post, I was comparing classroom strategies.  I misspelled Effective, and my phone auto-corrected with Defective.  This momentary swap almost went unnoticed, but when I saw the words juxtaposed on the screen, it occurred to me how easily a single strategy can go either way.  So what's the missing ingredient that can turn an otherwise broken moment  into an effective instructional memory for our students?  I suppose that's the magic question, but as long as we're always asking it, we are more likely to consider all of the elements that impact learning and instruction in our own spaces.

You break it, you bought it!

What do we do when a lesson drifts from effective to defective? Own it, and don't blame kids. Call it responsibility, agency, or reflection, but figure it out so that it becomes a teachable moment for the educator.  This can be an empowering process, because when we have to dig our way out a hole we've created, we enhance our toolbox and may be more likely to take more risks.  Shaking the status quo and breaking patterns is uncomfortable, and this is coming from one of the bigger creatures-of-habit you'll ever meet, but as I've said before, the risk is the reward. 

We can't do it all, we can't do it quickly, and we definitely can't do it for the sake of doing it.  For every day we act like revolutionaries, there are days that we back up and say, "too much-too fast." I was at a conference where the keynote speaker opened by asking, "What's new and different?" Innovative product names and ideas were flying around, and I wondered how many "new and different" ideas would come at the expense of "old and awesome" methods.  

For example, the exploding maker movement is inspiring, but paper towel marble tracks and popsicle-stick catapults are nothing new.  That's not to say it's just a glossy new package, but it is worth recognizing the the elements of design-thinking and STEM-style projects that that have existed for years, while also recognizing the shifting landscape of the teaching field that has brought priority and integrity to this methodology, as well as the opportunities that new technologies can add. We should just always be mindful of collecting impactful tools that have potential to transform learning, so that the focus is never the device or tool, but the opportunity for improved teaching and learning experience it enables.

After asking for the new and different, I wish that presenter had followed up with, "So how's that's working, helping or impacting instruction?" It's always critical to ask the question, whether it's in a day, week or a year, or we run the risk of taking existing effective practices and turning them defective. Every teacher makes a difference. Make sure it's a positive one.