After a lot of entries I finally decided on a quote and commentary for last weeks challenge of being the Napkin Dad Daily’s first guest blogger. The winner is Amy Hanson of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma!
Time and again we’ve heard the saying ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. I wonder how true that really is. I wonder if age is even an issue. We all have preconceived notions regarding age and ability. I have been guilty of believing the sentiment that teaching an old dog new tricks is futile. Recently though I have become aware that its more about how well we, as teachers, understand the lesson we are trying to impart.
Certainly we’ve all had teachers who just go through the motions of reading the words, and putting the entire responsibility of the lesson on the student. I think the greatest thing a teacher can do is to get to know the students and their learning styles. When we change our perceptions of how people ‘do learn’ vs ‘should learn’, how people ‘do understand’ vs ‘should understand’ we then become more aware of how to deliver the lesson.
For example, when a whole class does poorly the teacher is often quick to blame the students for a variety of reasons; laziness, lack of motivation, etc. when in truth it could be how the teacher conveyed the lesson. I actually had a teacher during my years in school who recognized this. After universally bad results from a test she announced a retake for the entire class, and issued an apology in the way the material was presented. This worked incredibly well. The teacher and students alike were pleased at the results. Looking back I realize it was no easy feat for her to do that and I’ve admired it ever since.
A new way of communicating the same old thing really speaks volumes to an old dog trying desperately to hear.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
Quote and commentary by Amy Hanson of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. You can find her on Facebook.
>Congratulations, Amy!