Background--The KMS faculty was asked to reflect on their own teaching practice an an exercise in writing essential questions and enduring understandings. Here's what they came up with...
Enduring Understandings--What do you know is true about how students learn and how you should teach?
- Students have aptitudes in all areas and degrees.
- Students learn more about things that are relevant, things they care about.
- Teachers have a responsibility to ignite a student's interest in the topic at hand.
- Teachers allow kids to explore, question, apply, and extend their knowledge.
- Kids have different learning styles.
- Effective teachers utilize different methods of teaching and are looking for new ways to reach different learners.
- Teachers should provide a variety of methods to engage each learner.
- Students learn by doing and displaying their understanding. This puts the teacher in the background.
- Learning deeply requires going beyond your comfort zone.
- Students learn what is valued.
- Authentic growth requires self-reflection.
- Students are unique and possess many different types of learning styles.
- Students learn by doing, practicing, discussing, making mistakes, and helping/teaching others.
- To become better writers, teachers must be patient with slow student progress and keep their development stage in mind.
- Students have many different learning styles (extrovert, introvert, etc.)
- Teachers should provide suggestions/feedback as they write--almost all writing should be done in teacher's presence.
Essential Questions--What questions do you regularly ask yourself as a teacher?
- How do we reach every student every day?
- How can we make our subject matter relevant to students?
- How do we inspire a love of learning?
- What does strategic teaching look like?
- How do we assess whether a student has truly internalized their learning?
- How do we use technology to enrich the learning experience?
- How do we meet the needs of all students?
- How do we balance facilitation with direct instruction?
- How do we know what they know?
- How do we challenge a student when comfort is valued?
- What do I want from my students?
- How do I provoke intrinsic motivation?
- How do I convince kids that I value understanding over skills?
- How do we make relevant lessons that engage every student?
- What are the characteristics of a successful teacher?
- What are the characteristics of a successful lesson/unit?
- For foreign language teachers--How do I teach students to function/be understood in another country? How can they gain a better understanding of another culture? How do I encourage them to keep going in spite of discomfort?
- For librarians--How do I teach students to access and connect with information, organize/synthesize info into new ideas? How do I teach students how to use others' ideas ethically and responsibly?
- For English teachers--How best to teach writing?
- How do I teach appreciation of art, literature, poetry, music, and foreign languages?
- Why did Kinkaid choose the four values (kindness, respect, responsibility, and honesty) as their core values?