I am a huge comic book movie fan, and when I realized that this chapter was going to be on transforming something…I figured it’d be time to bust out a transformer gif! 🙂
This car starts out fairly plainly but then…SHABAM!
It becomes something completely different!
Our teaching should reflect transformers in a way too! 🙂
I want to be the kind of teacher that kids are excited about coming to learn with! I want to transform ordinary lessons into extraordinary opportunities!
Burgess explains how to do that within this chapter.
We’ve already discussed how creativity–although it can sometimes be spontaneous–often times needs to be well thought out and planned so that the students get the most out of the lesson.
 |
| TEACH WITH THE END IN MIND! |
Burgess talks about the idea that we need to have a GPS style approach to innovation in our classrooms. What is the end goal of any lesson? Just like you use GPS to help you get to your end point on a trip–you need to think about what you want the kids to get out of what you’re doing before you even start! Remember, that your GPS will not work properly if it can not locate your precise starting location! Make sure you are realistic about what your class is able to do and not do!
BOTTOM LINE: In order to have a transformational classroom, you’re going to have to reframe your students’ perceptions of what they are learning! 🙂
Just a quick story and then I’m done.
I never really liked math as a kid. Probably because I wasn’t all that good at it, and really didn’t have too many teachers that told me I was good at it. I was surprised to learn from a class I taught a few years ago that they thought my favorite subject to teach was MATH! When I asked why, they said…well, because the math lessons are always the most interesting and we do more fun stuff! Most students that leave my class would tell you that math is their favorite subject, and it’s not always because they are good at it…it’s because I’ve found a way to make them want to learn it! 😉
For more thoughts on this chapter, please check out Lisa’s blog!
I’ve gotten to know her over the last year as another teacher of firsties!
She is amazing! I can’t wait to hear her take on what being transformational in her practice looks like! 🙂
Go on over and say hello! 🙂
If you would like to link up for this chapter, don’t hesitate to visit Gina or Jen! 🙂
