As an educator for over 36 years, I have participated in thousands of hours of professional development and learned hundreds of strategies. At times, ideas felt nearly impossible to implement under the conditions we were expected to make them happen.
How do we, as teachers, remain motivated to spend energy on developing and advancing our knowledge and skills? As demands on our time increase and leave us with less time to reflect on our pedagogy, what can we do?
“Go meta,” is one answer. On page 73 of Charlotte Danielson’s book Talk About Teaching, she writes that we should be “encouraging metacognition.”
Metacognition refers to a person’s thinking, not about the events under consideration but about one’s own thinking about those events.
When we think, we use our schema. My schema is the Framework Clusters.
The Framework Clusters represent six big ideas about teaching and learning. By strengthening my understanding of the Framework Clusters and applying the features with integrity, I examine new and recycled ideas about teaching with confidence and efficiency. The Framework for Teaching has reinforced my efficacy to make a difference and avoid complacency. The Framework Clusters is a roadmap for navigating the ever-changing transformations in our field.
With the Framework Clusters, we can personalize our learning experience based on our teaching and through a new partnership with the Teaching Channel, design our learning with what we need when we need it, in an online environment.
Although I retired in June 2019, I hope to continue to learn from teachers and talk about teaching with you in Lien On Me.
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