Have you ever asked your kids the difference? Can they distinguish one from the other?
I tried asking one of my kids, who responded, “Teaching is when a person who knows everything teaching other people what they know. Learning is people listening to the person teaching.”
That answer made me wonder: how might we help our children and students see teachers as learners every bit as themselves? How might we let go of the idea of the teacher of the main know-er of things in our classrooms? What are the benefits of children making these kinds of shifts in perspective?
Perhaps we might…
…share our (authentic) personal learning journeys with our students.
…ask students to help plan the learning that happens.
…ask students to help lead workshops on the concepts they are learning about.
…minimize “secret teacher business” by demystifying planning and letting students in on curricula (think “I can” statements that students revisit throughout the year).
What do you think? What kinds of values do you see in helping students compare and contrast teaching and learning?
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto