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I have been thinking a lot lately about the challenge we face as educators when well-intentioned learners make incorrect, inscrutable, thoughtless, or otherwise off-the-mark comments. It's a crucial moment in teaching: how do you respond to an unhelpful remark in a way that 1) dignifies the attempt while 2) making sure that no one leaves thinking that the remark is true or useful? Summer is a great time to think about the challenge of developing new routines and habits in class, and this is a vital issue that gets precious little attention in training and staff development. Here is a famous Saturday Night Live skit, with Jerry Seinfeld as a HS history teacher, that painfully demonstrates the challenge and a less than exemplary response. Don't misunderstand me: I am not saying that we are always correct in our judgment about participant remarks. Sometimes a seemingly dumb comment turns out to be quite insightful. Nor am I talking about merely inchoate or poorly-worded contributions. That is a separate teaching challenge: how to unpack or invite others to unpack a potentially-useful but poorly articulated idea. No, I am talking about those comments that are just clunkers in some way; seemingly dead-end offerings that tempt us to drop our jaws or make some snarky remark back. My favorite example of the challenge and how to meet it comes from watching my old mentor Ted Sizer in action in front of 360 educators in Louisville 25 years ago. We had travelled as the staff of the Coalition of Essential Schools from Providence to Louisville to pitch the emerging Coalition reform effort locally. Ted gave a rousing speech about the need to transform the American high school. After a long round of applause, Ted took questions. The first questioner asked, and I quote: "Mr Sizer, what do you think about these girls and their skimpy halter tops in school?" (You have to also imagine the voice: very good-ol'-boy). Without missing a beat or making a face, Ted said "Deco

student created "how-to" video

Sara, Just saw this. Thanks for sharing. I've just linked it to my class blog since we "suffer" from the "Hi. How are you?" comment syndrome. Hopefully my students will apply it and start writing some quality comments in the very near future. See you tomorrow! Nancy

"The goal is to move beyond superficial peer conferencing and commenting, to dig into feedback that helps the "author" grow and improve in whatever form they are using. Too often the feedback students provide is superficial, commenting on what they liked without explaining why, offering generic improvement ideas, or focusing on less important elements (i.e. spelling, punctuation, etc.). How do we help students provide each other meaningful, productive feedback? How do we help students internalize those conversations to become their own best critical friend? "

Online discussions & peer feedback; additional links

"Feel free to contact any of the officers for comments, questions, suggestions or even additions to the newsletter or website. We would appreciate hearing from you! "

This post really struck a cord with me. I agree that we need to have a balance of digital and non-digital experiences/interactions, and that we need to model the "art of human conversation" with students. Digital conversations can be powerful, and at times, that is the only way we can get together and hold the conversation! This summer, we are working in a blended environment with teachers for PD and I am so extremely proud of them. They are responding online to blog posts with such thoughtful comments and voice. When people take the time to craft their thoughts, I do feel their presence with me! 

This post made me think about how easy it is to learn something you want/need to learn right now. It also made me think a bit about a conversation I had with a librarian yesterday who was commenting on how all it takes is a little effort on the part of the individual to learn. 

"This is the first post in a dialogue between Patrick Honner and me concerning rigor, testing, and the new Common Core Math Standards. Each installment in this series will be cross-posted both here and at MrHonner.com. We invite readers to join the conversation. Please post any comments at Patrick's site so that they are all in one place."

How do we engage more teachers in the conversation? We are doing it one by one...is that the only way? How do we get teachers to see themselves as professionals that need to be interested in not only their content but in their pedagogy as well?

You give me the chance and I will take it! Essential Quote: "If you want teacher buy-in, let the teachers buy!" - Damn straight, better-believe-it-buddy! What is this really saying? Give educators the chance to determine their own needs and allow them to create their own PD - WOW, democracy in the work place, professional autonomy, release of control...Stop right there Mister Radical Man! All this student centered, student owning the learning may be the cool buzz words of the day, and we may wave its flag high and proud, but we ain't goin' to apply it to the employee serfs charged with implementing that pith! Pahleese, teachers in control - teachers deciding how best to teach and facilitate learning? Chaos, Anarchy, Socialism! Dog and Cats living together, mass hysteria...Ain't happenin'...not now, not ever! I actually know this to be true. I designed, proposed, pleaded for a number of programs incorporating this approach and was rebuffed (vehemently and sternly) in two districts, ignored in two others in favor of completely top down, admin centered, and strictly dictated, carrot and stick approach of standard seat time, nothing required but attention or comment, 11, 23, (whatever) Tools! Shocking that we have the PD results we have? Hardly - Continuing to do the same things we have always done and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity - A. Einstein - what an idiot!