我所知道的都是真的

As a lifelong educator with experience as a classroom teacher in grades K – 8, 站点管理员, 兼职教员, 现在是项目主管, there have been a wealth of valuable insights that have given me a greater breadth and depth of understanding, 我将统称为“我所知之多是真的?. In essence they are the core foundations instrumental in shaping my pedagogical practice and leadership philosophy.

Of the thousands of students that have cycled through my classrooms/schools during my career, 我常常在想, which aspects of the educational system helped shape who they became as adults. 他们现在的生活信条是什么? 他们如何应对每天面临的挑战? Was it a first-hand experience or a passive observation that left its mark? Could it have been a book that rocked their foundational values? Did someone else’s vicarious story resonate within to invoke deep seated memories? Was it a reflective pause about a missed opportunity or moment of great pride that conjured up a new perspective? Can a conversation with a stranger unlock new insights and further inquiry leading to a powerful learning connection, 数? 根据我的经验, all of these (and more) were critical in a student’s development and self-actualization. 虽然每个人的旅程都是独一无二的, there are without a doubt a number of themes I have picked up while on the front lines.

Permit me to share a couple of “truths” I have learned, lived by, and wish to pass on.

下一个问题

I contend there is no more important skill a student can learn than asking the next question. Asking the next question requires a certain level of comprehension of the topic to recognize what you 知道，以及对你所做的事情有更深入的了解 不知道. Learning a new answer or grasping a new concept is meaningless if a student is not posed to inquire: Now that I 知道 this what is the next thing I have to learn? How does this new information connect to something I already 知道 or want to 知道 more about? Who is someone I can ask about this topic to help me clarify my gaps? 我在哪里可以找到更多的信息，以获得更广阔的视野?

Learning is not a finite activity; it is an endless open door to gain deeper and greater understanding. Ironically, the more you learn, the more you realize the less you 知道. 在现实中, the sooner a student realizes that life is more about the questions than the answers, 他或她就会越早成为一个进化的学习者. Being too quick to seek the right answer stifles a student from 知道ing the interconnections that the answer offers for deeper clarity and practical application.

A strategy I employed as an administrator was encouraging my teachers after a completed assignment to ask the students to brainstorm the next three questions they wanted to learn more about. These questions would then be posted in the class so everyone could see what was driving their peers thinking and could identify areas of shared interest or new correlations to consider.

摄像机一直在运行

研究表明，孩子拥有智能手机的平均年龄是10岁.2 years old, which means now–more than ever–the video camera is always rolling (literally). And while there are 224 million devices in the US that can capture HD-quality sound, 视觉和运动, the truth is that our actions have always been in someone’s purview and have always been mentally recorded – even before the proliferation of technology.

每个人的脑海中都有一台摄像机时刻运转着, processing what they are seeing and drawing their own perceptions and conclusions. 我相信你们都听过这句谚语——感知即现实. So if unwanted snippets are captured, it is difficult to re-spin someone’s perception. 在2001年的一项开创性研究中, “坏比好更强大。,” psychologists found that it takes 5+ positive interactions to erase a single negative one. An “I’m sorry” has little impact–it must be a sincere and genuine interface to start the healing.

We as educators take note of this–because we are always on stage. Anyone that interacts within the larger school community needs to take heed of this veracity because first opinions are hard to change. Be it a patient teacher re-teaching an unmastered concept for the third time; an administrator calmly handling an innocuous situation on the playground; the office manager respectfully welcoming a visitor on site; the custodian smiling while cleaning the campus - someone is always watching. And while it is important to stay authentic and genuine in your interactions, it’s also crucial to be aware the video camera is always rolling and capturing a story.

In a series of future articles I will share other “This Much I Know is True” personal observations. Among the topics to be addressed will include: Multi-age Is Life and Life Is Multi-age, 你试图控制的越少，你的影响力就越大, 在被理解之前，先寻求理解, 还有其他这样的学问.

Thomas Cooper has been a lifelong educator for nearly 50 years and over his career he has gained a wealth of insights and innovations that he wants to pass on. Currently, he is the 导演 of the Professional Resource Center 在欧文的康考迪亚大学.