What is the most important quality of a teacher?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anne McKenzie on -
Thank you for the challenge - this is a great conversation starter for the staff and students at our innovation school. Your challenge caused me to consider the following ideas.
Damon Horowitz, product developer and research strategist for Aardvark, argues we need a "moral operating system" to keep pace with advances in technological operating systems http://www.ted.com/talks/damon_horowitz.html. Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine, is developing catechism for robots http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/julyweb-only/geektheologia.... Although their approaches diverge (one secular and one spiritual), they tackle a similar problem - what ethical and philosophical assumptions should guide the development and application of technology? This question has significant implications for educators, leaders, and influential thinkers in education technology. And in order to answer your challenge/question, I considered it in the context of the problem Horowitz and Kelly pose.
What skills and qualities do teachers need to "demand the exercise of thinking" (Horowitz, 2011) from every learner? Two ideas come to mind - teachers need to help students discern and deliberate, especially in terms of leveraging technology. Kelly refers to discernment when he describes his own minimalist approach to technology. He states, "There are so many choices I could spend all of my time trying out new technologies. So I minimize my technological choices in order to maximize my output." A teacher needs to know how to help students establish their output and then help them leverage the tools to "maximize their output." The output does not need to be a discrete and decontextualized learning objective (think of most standards). Kelly defines his output as "increase all things that help people discover and use their talents."
Teachers also must also possess the disposition and skill to encourage deep thinking about complicated concepts (a big theme for me at BLC11). Horowitz writes, "clever toys are not up to the task of being our intellectual surrogates," and "machines cannot solve all of our problems - the task of thinking is still ours." Teachers need to explore messy and potentially divisive questions (think Socrates - it is not just about asking questions but inquiry and debate among opposing viewpoints). This means letting go of the notion that schools and classrooms can be politically neutral and value free zones and asking questions like, "what is our moral operating system for the development and use of technology?"
What does this mean for teachers? How do we translate this into everyday practice?
Your challenge has left me with more questions - not a bad thing - a great starting point for a Socratic journey with the staff and students.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Kostur on -
Passion to see their students thrive.
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Permalink Reply by Edward Raff on -
Patience and a sense of humor.
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