Microsoft Word
While reading these chapters I found myself relating a lot
of the information to what I do in my professional life, and in my personal
life. These messages are ones we hear often. As Ben Zander spoke of the
conductor not making a sound in front of his orchestra I thought about the life
of a teacher. It is our job to guide our
students in the right directions, but I feel we need to make sure to step back
and let students take the lead. He spoke
of making groups lively and engaged. It
can be difficult to get all students to take their learning into their hands
and find it exciting. I was thinking
about the ways that as we give students the power they are then led to be
excited. We need to make learning fun
and make it connect to their lives in order to get the most out of it.
I also liked when he wrote about giving the players a chance
to conduct. This reminded me of times
when students like to take the time to be the teacher. The way this new role opens up their eyes to
new possibilities and shows them what they can do. I think it is great to give students a chance
to be the teacher. Not only does it help
them to respect your role, but also it is a great way for others to learn. When
students help teach their peers they see things from a different
perspective. This is such an empowering
skill for students.
One last thing I really liked was the chapter on not taking
life so seriously. The stories of Rule Number 6 were great. I love that those simple words were enough to
make people stop in their tracks and calm down.
I know I can’t make a plaque that says exactly what that means for my
students, but the thought of don’t take life so seriously can be used.
I liked when the author wrote about when he asked a player from the orchestra to lead. I also liked when he had the Cuban students teach the American students and vice versa. I enjoy having the student teach the teacher or having the students teach one another. I often use this practice in my classroom with my third graders. I like to give students the opportunity to contribute and take on a leadership role. Sometimes, it is more effective when a peer teaches a peer how to do something. I always try to teach a concept in multiple ways but it doesn’t always reach everyone. By having a student explain the concept in “their own language” can be extremely effective. In addition, if a student can teach someone how to do something or explain it, then you know that student has mastered the concept or skill.
ReplyDelete