Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky once told the world that
we learn best while observing or interacting with someone who is a bit more
educated than we are. This Zone of
Proximal Development (ZPD) follows the idea that we gradually develop the
ability to solve certain tasks without help when observing others. This same philosophy is used in schools across
the world 89 years later, because it works.
At their desks, students are often paired with those close
to them in skill to help create a maturing process that is neither overwhelming
nor immature. Yet, if this concept works so well with our students, why aren’t
we asking our teachers to do the same?
Colleges are using collaboration as a way to excel student
learning. Sure, schoolteachers have
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in their schools to discuss ideas, but
how do we tap in to the depth of knowledge that successful schools in New York,
Texas, or Illinois are drawing from?
Being a teacher means being a life-long learner. We are forever journeymen who shall always
continue our quest to become better. Our education system cannot be patched
together brick and mortar; it needs drastic change to become successful.
To do this, every principal and teacher should be both a
mentor, and apprentice. Three times a
year, a teacher should observe someone more educated and experienced than they
are. Someone less experienced should
also observe them. This not only holds
teachers accountable to teach well, but it disperses knowledge quickly. Teachers take those ideas they learned and
bring them back to their schools, their PLCs, and diffusion occurs naturally.
The cost for three subs a year per teacher will not be extremely
cumbersome for districts to fathom with.
This certainly is a cheaper way to conduct professional development days
where districts pay some company thousands of dollars for the next “magic
bullet” that will raise scores drastically. Not to mention only one teacher per
grade can attend, and usually are not allowed to “share” the copywrited
material.
We don’t need new curriculum, new computers, more teachers, or
fewer students. We need a platform to
both hold teachers accountable, and disperse our knowledge from the ground
up. Top bottom approaches that companies
offer simply do not work. They are
merely tools to use.
The ones teaching know how to teach best. But that knowledge will never be accessed if
they never leave the classroom. These teachers
in their isolated pods, I mean classrooms, are begging for networking via
Twitter and Pintrist. Le that process
happen naturally, locally, and let teachers hold each other accountable to
better improve and inspire us all.
