What are you doing in your teaching that in twenty years your students will still remember? That is to say, what in your teaching is powerfully memorable?
Our day-to-day work will rarely reach the realm of the powerfully memorable. That said, in getting comfortable tapping into our creativity as we design learning experiences, what we do will become ever-more effective for more and more of our students.
Find the stories around you that will capture their attention and get them past their self-imposed psychological barriers to becoming intrigued. For me, one resource for such stories is the only social media tool I use often: Instagram.
I find the best posts are those that not only show something visually compelling, but also are complemented by arresting writing.
Here’s an image from Karen Mandau, one of my favorite Instagrammers:
And part of the accompanying caption: “When we brought him the prints of the photos we took of him he was very excited. He told us that this was the first time he has ever gotten his picture taken, and that he was very happy because now, when he will die, his children will be able to remember him.” (this post on Karen’s account)
If stories like this are the basis for your communication with your students, the chances that they will remember you and what you learned together are pretty strong.
Other items of potential interest:
The deadline for the Next Vista Service via Video contest is approaching in April, but there’s still time to enter. Find details here.
You can find lots of inspirational videos in the Sources of Inspiration section of the Next Vista resources page. I’ve been gathering these for years.
Earlier this month I posted the March 2018 Next Vista newsletter. If what you find inspires you, feel free to sign up to get the email each month.
2 Comments
Steve McGriff · March 13, 2018 at 9:08 am
Hey Rushton, nicely done blog post. The interesting opening question followed by a short insight of how to move in a creative direction is a helpful, friendly challenge to our commonly held status quo. I like the layout, whitespace, and use of images. Thank you for sharing another part of yourself, your passion for teaching, and your wise insights about how we can all be better humans, whether as a teacher, parent, or friend.
Mervat Aly · March 13, 2018 at 11:55 am
I give my students “thinking time” to find s topic they’re passionate about, or they want to learn more about. At the end of their computer time, they’re given time to go and research about this specific topic. They’re also required to write a summary of their findings, and share this information with me. I hope I will be remembered when one of my students will pursue one of those passions and it becomes their career.