Simple advice
to make teaching easier -
slowing the pace of work
in an age of distraction
in an age of distraction
Readings
3rd June 2019
3rd June 2019
Allan Alach and Bruce Hammonds
This week has an introduction by Bruce
I was asked the
other day what would the one thing I would suggest to make a real difference in
teaching and learning.
It might seem
strange advice in this age of speed and continual distraction. We now live in a ‘attention deficit ‘society where all too often things happen so
fast that we miss many important things.
In classrooms
students seem to believe that ‘first finished is best’ but all too often this is counterproductive to in depth learning
/understanding. As a result of this attitude (all too often encouraged by
teachers) the classroom can become a hectic environment and many students get
left behind in the rush. One old rural adviser once told me about ‘three quarter page students’ - students who hardly ever complete
any task.
Over the years I
have written a number of blogs about this issue suggesting a number of ways to
develop a more reflective and less hectic approach to learning and I have added
links to a number of them.
'Kaizen '- the Japanese word for continual improvement
I’m not sure if students complete much book work
these days with the introduction of word processing but if they do then
students should be encouraged to show continual improvement – in handwriting, layout and design,
quality of illustration. One book that shows this continual improvement are
handwriting books, particularly for the ‘new entrants’ because it is easy to see visual improvement.
Guess that might sound somewhat ‘old fashioned’?
The same improvement needs to be seen in any portfolio of work at and level.
Paying attention to attention
Slowing the pace of work is all about ‘paying attention to attention’. Drawing is one easy area to develop visual awareness but unfortunately the innate interest in drawing is replaced at school by a focus on writing. Observational drawing is one way to encourage awareness and it’s something all students can do (once teachers get rid of the ‘I can’t draw’ attitude that many students have pickedup). The strategy is simple. Encourage students to look draw/look draw. Until they have finished. All too often students look once and then rely on memory. And to break down the ‘I can’t draw’ attitude value the difference in style of all students – avoid saying that some student has done the best job!
From in-depth
observations (through drawing) students will develop both poetic thoughts to be
written and scientific questions to be researched and later be the basis of
imaginative art.
‘Slowing the
pace of work’ emphasizes
both process and product.
 |
| Students all have their own style |
Slowing the pace
of work also allows the teacher time to come alongside learners to help if
required.
I have included
blogs which introduce other writers who encourage this more reflective approach
to learning.
Guy Claxton talks about the ‘tortoise and the hare’; others talk about the ‘Haiku
Curriculum – simple and deep’.
Others (Carl Honore) compare slow learning to slow eating to the fast
food outlets
Doing fewer
things well in depth is worth the effort making teaching and learning a more
reflective act. As Mae West the silent screen actress once said ‘anything worth doing is worth doing
well’.
Bruce
Readings providing practical assistance to develop
quality learning.
Quality
learning through paying attention to attention
Arts Teach
Deep Noticing Arts Teach Deep Noticing
‘Exposure to the arts teaches
observation, or deep noticing. There is a difference, as you know, between
looking and looking closely. When students are asked to draw something, they
must look closely to accurately observe the lines and shapes of the object they
are trying to portray. Students learn to see tiny differences and to record
them. Doesn't this sound like what a scientist does?’
50+ Drawing
Ideas to Spark the Creativity of Kids of All Ages
‘There are many benefits for kids as
they begin to draw. One advantage is building fine motor
skills; learning how
to hold a pencil helps a child develop specialized movements with their hands,
fingers, and wrists. In addition, drawing improves hand-eye coordination that
demonstrates to a kid that what they see has a connection to what they do.
Hand-eye coordination is important in many aspects of life, including playing
sports.’
Observation
as a basic skill
‘Learning to observe through drawing
is a great way to start. This blog provides a simple strategy - look /draw/look.’
Observation
and learning styles
Back to the
future – Lessons
from an old master
‘Teaching
observation is important. I believe we look at so much and see so little. Hence
my belief that if we slow down our pace and allow ourselves the gift of
observation. ‘Without
the input of looking ..no future artistic or intellectual output is possible.'
'But drawings must go further than factual information, they are also able to
convey feelings, impressions, and emotion. People who look harder, see more and
understand more.' 'Drawing is a way of asking questions and drawing answers.'
More from the
‘old master’.
Looking back
to the past - or ideas for the future?
‘Last week I was at a meeting
attended by Andrew Little Minister of Justice in the Labour Coalition
Government. During our conversation it arose that I had taught Andrew's
secretary in the mid-70s! I said I would find a photo for him to pass on to
her. I remembered that there was a photo of his secretary in an article I had contributed
to an NZEI Forwards to Basics book edited by Jack Shallcrass in 1978. Note the
young lady is now Jacinda Ardern’s
secretary.’
More Zen -
less zest! Ideas from Guy Claxton
‘While everyone else is rushing
around introducing rational thinking skills Guy Claxton is
pushing the 'slower'
idea of developing intuition, hence the title of his book 'Hare Brain Tortoise
Mind - how to increase your intelligence by thinking less’. Claxton is about valuing patience
and confusion which he believes are the precursors of real wisdom rather than
the current emphasis on rigor and certainty’
Slow Learning
– by Professor Maurice
Holt
‘In 2002 British academic Maurice
Holt, Professor Emeritus of Education University of Colorado, called for a
worldwide 'slow schools' movement. in the last decades schools have been forced
to rush through a technocratic 'fast food' curriculum with endless superficial
learning objectives. There is now no time for in depth learning; the curriculum
has become a 'mile wide and an inch deep.'
Slow food
Movement – we
need ‘slow
learning movement’.
‘We need an educational equivalent of
the ‘slow food
movement’ so as
to value the richness and relevance of any learning experience. Students need
to appreciate that the act of learning is at the very heart of their identity
and a high quality life and as such should not be rushed. The standardized ‘fast education’, as exemplified by the curriculum
statements of the past decades, has resulted in a loss of appetite for real
learning'
Slow learning
needed for fast times!
‘Dean Fink and Andy Hargreaves, in
their 2006 book ‘Sustainable
Leadership’ introduce
the important idea of ‘slow learning’. They draw on the ideas in psychologist Guy Claxton’s books ‘Hare Brain Tortoise Mind'; and ‘Wise Up’. Claxton is concerned with developing students
'learning power.’
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